Local Luminary: Ned Sullivan

by David Neilsen and photographs by Jay Burgess, April 26, 2011

As president of Scenic Hudson since 1999, Ned Sullivan has guided the organization in its mission not only to protect the Hudson River, but also to help revitalize and restore the riverfronts and scenic vistas on its shores. Serving as a member of New York Governor Cuomo’s transition team, he helped advise the new governor’s administration on preserving land and creating parks as well as promoting valley farms and creating more community farmers’ markets. Sullivan’s goal at Scenic Hudson is to help educate a new generation of children to appreciate the Hudson Valley and understand their role as environmental stewards, to create dozens of parks and preserves connecting people of all ages to the Hudson River, and to generate a growing appreciation that the environment and the economy are inextricable linked.

Prior to joining Scenic Hudson, Sullivan was the environmental commissioner for the State of Maine, and before that he served as deputy commissioner for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He lives with his wife, Tara Sullivan, former executive director of New York State’s Quadricentennial Commission and currently executive deputy director of the New York State Bridge Authority, and their two daughters in Red Hook.

What changes have your brought to Scenic Hudson during your tenure at its helm?
A stronger partnership with the business community. Also, we partner with citizens and communities to give them a stronger voice in government decisions affecting their community and the environment. Collaboration is an absolutely fundamental principal of Scenic Hudson’s work. We recognize that we have to work with the business community because we are dedicated to having a vibrant, healthy economy in the Hudson Valley. With the continued recession, the recovery of the region’s economy and restoration of jobs is absolutely critical.

How does Scenic Hudson’s work help restore the region’s economy?
Many of the park and waterfront improvement projects that we sponsor create jobs. Right now we are building a new waterfront park in the city of Beacon. We are restoring a bathhouse in Sleepy Hollow that had fallen into disrepair. We helped finance the construction of the Walkway over the Hudson. We are making improvements to the state park at Franny Reese Preserve [in Highland] and have done the same to parklands in Hyde Park and in many counties along the Hudson. The work we do, the projects that we sponsor and fund, create construction jobs—2,215 in the last year alone. But in addition, the beauty of the region—the many parks that we own and create and transfer to state and local governments—those are the foundation of the quality of life in the region that is a major asset in companies’ decisions to locate here and create jobs in the Hudson Valley.

How much do you work with the New York State government?
Scenic Hudson receives very little government funding for its operations, but we consider New York State and the federal government critical partners in what we do. Governor Cuomo has gotten off to a great start in environmental protection and we are partnering very closely with his administration in identifying critical lands for conservation, and in linking job creation with environmental initiatives—particularly in making sure that the agricultural economy that produces food and delivers it to our grocery stores and farmers markets and the greenmarkets in New York City is viable. The Hudson Valley has a $530 million agricultural economy, and Governor Cuomo has indicated very clearly that this is a top priority.