Mary McNamara

Since 2000, Mary has worked to empower and connect communities to advocate for water issues, always with a focus on watershed boundaries. She is the co-creator of several intermunicipal watershed alliances in the Hudson Valley – often representing Ulster County and the Town of Saugerties – and has worked with many different committees and boards over the years, including the Hudson River Valley Greenway, Hudson River Watershed Alliance, Esopus Creek Conservancy, Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program, Ashokan Release Working Group, and Lower Esopus Watershed Partnership.

Previously, Mary worked with Chinese art at New York City’s Sotheby’s auction house and in Taipei at the National Museum of History. This eventually led her to produce her own art, a pursuit that brought her to the Mid-Hudson Valley. Her many years working and studying in Asia strengthened her appreciation for the international issues surrounding water, knowledge that became relevant as she settled into her new home.

Mary has been connected with Riverkeeper since 2009. She served on Riverkeeper’s Advisory Board from 2015 until 2020, and was Advisory Board Chair from 2018-2020. She was given Riverkeeper’s Hudson Hero Award in 2018. She has a B.A. in political science and East Asian studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder.