The Peru Gazette

Janine ScherlineELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. – Janine Scherline of Peru, NY, joined the Adirondack Council staff as Director of Development in mid-January, the organization announced. At the same time, Elizabeth Rogers of Willsboro joined the Council’s staff as Director of Strategic Initiatives and Engagement.

Prior to joining the Council’s team, Scherline was Director of Donor Engagement for the Adirondack Foundation, a regional community foundation based in Lake Placid. Rogers was Director of Development for the UVM Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital.

“With the new year comes an amazing opportunity to welcome two new senior staff members to the Adirondack Council,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director Raul J. Aguirre. “Janine and Elizabeth are fantastic individuals who are leaders in their fields and have exceptional talents that match well with the needs of the organization at this time. Both will begin the week of January 15.”

Janine Scherline will fill an existing director position, while Elizabeth Rogers will take on a newly created senior position focused on operational and strategic planning priorities. Both positions are part of the Council’s leadership team.

Director of Fund Development

“Janine will take the position that was vacated when our friend and colleague Debbie Pastore left in mid-July,” Aguirre said.“She will work with our board of directors and with Asst. Director of Development Nicholle Gotham, who has been carrying a heavy workload since Deb’s departure this past summer.

“Janine has been a successful fundraiser in a broad range of not-for-profit fields including the arts, public television and higher education,” he said.  “She has also exhibited leadership and a strong sense of community service, all tied directly to a love of the Adirondacks.”

In addition to her work for the Adirondack Foundation, Scherline worked for the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Mountain Lake Public Television in Plattsburgh, and organizations promoting arts from Lake Placid to London, England.

Strategic Initiatives and Engagement

“As we look towards our 50^th Anniversary in 2025 and expanding our efforts related to the VISION 2050 report, Elizabeth will work with staff and the board in a new position. In the short term, she will focus on refining the Council’s upcoming initiatives and program efforts to be more strategic, innovative, and relevant to the issues currently at play in the Adirondacks,” Aguirre said.

“We have a deep pool of talented staff members,” he explained. “Our staff are actively engaged in all the important areas related to the protection of the Adirondack Park, including conservation planning, government relations, environmental advocacy, constitutional law, and communications, among other areas.  Janine and Elizabeth will help us prioritize and focus our energy and resources so we take full advantage of the opportunities ahead while building momentum and finding new ways for the organization to articulate our top priorities to new audiences across the state and the nation. Very excited about having both of them join the Council team.”

In addition to her work for the Elizabethtown Hospital, Rogers worked in public affairs for the National Park Service at the Fire Island National Seashore on Long Island, and at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine. She also worked for the US Fish & Wildlife Service and The Wild Center in Tupper Lake.

Established in 1975, the Adirondack Council is a privately funded not-for-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the ecological integrity and wild character of the Adirondack Park. It is the largest environmental organization whose sole focus is the Adirondacks.

The Council carries out its mission through research, education, advocacy, and legal action. It envisions a Park with clean water and clean air, core wilderness areas, farms and working forests, and vibrant, diverse, welcoming, safe communities.