Board Member since 2024
Company and job title:
Partner at Hodgson Russ
Location: Guaranty Building/ Hodgson Russ Buffalo office
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
What kind of law do you practice?
“A big part of my practice is helping renewable energy clients develop their projects.”
What experience led you to where you are today at the land trust?
“Buffalo is a crowded room, you can’t go anywhere without seeing someone you know, and that’s especially true in the legal profession…I heard that the land trust was looking for someone to sit on their board…and it seemed like such a good fit with what I do… growing up on a bay in Brooklyn, one of the things I love is Buffalo’s waterfront… the idea of connecting my experience with a group that does a lot of waterfront projects, it checked all of my boxes.”
What is your interest in the land trust? Why are you here? What do you hope to accomplish?
“I hope to contribute both skill and knowledge to assist with the board…there are other conservation groups, but no one does what we set out to do with brownfields, so bringing that to the attention of the people in the community and those in power. I really would like to make more people aware of what we do.”
What’s your favorite part about being on this board?
“To work with such a dynamic group of people who all have their own specialties and expertise but come together for a purpose…we’re here for a finite period but all of this will be here long after we’re gone… It doesn’t take a lot to just be conscious of what you’re doing especially where you live to make sure it stays preserved and it serves a purpose for the greater good.”
What is the significance of the place you chose to meet?
“I’m so fortunate to work in this building, it truly is a Buffalo landmark…there are so many people that come here just to see this building and take in all of its architecture and beauty…”
“Just going to a walk with the kids and my wife. We have a rails to trails near our house so we’ll do that on a nice day and then they’ll con me into going to Anderson’s for ice cream…I also love being on a boat, I’ve spent many Summers on a boat with my dad deep sea fishing…”
What is your favorite outdoor activity?
What brings you joy?
“Seeing my kids happy. They’re at that age where I come home and we talk about their day and it’s just so innocent… it’s really heartwarming. They’re 10 and 6, they’re at ages where the ugliness of the world fortunately hasn’t presented itself to them and they’re still able to enjoy life and not be plagued with stress and social media and all those external things… it’s a good reminder to me that sometimes I need to step away from all of that outside noise and spend a little bit more time on the present.”
If you could have any superpower what would it be?
“I’d love to be a mind reader, I tell my wife if I hadn’t been a political science major, in another life I probably would have studied psychology. I love to figure out what makes people tick.”
What is your favorite season?
“I have to say Summer, especially in Buffalo…it’s a time when we’re outside where we’re grilling, in the yard, in the pool, or we’re doing something somewhere just taking it all in.”
