Teatown Makes 2 Top Appointments

OSSINING, NY— The Board of Trustees at Teatown in Ossining has announced two appointments this fall: Dr. Amy Karpati is the new Director of Science and Programs, and Jane Simoni Cooke is now the Director of Development and Marketing.

“Teatown continues to fulfill its obligation as a leader in environmental education with these new hires,” said Board Chairman Howard Permut. “These two seasoned professionals in both environmental science and fundraising will support and protect our mission to serve the community with advanced concepts in the conservation conversation now and for generations to come. The Board welcomes them to our outstanding team.”

Karpati holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution and a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. She completed her Master’s in Adolescent Education at Pace University. She currently serves on the faculty of Columbia University’s Master’s in Sustainability Management program where she works with students from diverse backgrounds to explore solutions to urban environmental problems. Karpati previously worked as a conservation biologist and environmental advocate in the New Jersey Pinelands where she helped to protect the essential ecosystem services, species, and habitats of that unique region. All of her work reflects her passion for biological conservation, ecological restoration of urban ecosystems, plant ecology, sustainability, and the strengthening of community connections to the natural landscape.

Cooke earned her Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia after graduating from Smith College. Later she pursued landscape studies under Betsy Barlow Rogers, the founder of the Central Park Conservancy. Cooke was the first executive director of the American Society of Landscape Architects New York Chapter, held positions in the sale and marketing of landscape-oriented goods and services, and most recently launched the $20 million capital campaign at the Regional Plan Association, an urban planning think tank addressing the ongoing development of the tri-state area.

“Teatown is moving into a new and exciting phase in its history with these appointments. We are increasingly aware of the complicated challenges we must address on our thousand acre preserve under extraordinary pressure from growing populations of humans, animals and non-native plants,” said Executive Director Kevin Carter. “With Amy and Jane on board, I am confident that the public dialogue we engage in will become increasingly robust – and that our highly regarded environmental education program will become even more vitally expressed in our expanding regional community.”

Teatown, formerly known as Teatown Lake Reservation, is privately owned and publicly accessible free of charge from dawn to dusk 365 days a year. Leashed dogs are always welcome to join visitors on fifteen miles of beautifully maintained hiking trails, which include three lakes, at the intersection of the towns of New Castle, Ossining and Yorktown. The environmental education program serves over 20,000 students annually from pre-K to post-grad. The well-known summer camp serves another 450 youth. Adult education programs are available year 'round; learn more.