Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserves' trustees and staffJoel Rabinowitz, executive director: After serving as a Greensprings trustee for over two years, Joel Rabinowitz became Greensprings' first director in July 2007. Before that he worked as a researcher and database manager at the development offices of Ithaca College and Cornell University, and also as a staff historian for a public archaeology company. A member of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, he served on its board and helped lead the Land Trust's fundraising work as a founder and chair of its development committee.
Joel Rabinowitz
607 898 5113
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Jennifer Johnson, burial coordinator: After serving as a Greensprings trustee and secretary for more than six years, Jen Johnson now serves as a liaison with funeral directors and families to plan and coordinate burials.
607 329 2279
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Greensprings' board of trustees
Our trustees share a common passion for protecting natural beauty and finding commonsense solutions for social concerns. We do everything from developing presentations, signs, and brochures to laying out trails and burial areas; from legal research to and fundraising and promoting natural burial; and, of course, providing oversight for Greensprings' day-to-day operations. We'd love to do a presentation for your organization-don't hesitate to give us a call.
Mary Woodsen, president
607-233-4174 or 917-842-0987 (cell)
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Dick Cahoon, vice president607 844 4953
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Mary Beth Gehring, treasurer 607-564-7016
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Priscilla Quirk, secretary
607 257 3647
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Susan Thomas
607 937 6046
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Steve Lawrence
607-342-2267
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John Rogers
607 229 2523
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Mary Woodsen, president, is a science writer at Cornell University and a freelance journalist. She's also a member of the Finger Lakes Land Trust (which protects 8,000 acres in the Finger Lakes and Southern Rivers regions), the Cayuga chapter of Keeping Track (a national organization working with local groups around the country that document the presence of keystone wildlife species in their areas, the better to inform decisions about local and regional land use), the Society of Environmental Journalists, the Society of Conservation Biology, and the National Association of Science Writers.
Dick Cahoon, vice president is director of the Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise, and Commercialization where he specializes in intellectual property management and licensing Cornell inventions. He is a long-time member of the Finger Lakes Land Trust and former board member and vice president, and has served on boards of other nonprofits and several companies. Richard received his Masters degree in land rehabilitation from Montana State and his PhD in natural resources from Cornell. He lives near Freeville, NY, with his wife J'Nelle. They have three children.
Mary Beth Gehring, treasurer is the Community Office Manager for Tioga State Bank. For 20 years before that, she was a dairy farmer. She has served on boards of many local organizations and nonprofits, including the Newfield Town Board, Tompkins County Farm Bureau, and the Newfield United Methodist Church; she was a founding member of Community Foundation of Tompkins County and still serves on its finance committee. She also serves on the Newfield Community Good Neighbor Fund and has long been interested in land use issues. Mary Beth lives in Newfield with her husband Richard and enjoys horseback riding and other outdoor activities.
Priscilla Quirk, secretary, is the coordinator of Health Promotion and Substance Abuse Prevention at Ithaca College and is involved in a number of community groups, including Tobacco Free Tompkins and the Campus Community Coalition. Her interest in Greensprings stems from her long-standing commitment to land conservation and her appreciation of the natural burial traditions of old cemeteries. She enjoys canoeing and hiking in the Finger Lakes area with her husband and sons. Priscilla is a life member of the Nature Conservancy and a member of the Finger Lakes Land Trust and the Waterfront Trail.
Susan Thomas, is an artisan, a goldsmith who creates one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces for clients around the country. She exhibits in upscale craft shows up and down the East Coast and has been in business for 30 years, experience that serves her well as Greenspring's treasurer.
Steve Lawrence has coached for the U.S. Association for Blind Athletes and brought Shot in the Dark, a "beep-baseball" team for those with visual impairments, to three wins at the World Series of Beep Baseball. He has written over 1,000 articles, mostly sports and health related, along with many eulogies and memorials. In October 2009 he began classes in the Celebrant Foundation and Institute. Steve works as a membership account exec with the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce.
John Rogers runs a construction and construction management firm in Ithaca following a 20-year career in the nonprofit housing field at Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services. He has wide-ranging community connections along with a practical, results-oriented approach to promoting Greensprings' vision. He's been on a number of area nonprofit boards including the Finger Lakes Land Trust (serving as president) and the Community Foundation of Tompkins County.
Greensprings hires burial staff as needed for before-and-after gravesite work.
In memoriam:
Carl Leopold, a long time Trustee of Greensprings, passed away in 2009 at the age of 89. He was a professor emeritus at Cornell University, the founding president of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, and a co-founder of the Tropical Forestry Initiative, which works to reforest eroded mountain farms in Costa Rica. He was an active conservationist ever since the early thirties, when he began restoring (along with the rest of his family) a worn-out farm in Sand County, Wisconsin, now an icon for conservationists everywhere.
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