Board of Directors
The Waltham Land Trust is led by an 11-member board of directors. The WLT's board was launched with eight original founding, lifetime directors, some of whom still serve on the board today. The remaining directors are elected at the Annual Meeting of the general membership for three-year terms.
Meet our current directors!
Nadene Stein, PhD, President
Nadene and her partner, Ty, have lived on the Southside of Waltham for over 20 years; they love everything the city has to offer! She is currently the president of the boards of the WLT and Healthy Waltham. She has been the assistant superintendent for Pupil Services, in charge of Health Services, School Counseling, and Special Education for the Waltham Public Schools since 2015. Previously, she was the principal of Northeast Elementary School in Waltham for 14 years. Nadene loves playing the baritone horn, reading, knitting, gardening, and participating in Waltham's many 5K races.
Barbara Jacobs,
Vice President
Barbara has lived in Waltham since 1995. Her first home was across from Hardy Pond. Currently retired from a career as a grant writer and program developer, she has been supporting the Waltham Land Trust with writing and advising on grants for several years. Barbara shares her love for walking and cycling by leading walks through the Western Greenway and cycling around the communities that surround Waltham.
Anna Richardson, Clerk
Anna is an attorney and the Co-Executive Director of Veterans Legal Services. Anna grew up in Ithaca, New York, where enjoying the waterfalls and hiking trails helped her understand how conservation and green space benefit everyone in the community. Anna enjoys gardening and cooking, especially incorporating the herbs and vegetables from her garden into her dishes. She and her husband, Clarence, live on Bright Street where they frequently enjoy the Grove Street Green Space.
Marc Rudnick, Treasurer
Marc Rudnick is a founder of the Waltham Land Trust and one of the primary architects of the Western Greenway hiking trail. He is a lifelong activist who also co-founded the Hardy Pond Association, the Waltham Farmers’ Market, WATCH Community Development Corporation, and the city’s 150-plot community gardening project. Marc received the city’s inaugural Waltham Community Hero Award and citations for public service from the Mayor and the City Council. He currently serves on Waltham’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
Rita Cramer, Board Member
Rita has lived in Waltham since 1999. After leaving a career in project management she now teaches part-time at Showa University in Boston. She has served as a member and/or officer on four previous nonprofit boards. Rita has been involved in the WLT as a steward, then as a member of the Special Events Committee. She is also involved in the cycling and running communities, and hopes that the common interests of walkers, hikers, cyclists, and runners will help us maintain and expand open space in Waltham. Currently, Rita is an organizer for Waltham Trail Runners, a bicycle leader for North Shore Cyclists, and an ambassador for the Ride to End Alzheimer’s.
Marie E. Daly, Board Member
Marie is a founder of the Waltham Land Trust. She currently serves on the board of the Waltham Historical Society and is a member of the Waltham Historical Commission. Marie is retired from the New England Historic Genealogical Society. She was formerly president of the Beaver Brook Watershed Coalition, which advocated for the preservation of open space at the former Metropolitan State Hospital. Since she has lived in Waltham for nearly 70 years, Marie has intimate knowledge of its history and current and former open spaces.
John A. Dieckmann, Board Member
John has been involved in land conservation, walking trail and bike trail development for the past 15 years. He is the vice-president of the Belmont Citizens Forum and in this capacity was one of the founding members of the Friends of the Western Greenway. John has devoted considerable time to planning and building the Western Greenway Trail. He is also the vice-chair of the Belmont Community Path Advisory Committee. In his day job, John is a mechanical engineer, a background that sometimes is relevant to trail projects.
Debra Herman, Board Member
Recently retired from a career in Early Childhood Education, Deb has called Waltham home since 2014. She has a Bachelors in Education from Northeastern and an MBA from Oregon State University. Deb was a Girl Scout and an honorary Boy Scout, accompanying her Campmaster father to many Boy Scout jamborees. In addition to being a WLT steward, Deb is active in the Boston Mycology Club and the Brookline Birders. She can often be found “forest bathing” at Prospect Hill Park.
