Meet The Team

Co-founder Maggie Favretti grew up in the woods in Storrs (her parents are Rudy and Joy), and fell in love with the Mystic River as a child visiting her Nonna in the house her grandfather built on Bruggeman Place.  Now she thinks the best way to start the day is with a row on the river. There is no more beautiful sound than the wetland peepers heralding spring, but Maggie still enjoys a good startle at the drawbridge warning.   Maggie is a lifelong learner and educator, with specialties in holistic wellbeing through nature-aligned pedagogy, in food systems, in cultural history, and in whole community resilience and disaster readiness & recovery. She has recently published Learning in the Age of Climate Disasters : Empowering Teachers and Students Beyond Futurephobia. Maggie's website is here.

I am a member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, with additional Mohegan, Narragansett, & Shinnecock ancestry. I have lived in southeastern Connecticut my entire life and feel a deep connection to the land, animals, plants, and, of course, water. My work revolves around improving environmental health (from individual species to overall ecosystems), informing and educating the public, and improving human-environment interaction. I have a relatively brief professional background in environmental sciences (roughly 5 years), however, I have always been a nature lover and am raising the next generation to be the same. Whether it is to go for a hike, rock climb, swim, kayak, or just sit, my wife and I will go outside every chance we get, bringing our excited two- and four-legged babies with us.

Greetings from Long Pond, nestled in the serene Lantern Hill Valley! My name is Betsy Graham, and I have been a Ledyard resident for over forty years. As companion animal veterinarian and former RN, I am deeply committed to the well-being of human and animal life and the environment we call home. It is my pleasure to be associated with the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed, with its mission to protect and preserve our precious natural resources. I am grateful for the opportunity to have lived in Lantern Hill Valley, with its picturesque lakes of Long Pond, Bush Pond, and Lantern Hill Pond. Watching the seasonal changes in and around these lakes has made me appreciate the resilience of nature even more. The Mystic River relies heavily on the water supply from the Lantern Hill Valley, which includes lakes, streams, and wetlands that are vital water sources. This diverse ecosystem is a critical ecological resource for all living beings in the watershed, including humans, plants, and animals that call it home. Advocating for the preservation of the waters of Mystic River Watershed has been a passion of mine, to ensure healthy waters for future generations to come. With our climate emergency posing environmental threats, all SE Connecticut residents need to think ahead and take action to help our region adapt to these challenges. As a member of the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed, the Lantern Hill Valley Association, and the Ledyard Conservation Commission, I am confident we can work together to safeguard and maintain our environment so that we leave behind a healthy watershed for future generations to cherish.

Tara King Clark brings over 20 years of not-for-profit communications, marketing, and fundraising experience to the Board. A lifelong resident of the Mystic area, she is passionate about preserving the river for her children, who love exploring along its banks. An avid rower, she is often on the Mystic River by 5am witnessing the majesty of the sunrise and wildlife.

I've grown up in Stonington, CT, and I've come to love the area around it. With family land in upstate New York and being a hunter, I know firsthand how important it is to care for the environment around us. In recent years, I've found a place on Stonington High School's crew team, which in turn made the river a second home to me. You'll see me rowing on the river all year round before or after school and oftentimes in the morning. "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks" - John Muir

I’m currently a Case Manager for the CT Indian Council where “Natives are serving Natives.” Our Agency is an Employment & Training Workforce Innovations Opportunity Act (WIOA) Agency that serves unemployed & underemployed Natives. Our funding comes from DOL (Department of Labor). We are the largest Native American WIOA program in the Nation. In this position, I meet with potential Clients and verify first if they are eligible to be enrolled, and then together we assess what the employment or training needs are and create a career path for the Client. Each Client is required to successfully complete our Work Readiness online course which I am proctored to administer. This gives each Client a nationally recognized Certification. We also assist with résumé writing, financial literacy training, CPR/First Aid training, interviewing, how to dress for success, effective communication, promoting longevity in employment, interpersonal skills, job skills, and more. I’m also the Vice-Chairwoman for the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation. This position I have held for 9 years. I have held a position on our Tribal Council for the past 32 years. In this position, I assist the Chairperson, write correspondence, serve as Liaison to several tribal committees, record minutes, attend meetings & events, network, and assist in writing policies & procedures. I also serve as Chairperson of NAHAC (Native American Heritage Advisory Council), a position I have held for the past 10+ years. This is a state-appointed Agency where all 5 Tribes are represented. We work closely with the CT SHPO office (State Historical Preservation Office) & NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) Office of Archeology at UCONN. We also work with the State’s Archeologist and many other Agencies. We are responsible for ensuring that Native artifacts, Native bones and the like are taken care of in a culturally respectful way. We are tasked with determining which Tribe the above-mentioned belong to and reaching out to the appropriate Tribe to make the necessary arrangements to transfer the artifacts so that Native American ancestors and belongings can be returned to their communities. In 2014 I was appointed by the Tribal Council to be the Tribes Historical Preservation Officer, a position I still hold today.