International Business and Public Policy Leaders Add to Heft of Scenic Hudson Board

HUDSON VALLEY, NY—Continuing a track record of tapping business leaders from across the nation and Hudson Valley to serve on its board of directors, Scenic Hudson announces several new board members. Joining the organization are an investor and national organizer; a former high-ranking federal government official and media magnate; and a crisis management consultant whose global reach has included work for the United Nations.

Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan said, "Experienced on the national and world stage, these business- and communications-savvy professionals will bring great capacity and diversity to our first-rate board of directors. Each also has a passion for the Hudson River Valley and will boost Scenic Hudson's efforts to preserve land and create public parks, work with family farms to conserve farmland and promote local agriculture, revitalize downtown waterfronts, and fight for a healthy Hudson River."

Sean Eldridge, Garrison

Sean EldridgeSean Eldridge is an investor and political activist. He is the president of Hudson River Ventures, a small-business investment fund focused on the Hudson Valley, and a senior advisor at Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage equality nationwide. Mr. Eldridge was instrumental in the recent passage of marriage equality in New York. Previously he was a youth organizer for Barack Obama and an early architect of the presidential campaign's national student movement.

Mr. Eldridge resides in Garrison, Putnam County, with his partner Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook. They support progressive organizations and political candidates across the country and together founded the Telos Foundation in 2011. Earlier this year Mr. Eldridge joined Scenic Hudson's Public Policy Committee as an advisor. He also serves on the board of directors of GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders), a leading legal organization dedicated to LGBT rights.

"Sean Eldridge has added greatly to our public policy efforts. His political experience as well as his deep knowledge of online organizing will be powerful assets as Scenic Hudson seeks to continue engaging our members in helping to shape an environmentally healthy and economically prosperous Hudson Valley," said Mr. Sullivan.

Judith McHale, Hastings-on-Hudson

Judith McHaleThe under secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from May 2009 to July 2011, Judith McHale is an attorney who spent 20 years with Discovery Communications and once served as CEO of that media company. She resides in Hastings-on-Hudson, Westchester County.

Ms. McHale began her career as an attorney with the corporate law firm Battle, Fowler in New York City, and she subsequently served as special arbitrator for the New York City Transportation Authority. After time spent as general counsel for MTV Networks, Ms. McHale assumed similar duties at Discovery Communications, then a small, single U.S. cable channel. She went on to serve as chief operating officer, CEO and president, helping to grow Discovery into one of the world's most successful media companies, with more than 100 channels available in 35 languages and distributed to more than 1 billion subscribers in more than 170 countries. In 2006 she started a partnership with the Global Environment Fund, a private equity firm based in Chevy Chase, Md.

Prior to joining the Department of State, Ms. McHale served as a board member with numerous organizations, including Polo/Ralph Lauren, Host Hotels and Resorts, the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Vital Voices.

"Judith McHale's leadership experience and keen understanding of media and government affairs will help Scenic Hudson as we continue to seek to be a catalyst for dynamic collaborations with individuals, business and government," said Mr. Sullivan.

Sheila Platt, Piermont and New York City

Sheila PlattA specialist in crisis management and a clinical social worker, Sheila Platt has significant experience in the U.S. and overseas. She serves as a member of the board of trustees of Community and Family Services International (CFSI), a Philippine-based nongovernmental organization, and the Afghan Center at Kabul University. She has been a consultant for the United Nations, governments and nongovernmental organizations in the U.S. as well as in Japan, Zambia, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Ms. Platt has produced educational materials on crisis and stress management and lectures at colleges and universities. She represents CFSI at various gatherings of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and in other international meetings. She lives with her husband Ambassador Nicholas Platt in Piermont, Rockland County, and New York City.

"Scenic Hudson will benefit strongly from Sheila Platt's broad-based experience and her understanding of diverse communities. Much of her professional success is based on clear and motivating communication, which is an important part of our efforts to engage people in Scenic Hudson's work to create public parks, preserve land and family farms and champion environmentally and economically vibrant waterfront communities."

Scenic Hudson works to protect and restore the Hudson River and its majestic landscape as an irreplaceable national treasure and a vital resource for residents and visitors. A crusader for the valley since 1963, we are credited with saving fabled Storm King Mountain from a destructive industrial project and launching the modern grass-roots environmental movement. Today with more than 25,000 ardent supporters, we are the largest environmental group focused on the Hudson River Valley. Our team of experts combines land acquisition, support for agriculture, citizen-based advocacy and sophisticated planning tools to create environmentally healthy communities, champion smart economic growth, open up riverfronts to the public and preserve the valley's inspiring beauty and natural resources. To date Scenic Hudson has created or enhanced more than 50 parks, preserves and historic sites up and down the Hudson River and conserved more than 30,000 acres.

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