The ECGA does most of its work at the state and local level through its volunteer-run State Committees. The State Committees consist of actively engaged local advocates who work to get the trail built and signed within their states and communities. They work closely with local and state agencies, other advocacy groups, and the public. Each State Committee is headed by an ECGA-appointed State Committee Chair, and works in conjunction with ECGA regional staff.
Learn about our State Committee Chairs here or select a state from the drop down menu to go directly to the State Committee’s home page:
Insert drop down menu of 16 ECG states, north to south
State Committee Chairs
Maine – Coming Soon!
New Hampshire – Chair needed!
Please contact eric@greenway.org if you are interested in becoming the NH State Chair.
Massachusetts – Craig Della Penna
Craig is involved in trails and greenways in many ways – he is an author, an energizing and sought after speaker on various themes around smart growth, alternative transportation and quality of life issues; he’s a Realtor specializing in houses next to or near rail trails and greenways; he owns a consulting firm, Northeast Greenway Solutions, that teaches communities how to move their rails-to-trails and other greenways projects ahead; and he and his wife Kathleen operate the Sugar Maple Trailside Inn , a trail-side B&B in Northampton, MA. Craig also runs a land acquisition company, Central Highlands Conservancy, LLC, which buys former railroad corridor that is in danger of being sold to adjacent landowners or commercial developers.
Rhode Island – Sue Barker
Connecticut – Bill O’Neill
Bill is also the Chairman of the Connecticut Greenways Council, and is an extremely active advocate for greenways throughout the state. He is the retired President of Fuss & O’Neill, a civil and environmental engineering consulting firm. He served as an Adjunct Professor at the URI School of Engineering, with the Corp of Engineers, is a Navy Dive School graduate, and a Licensed Professional Engineer and Land Surveyor. Bill received his BSCE from UMass and his MBA from UConn. He lives with his wife Carol in Manchester, CT, has two sons, two daughters, and 10 grandchildren.
New York – Jackson Wandres
Jackson T. Wandres, R.L.A., is an Associate at The RBA Group, where he serves as Director of Planning and Landscape Architecture for the company’s New York City office. Jackson has 23 years of professional experience designing urban open space projects including neighborhood parks, playgrounds and streetscapes. His focus in recent years has been on non-motorized transportation and pedestrian safety projects. Previously, Jackson worked for the NYC Department of City Planning, managing the City’s Bicycle Network Development program, and for the NYC Parks Department where he designed and/or laid out greenway paths through NYC Parks. Jackson received his B.S. in Landscape Architecture and his Master of Urban Planning degrees from the City College of New York. He lives where he grew up in Park Slope Brooklyn with his wife and two children. He is a former NYC bike messenger, regularly commutes to work in Manhattan by bike and is a USA Cycling category 3 bike racer sponsored by the Deno’s Wonder Wheel Cycling Team.
New Jersey – Mike Kruimer
Mike is an extremely active cyclist and bicycle advocate. Among his roles as such are past President of the Central Jersey Bicycle Club, former Bike/Ped Coordinator of Edison Township, board member of the Middlesex Greenways Coalition, member of the Bike/Ped Task Force of the Middlesex County Transportation Coordinating Committee, and member of the NJ Bicycle Advisory Council.
Mike spends a good deal of time on his bikes as well. He and his wife Anne put in between 2,500 and 3,000 miles a year on their semi-recumbent tandem, and Mike adds an additional 500 solo miles as a bike commuter.
Mike's clear knowledge of NJ and cycling issues in general make him an important member of the ECGA Trail Council.
Pennsylvania – Andy Hamilton
Andy is a landscape architect at Carter van Dyke Associates. He is recognized for his sustainable design, including smart growth initiatives, community design, street design for all users, Transit Revitalization Investment Districts, transit-oriented design, and neo-traditional and urban planning, along with bicycle-related planning and advocacy. He is a graduate of Temple University where he served as adjunct professor from 2000 to 2003. Additionally Andy serves as on the Trail Council of the East Coast Greenway.
Delaware – Bobbi Britton
Maryland – Greg Hinchliffe
Greenways advocate, chair for the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee (MBAC) in Baltimore also serves on the Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
Greg, a long-time member of the Maryland Committee for the ECG, stepped up as committee chair in 2004. He’s also a member of our Trail Council and has been a resource for ECG long-distance travelers coming through Baltimore. In the rest of his spare time, Greg chairs the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee in Baltimore, helps coordinate local cycling events, serves on the Gwynn’s Falls Trail Council, and is a member of the Baltimore Bicycling Club, Washington Area Bicycling Association, and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
District of Columbia – Bob Patten
Bob Patten is a Transportation Planner with Toole Design Group and also serves on the ECGA Trail Council. Bob has over 15 years of experience transportation planning, including national policy work with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) and local trail planning both as a professional with DC government, and as a volunteer with the Washington Area Bicyclists Association and the Coalition for the Metropolitan Branch Trail.
Over the course of his career, Patten founded the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse at RTC, organized a successful campaign to secure $2.5 million in ISTEA funding to complete 13 miles of the 24-mile Anacostia Tributary Trail System in Prince George's County, and became the first full-time trail planner hired by the District of Columbia. Bob is a frequent bike commuter and enjoys coaching his daughter’s soccer team.
Virginia – David Brickley
In addition to being Chair of VA Committee, David is also an ECGA Trustee and Chair of the Trail Council. He is a resident of Woodbridge, VA, and is the former Director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. David is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and the George Mason University School of Law. He served in the United States Air Force in Vietnam where he received the Bronze Star. David is an active walker and trail advocate.
North Carolina – Iona Thomas
Bio and photo coming soon!
South Carolina – Vonie Gilreath and Janine Peccini
Vonie is a Senior Planner with the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) and also servers on the ECGA Trail Council.
Georgia – Jo Hickson Coming Soon!
Drew Wade
Drew Wade grew up in sprawling suburban Atlanta. Bikes were a big part of achieving the freedom of adolescence, and he rode everywhere he could. As a training physician in Honolulu and Boston and now in private practice radiology in Savannah, bicycling has been the core of maintaining a healthy mind and body. Communter and utility bicycling in particular has been integral to balancing exercise and family life with three kids and a full time professional spouse, and to his personal commitment to environmental preservation. Dr. Wade is a founding member and Chairman of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign, and is working to shift away from current outmoded transportation and land use models, since we already lack the resources to support them. He believes strongly that projects like the East Coast Greenway/Costal Georgia Greenway are an excellent basis for transforming communities and improving quality of life.
Florida – Paul Haydt
Paul Haydt is Program Manager for the St. Johns River Water Management District in Palatka, Florida. He is responsible for assessing, developing and implementing water management plans for watersheds along 100 miles of northern Florida's Atlantic coastline. An avid bicyclist, Paul also serves on the Flagler County Long Range Planning and Zoning Committee and has been Chair of the Florida Committee for the ECG since 2001. Paul also serves on the ECGA Trail Council.
State Committee Policy Documents
- 1998 Ad Hoc Committee Report on State Committees
- 2001 Policy on Alliance/State Committee Relations
- MOA solidifying the relationship between the ECGA and the ECG state committee
- Criteria for ECGA state committees to make policy recommendations on route or other matters to the ECGA BOT