Nathaniel May, Board Member
Nat is a licensed architect, construction supervisor, and CEO of AURORA Architects + Builders focusing on helping clients create homes that are healthy, energy efficient, low carbon, durable, and resilient. Nat did his first building and craft work as a child, aboard the boat – named Aurora – that his family lived on for seven years, sailing from Penobscot Bay to the Chesapeake, Florida, and the Caribbean. Nat, his wife Heather, and their children India and Jake moved to Waltham in 2014. They live in a net-positive, all electric home they designed and remodeled. Outside of work, Nat likes to garden and hike, plays drums in several local bands, and of course, he hasn’t stopped sailing.
Daniel Melnechuk, Board Member
Dan grew up on a farm in Brookline, Mass., and by the age of 15 he had visited and camped in 47 of the continental United States. Waltham has been his native habitat since 1991. A now-retired computer systems consultant, Dan helps with WLT's tech. He loves the outdoors, growing garlic, and playing his bass. “Being surrounded by nature is a tonic that, if you let it, can relieve modern society’s stressing effects.”
Debbie von Rechenberg, Board Member
Debbie and her husband Moritz have been WLT members since moving to Waltham in 2005. Both are WLT trail stewards, and Debbie also serves on the Development Committee, bringing her skills as a freelance writer to the table. Besides hiking in Waltham’s open spaces with their dog Enzo (and previously with dog Mica), Debbie likes baking with sourdough (since before it was cool), enjoying local produce, playing with yarn, and practicing tai chi.
Emily Szczypek, Board Member
Emily moved to Waltham in 1995 and is a steward for the Waltham Land Trust, primarily working along the Charles River. She loves birdwatching and has led birdwatching trips along the Charles River and elsewhere. Emily also enjoys birdwatching by bicycle in Waltham away from the river. She bicycles with Bike Together Waltham. Emily has read many articles about the importance of green space for overall well-being and enjoys city living with a penchant for green spaces being left intact. She is a member of MA Audubon, Brookline Bird Club, Menotomy/Arlington Bird Club, The Trustees of Reservations, National Wildlife Federation, Community Boating Inc. in Boston, and the Massapoag Yacht Club in Sharon, MA. Emily has been involved with Waltham Inclusive Neighborhood (WIN) and has an official Monarch Way Station yard.
Diana Young, Board Member
Diana moved to Waltham in 1996 and became a WLT Board member in 2002. She has led walks and other WLT program activities for over the past two decades. Diana got to know Waltham when she was a student lawyer at the Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau. She is a retired tax lawyer, the former Chair of the Community Preservation Committee, and an avid gardener.
In Memoriam
David Kehs
In Memoriam 7/21/2019
Dave moved to Waltham in 1980 to take a software engineering position at one of the local firms along Rt. 128. He enjoyed hiking, biking, kayaking and rafting, both in local recreation areas and around the country. David joined the WLT Board of Directors in 2001, was an active member of the Land Committee, and led a number of walks for the WLT. He was the creator of WLT's trail guides and maps until his untimely white water rafting death in 2019.
Inge Uhlir
In Memoriam 4/6/2024
Inge Uhlir was one of the founders of the Waltham Land Trust in 1999. A strong supporter of the environment and conservation of open space, Inge worked tirelessly as a director to help guide the Waltham Land Trust on its mission to create a legacy of land conservation in Waltham by promoting, protecting, restoring, and acquiring open space. Upon her retiring from the board, we renamed our annual award given to an individual for their dedication to conservation "The Inge Uhlir Conservation Award".
Directors Emeritus
Stephen Rourke, Director Emeritus
Stephen is one of the founders of the Waltham Land Trust in 1999. A Waltham native, he moved to the Southside neighborhood in 1978, where he has been the Ward 8 City Councillor starting in 2002 and serving his last term ending in 2018. In addition to enjoying the outdoors, Stephen is an avid supporter of, and occasional participant in, Reagle Music Theater productions.
Advisory Board Members
The Waltham Land Trust has an Advisory Board made up of both past Directors and other special people with helpful skills and knowledge that pertain to open space preservation. These people are:
Eric Olson
Stephen Rourke–Founder and Director
Mike Squillante–Director
Mike Tabaczynski
Doug Waybright
Roger Wrubel