Gilbert Butler is the founder of Butler Parklands and Black River Management Company (formerly Butler Capital Corporation), and a noted environmental philanthropist. A boyhood spent near Utica, New York, close to the western edge of the Adirondack Park, gave Gilbert an early and lasting appreciation for nature and its value to society. He is an accomplished outdoorsman who enjoys extensive travel, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, mountaineering and kayaking.

A graduate of Milton Academy, Harvard College, and Columbia Business School, Gilbert was a pioneer in developing alternative investment vehicles for pension funds, endowments and other institutions. By age 30, he was a Vice President of the Trust and Investment Division of Morgan Guaranty Trust Company. Before Gilbert’s departure from Morgan in 1979, he was responsible for and co-manager of more than $1.2 billion in pension funds. Gilbert co-founded the Butler Capital Corporation that same year – one of the earliest middle market management buyout firms to achieve a subscribed capital in excess of $1 billion. In 2005, Gilbert began to wind down Butler Capital and concentrate on managing the assets and grants for his charitable foundation.

Gilbert’s business acumen led him to become an influential philanthropist for the environment. A large gift to Harvard University, for example, included the university’s first endowed professorship devoted exclusively to environmental issues.

Gilbert has served on the boards of the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, the New York Botanical Garden, the World Monuments Fund, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. It is his intention to leave a legacy of lasting impact on the organizations whose work he so highly values.

Tony Grassi chairs the Board of Directors of Butler Parklands, Inc. He was formerly a Managing Director of Credit Suisse First Boston. He is a past Chairman of the Board of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as well as of TNC in Connecticut. He currently serves on the state board of TNC in Maine, as well as the Board of Advisors of the Senator George Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions. He is a former Chairman of the Board of American Rivers and past President of the Wilton (Connecticut) Land Conservation Trust. Tony is also a founder of Horizons National Student Enrichment Program. He has a BA from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Since moving to Maine in 2004, Tony has worked on a number of significant projects: removal of dams on the Penobscot River; establishment (through TimberHP) of the first U.S. production facility for high performing, sustainable, carbon storing insulation, and the rehabilitation of an historic gristmill (with a small hydropower operation) that is now home to the renowned Lost Kitchen restaurant. Tony and his wife have two sons who both live in Maine with their wives and children.

Ildiko Butler left her native country of Hungary in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution. She immigrated to the United States with her family and settled in New York City. Ildiko graduated from Fordham University in New York, and subsequently earned a degree in photography from the International Center for Photography at New York University. Her photography has been exhibited in a variety of galleries and venues in New York and Maine. Ildiko has sponsored an art gallery at Fordham featuring thematic group exhibitions by contemporary photographers, painters, architects, designers and filmmakers. She serves on the Trustees Council of the Preservation League of New York State.

Ildiko is multilingual and has traveled extensively throughout the world. She is also an avid bicycler, hiker and cross-country skier. She and her husband, Gilbert Butler, have one daughter, Melissa Butler Tuckerman, who is married to Oliver Tuckerman. Melissa and Oliver have three children and live in Houston, Texas.

A consulting landscape architect, Carl Carlson’s interest in conservation and outdoor recreation started at a young age on family trips to Vermont and the Adirondacks. His fascination with the outdoors led to a degree in Landscape Architecture from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. After starting his career in landscape design, Carl shifted to landscape construction management and worked with Butler Parklands to develop outdoor recreation and conservation projects around the world.

Carl brings a wide range of experience to the Butler Parklands board, with a deep understanding of how exposure to beautiful landscapes can foster environmental curiosity and create lifelong support for conservation.

Dana Beach was born in Columbia, SC. He is a graduate of Davidson College and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dana founded the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League in 1989. Under his direction, the organization evolved into one of the most successful state-level conservation groups in the nation.

Dana has received a variety of awards for his work in conservation, including the National Wetlands Award from the U.S. EPA/Environmental Law Institute, the Environmental Awareness Award from the South Carolina Legislature, the James S. Dockery Southern Environmental Leadership Award, Time Magazine for Kids “Hero of the Planet,” and South Carolina’s highest civilian award – the Order of the Palmetto.

A published author, Dana lives on Wadmalaw Island, S.C. with his wife, Virginia. They have two children, both of whom live in Brooklyn, N.Y.

