Commissioners

Connecticut River Commissioners are volunteers appointed for three-year terms by the governors of each state, except for designated positions as noted below.

New Hampshire’s Connecticut River Valley Resource Commission

Edmond “Ted” Cooley (designated by Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission) – Cooley & Company LLC.  Ted is an electrical and computer engineer with degrees from the University of Vermont and Dartmouth College.  Ted is a Commissioner with the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission, Chairs the Orford Conservation Commission, and has Chaired or been a member of numerous commissions and committees in Orford.  He has been involved in projects related to flood mitigation and stream bank stabilization.  Ted has enjoyed activities on and in the Connecticut River for decades and is committed to programs that continue to improve water quality all along the river. Ted and wife Anne live in Orford, NH with varying numbers of rescue dogs, most of whom long since “failed” fostering and become permanent residents.

Jeff Miller (designated alternate by Southwest Region Planning Commission) – Lifelong resident of Walpole., NH. Served in the New Hampshire legislature for 12 years and was a sponsor of the bill that established the Connecticut River Resource Commission.  Currently the Chairman of the Walpole Planning Board. Recently retired from the APC Paper Group in Claremont, NH where I was the VP of sales and Marketing.

Jennifer Griffin (governor appointed representing hydroelectric interests) – Great River Hydro, LLC. Jennifer is a fisheries biologist with an M.S. degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, USGS Cooperative Research Unit. She has worked (and played) on the Connecticut River since moving to New Hampshire in 2001, employed first with an environmental consulting firm and now with Great River Hydro. She monitors FERC license compliance for Great River Hydro’s thirteen hydroelectric developments and single storage reservoir on the Connecticut and Deerfield rivers and is involved with relicensing the Wilder, Bellows Falls, and Vernon projects in central and southern Vermont and New Hampshire. Jennifer has conducted and participated in various natural resource studies with a focus on Atlantic salmon and American shad on the Connecticut River, river herring in southern New Jersey creeks and rivers, sea turtles and osprey on the Delaware Bay, and striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay.

Jim McClammer (governor appointed member at-large) – My wife, Sharon Morisi, and I reside in the North Charlestown village where we raised three children (Jamie, Seth & Erin). I am a natural resource scientist, certified by the NH Board of Natural Scientists.  I own a small environmental consulting company, Connecticut Valley Environmental Services, Inc., which collects data, designs projects and permits impacts in compliance with federal, state and local land use regulations.  We currently consult on a number of utility-scale solar projects. I have served as Commissioner, New Hampshire Depart. of Transportation, Right-of-Way Commission; State Representative, New Hampshire Legislature, 2008-2010. Resources, Recreation & Development Committee; Participant, Water Quality Standards Advisory Committee, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services; Commissioner, Upper Valley (NH & VT) Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission; and, Board Member, Charlestown Planning Board. My hobbies include bee-keeping, gardening, genealogical research, and restoration our ca. 1780 historic home in the village of North Charlestown.

Greg Castell (governor appointed member at-large) – Greg owns and operates Apex Storage in WRJ, VT,  and has been a water commissioner for Meriden, NH for over three years. As an elected official, Greg oversaw replacing water mains and implementing infiltration systems to manage waste water which flows into the CT river.  As an outdoorsman, Greg fishes and paddles throughout NH and owns riverfront property on the Connecticut River.  With degrees from Bowdoin (Environmental Studies) and Boston University (MBA & MS), Greg remains committed at a local level to helping conserve our water and protecting our rivers.

Paul Detwiler (governor appointed member at-large) – Paul lives along the Connecticut River in Hanover, N.H., where he enjoys fishing, kayaking, and rowing. Before retiring in 2019, he practiced environmental and energy law at the U.S. Department of Energy and at the law firm of Covington & Burling.

Tim Purrington (governor appointed representing hydroelectric interests) – As Lakes Coordinator, Connecticut Lakes, Tim Purrington is responsible for managing reservoirs and flows according to the Connecticut Lakes Supplementary Agreement, operating spill gates as needed, weather observations and daily reports, and snow measurements and reports. Mr. Purrington’s responsibilities also include interfacing with NHDES, Hydro Operations, and the public (local hunting and fishing guides, lodge owners, Trout Unlimited, local snowmobile/ATV clubs, as well as the Connecticut River Watershed.) Mr. Purrington started his career at Great River Hydro in November of 2014 as Lakes Coordinator and still holds that position. Prior to Great River Hydro, Mr. Purrington spent 24 years teaching Middle School Science at Colebrook Elementary School in Colebrook, NH.  He also worked part-time as a Dam Operator at Murphy Dam in Pittsburg, NH from June 1986 to August 2014. Mr. Purrington graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a minor in mathematics from Plymouth State College in December 1990.

Vermont ‘s Connecticut River Watershed Advisory Commission

Margo Ghia, Brattleboro (designated by Windham Regional Commission)  – Margo is currently the Natural Resources and Energy Planner at Windham Regional Commission. She works with municipalities in southeastern Vermont to improve water quality and build watershed resiliency. Outside of work, Margo volunteers with the Connecticut River Conservancy to organize water quality monitoring samplers in the Saxtons River, organizes Green Up efforts, and enjoys exploring the beauty of the Connecticut River Watershed.

Jason Rasmussen, Ascutney (designated by Mount Ascutney Regional Commission) – Jason is the Executive Director at the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission (MARC) based in Ascutney, Vermont. The primary purpose of the MARC is to assist with and advocate for sound planning and development activities in the ten-member towns within southern Windsor County. Jason is a professional planner certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners, the professional institute of the American Planning Association.

Peter Fellows (designated by Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission) – Pete has worked in GIS and planning for 15 years at two Regional Planning Commissions in Vermont and is a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) and Geographic Information System Professional (GISP).  Pete is in charge of GIS, field data collection and demographic data management and reporting at TRORC.  Pete has lived in the CT River Watershed (Walpole/Plainfield NH and Plymouth VT) for most of his life with brief stints in the Lamoille and St Lawrence watersheds.

Beth Torpey (designated by Northeastern Vermont Development Association) – Beth is a Water Quality Planner for NVDA and has worked as a scientist in the environmental arena for more than 35 years. Her experience spans public, private, and non-profit sectors and includes laboratory operations, hazardous waste investigations/operations, regulatory compliance, watershed management, and water quality planning. As a Professor, she taught courses in the Environmental Science, Biology and Philosophy curriculums, including Freshwater and Forest Ecology as well as Science and Spirituality. Earlier in her career, Beth spent time at Arcosanti, the solar-powered ‘city of the future’ located in the Arizona desert. While there, Beth worked on Arcosanti’s farm, in construction, and giving tours. In Vermont, Beth has been involved with the International Joint Commission (IJC) for Boundary Waters for Lake Memphremagog, the Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds (FOLVAP), Northwoods Stewardship Center, Memphremagog Watershed Association, Seymour Lake Association and has recently been appointed to the Missisquoi and Memphremagog watershed’s Basin Water Quality Councils (BWQC). Beth has also been recognized as an early leader in the invasive species prevention efforts in Vermont, which she has been involved with since 1999.