After completing a 39-year career at Merrill Lynch, Tom now works for several high-net-worth families, serving as trustee and investment committee chair. During his time on Wall Street he filled various roles, including helping establish and manage Merrill Lynch’s Private Banks operation. Tom was the founding partner of a private banking team that represents families across the country.

He currently resides in Woodstock, Vermont with his wife Tracy, where they manage an apple orchard called Notter Farm. Tom is involved in several environmental initiatives and outdoor activities. He is a trustee of the US Biathlon Foundation and serves on the boards of the Connecticut River Conservancy and the American Fly Fishing Museum.

Mr. Elliman is former CEO of the Open Space Institute, a land conservation organization that has protected and/or financed close to 2 million acres and created over 30 new parks or protected areas. Mr. Elliman has worked in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. He worked at a newspaper and in government before joining an alternate energy company, and then went into private equity.

He has served as President of Gray, Seifert & Co., an investment management company; Managing Director of Barrett Associates, Inc., where he continues to serve as a consultant; and General Partner of Elmrock Group, a private equity partnership. He was Director and Chairman of Piggly Wiggly Southern, and Director of Fresh Fields Markets, and he held the post of President of the Overhills Group, a diversified holding company. He is a Director of Thacher Associates and on the Cherokee International Partners Sustainability Council. Mr. Elliman has served on numerous non-profit and foundation boards, including the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, J.M. Kaplan Fund, Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Foundation, Overhills Foundation, The Wilderness Society, Storm King Arts Center, Garrison Institute, Environmental Defense, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Wildlife Habitat Policy Research Program, and the Dalton School. Mr. Elliman received his B.A. from Yale and now serves on Yale University’s Forestry and Environmental Leadership Council.

Kristine Tompkins, former CEO of the clothing company Patagonia, is the co-founder and president of Tompkins Conservation, and President of the Board of Rewilding Chile. She has been a key figure behind the creation of different national parks, such as Patagonia National Park in Chile and Monte León National Park in Argentina.
The recipient of numerous honors, she was the first conservationist to be awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, and in 2018 she was named the United Nations’ Global Patron for Protected Areas.

Born in southern California, Kris spent most of her childhood at her great-grandmother’s ranch, a setting that helped cultivate her connection with the natural world. After graduating from the University of Idaho, where she competed for the ski team, Kris returned to California. There, she began working for her longtime friends Yvon and Malinda Chouinard, helping them launch their recently formed outdoor brand, Patagonia, Inc. Kris eventually became CEO, transforming Patagonia into an industry innovator in the outdoor space and helping forge its “anti-corporate” model. In 1993, Kris retired from Patagonia and married Doug Tompkins, co-founder of The North Face and Esprit. The two focused their entrepreneurial talents on the protection of the natural world.

Charlie Howe has more than a decade of experience in landscape design, recreation infrastructure, ecological restoration, biological inventories and mapping. He is also fluent in Spanish and has spent over four years collaborating on and directing park projects in Argentina, Peru, Paraguay and Mexico.

Charlie joined Butler Conservation in 2017, serving as project manager for four years and splitting his time between Argentina, Maine and New York. He spent much of his youth in the woods of the Western Allegheny Plateau and is thrilled to provide students with similarly memorable outdoor experiences at each of the Butler Parklands sites.

Charlie holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Environmental Science from Allegheny College and a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

Matt Ells has over ten years of experience directing large-scale landscape design projects around the world. He is comfortable leading every phase of a plan, from concept to construction – all the while collaborating with a variety of consultants, engineers, architects and ecologists to develop high quality projects.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban & Regional Planning and Environmental Science from Virginia Tech and a Master of Landscape Architecture & Master of City Planning from The University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, he received the Ian L. McHarg Award, which is given to a graduating MLA student who has demonstrated excellence in design and best exemplifies ecological ideals in contemporary and culturally pertinent ways.

Previously, Matt worked at Architectural and Landscape Architectural design firms in Chicago, Rotterdam, Los Angeles and New York. He strongly believes the best way to conserve the world’s most beautiful, ecologically valuable land is by making it accessible for people to experience responsibly. This instills a land stewardship ethic that creates a more environmentally conscious public, poised to value these places enough to protect them.

Jenn McGovern manages accounting operations for Butler Parklands and its eight park sites. She started her career as a junior accountant and served as a senior accountant at Butler Parklands before becoming Controller for Butler Parklands and the associated Black River Management Company. Jenn earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, magna cum laude, from Molloy University.

An athlete herself, Jenn has 25 years of experience coaching sports and is delighted to be able to support Butler Parklands’ mission of promoting outdoor, aerobic sports among young people. She has seen firsthand how these activities create a sense of pride, confidence and trust among classmates.

Since joining the organization in 2012, Joe Mancari has performed a wide range of investment, accounting, tax, management, administrative and logistical services for Butler Parklands.

Joe’s primary responsibilities include investment reporting, investment transactions, income and budget projections, trust administration, cash receipts and disbursements, bank reconciliations, credit card statement coding, accounts payable, human resources and payroll management, making grant payments, office and IT system management, reviewing tax returns, preparation of board materials, and personal services/scheduling for the founder. In addition, Joe also holds officer roles with Black River Management Company and Butler Parklands.

Prior to joining Black River Management Company, Joe worked at Ernst & Young, LLP for three years, where he provided audit services in reviewing clients’ financial statements and supporting documentation. He graduated from the Villanova School of Business in 2009 as an accounting and finance double major, while also earning a minor in entrepreneurship. Joe currently lives with his wife and two children in Long Island, N.Y., where they enjoy nature walks, outdoor team and individual sports, and day trips to the beach, aquarium, zoo and vineyards.

Fior Ramos also provides accounts payable and administrative support to Butler Parklands. Fior comes to Black River Management Company with ten years of experience in the field and is well versed in the skills and processes needed to ensure timely payments and an orderly ledger. Fior holds a Master of Science degree in accounting from Queens College, City University of New York.

Fior developed an appreciation for nature growing up in a small town in the Dominican Republic and shares this love of the natural world with her two children. She is glad to be able to support Butler Parklands’ mission of connecting people, especially children, to nature.

Nishel Boothe also provides accounting support to Butler Parklands. With more than ten years of construction accounting experience, Nishel is well versed in the job of cost accounting and reporting that large-scale infrastructure projects require.

Nishel enjoys time spent in nature, and she and her husband are passing on this love of the outdoors to their two children through hiking, camping, swimming and paddling.

Nishel holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management & Economics from SUNY Empire State University.

Ted Stone is Managing Partner for the New York Metro practice of TechCXO, LLC where he provides CFO services on a fractional basis to organizations in the New York area that do not require a full-time strategic CFO. Butler Parklands is one of those clients. Ted also leads TechCXO’s growing practice of 17 other c-level consultants in the New York area providing similar services across the financial, sales, marketing, technology, operations and strategic disciplines.

Ted joined TechCXO in November 2016 following a 36-year career as the top financial officer and business partner with the CEOs of 12 businesses across a range of global, B2B, technology-intensive industries – varying in size from start-ups to established companies with $100 million to $2.5 billion in revenue. His career includes serving as CFO for three public companies, four private equity backed firms, two angel-backed technology start-ups and four large subsidiaries of Fortune 500 corporations.

Ted earned an MBA from the Amos Tuck School and an AB in Engineering Sciences, cum laude, from Dartmouth College.

Gregory Galgano, CPA began his career in 2009 with Gettry Marcus CPA, P.C. (now part of Citrin Cooperman) in the firm’s Accounting and Auditing Group. He rose to the level of Senior manager, servicing middle market clients in varying industries including manufacturing and distribution, healthcare, and professional services. As chair of the firm’s Engagement Committee, Greg led in the development and presentation of training programs to staff members and participated in the Firm’s staff mentoring program.

Greg joined Black River Management Company in 2019 as Controller and was later promoted to Chief Financial Officer. He was also Controller of Butler Parklands and its affiliated entities and served on the Board of Black River Environmental Improvement Association (BREIA).

In 2021, Greg formed Galgano CPA, PLLC. Leveraging a wide knowledge base from public accounting, rounded out by his experience in private industry, Greg offered a unique perspective to his clients. Through this venture, Greg continued to serve as a fractional controller to the Black River Management and Butler Parklands. He also served as a consultant to Citrin Cooperman’s transaction advisory and consulting group, advising clients through merger and acquisition transactions, and various other consulting engagements.

A graduate of Adelphi University, Greg holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting. In 2016, Greg was recognized as a recipient of the Long Island Business News 40 under Forty award.