Board Members
Martha Handler, Board President
Martha Handler joined the WCC board in 2001 and is currently serving as Board President. After graduating from the University of Colorado in 1981, she worked as an environmental consultant for the EPA, NRC and Department of Energy in Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles. During this time Martha specialized in community relations at various Superfund sites across the country and wrote regulations and provided oversight in the areas of nuclear waste, oil refinery regulations, and asbestos removal procedures. Martha has been an environmentalist, philanthropist, and community activist for many years. While living and attending school in the West, she became aware of the plight of the wolves and vowed to find a way to get involved to secure their survival. When she and her family moved East in 1996, she met the founder of the WCC and recognized that this was the opportunity she’d been dreaming of. Since joining the Board, Martha has remained one of the WCC’s most ardent and enthusiastic supporters. In addition to serving on the WCC Board, Martha has served on the boards of the Lewisboro Land Trust and the Lewisboro Library. She is also an award-winning writer. Her most recent novel, Winter of the Wolf, is a New York Times best-seller.
Hèléne Grimaud, Founder
Hélène Grimaud is a renowned concert pianist and a founder of the Wolf Conservation Center. Hélène Grimaud was born in Aix-en Provence in the south of France in 1969. At the age of 17 she appeared at Daniel Barenboim’s invitation with the Orchestre de Paris and began a career wherein she has performed with most of the world’s major orchestras and renowned conductors. Hélène champions many charitable causes, including the Worldwide Fund for Nature and Amnesty International. In addition to her dedication and hard work in founding the WCC, Hélène has become a global advocate for wolves, their relationship to the environment, and the human role in protecting their future. In Hélène's words, wolves are not only essential “biodiversity engineers,” preserving balances among animal and plant species but also “endlessly fascinating creatures who have much to teach humans.” Hélène is the author of three successful books, “Retour à Salem” (Albin Michel, 2013), “Leçons Particulières” (Robert Laffont, 2005), and “Variations Sauvages” (Robert Laffont, 2003) / "Wild Harmonies" (Riverhead / Penguin, US, 2006). Hélène's deep dedication to her musical career, both in performances and recordings, is reflected and reciprocally amplified by the scope and depth of her environmental and literary pursuits.
Errol Antzis
Errol Antzis has been a both a financier and entrepreneur in the Media, Entertainment and Technology industries for over 40 years, as well as a musician and staunch supporter of environmental and animal rights organizations and causes. He has been a Board member of the Wolf Conservation Center since 2021, and joined based upon his strong belief that wolves are an essential part of our global ecosystem, and are critical to maintaining a balanced and sustainable environment.
Errol has also served on the Board of Born Free USA as Treasurer, is the President of the Waccabuc Landowners Council, which assists with local environmental issues and social events and preserves local historical sites. In addition, Errol is a member of the Lewisboro Land Trust in Westchester, NY.
Errol graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a Master of Business Administration from New York University. He lives in Northern Westchester with his wife, daughter, miniature Poodle, two Holland Lop bunnies and dwarf hamster.
Cristina Civetta
Cristina Civetta has served as a board member since 2019. A native New Yorker, she graduated from NYU with a degree in Art History and Advertising. Born with congenital heart disease, Cristina has undergone seven life-saving surgeries and has become a fierce advocate for the American Heart Association and for children facing similar challenges.
Since learning about the Wolf Center through board president Martha Handler, Cristina has been eager to deepen her involvement. She hopes to bring her background in events, fundraising, and strategic partnerships to further support the Center’s vital work.
Cristina divides her time between Manhattan and Pound Ridge with her husband, Ed Scheetz, along with their two dogs, two cats, and two goats.
Amy Groveman
Passionate about wildlife and especially wolves, Amy Groveman is also an accomplished and versatile legal and business leader with a history of driving strategic initiatives that contributed to market expansion and revenue growth for a Fortune 500 Company. Recognized as a highly motivated senior team member who collaborates effectively to resolve complex legal and business issues, Amy was elevated to the position of Senior Vice-President, Deputy General Counsel- Cable & Communications for Cablevision Systems Corporation where she managed a talented team of legal and administrative professionals responsible for all of the legal operations, marketing, advertising, privacy, labor functions and employment law matters for the Company’s cable and communications division. After 26 years with the Company, Amy took a brief hiatus following Cablevision’s sale to Altice USA, Inc. in June 2016 until accepting a position in December, 2017 as Senior Vice-President, General Counsel for Altice Technical Services (ATS), the main operator and provider of technician services for Altice USA, where she was responsible for the handling and supervision of all legal operations, labor and employment law work for ATS until it’s ultimate acquisition and integration into Altice in December, 2020. Amy remained with Altice USA, Inc in the role of Senior Legal Advisor focusing on labor, Employment Law, OSHA and environmental matters until retiring in August 2023.
Since retiring, Amy has been enjoying travel, her passions for reading and cooking, mahjong and long walks with her dogs. She resides on Long Island, NY with her daughters Michaela and Jordana.
Tracy Kraft
Enthusiastic about problem solving and innovation, Tracy’s professional work with Kraft Kennedy focuses on helping law firms leverage technology for operational efficiency. Outside of Legal Tech, Tracy serves as a founding member of the Women’s Wolfpack, a collective supporting positive outcomes for local efforts.
Her love of nature, respect for the ecosystem, and affinity for wolves drew Tracy to the WCC. A member of the board since 2020, Tracy brings a passion for building community, strategic collaboration, and belief in a future where wolves thrive. She lives with her three children and black lab Stella in the woods of Waccabuc, New York, where on quiet nights she can hear the wolves howl.
William Cordiano
Bill Cordiano joined the Wolf Conservation Center Board in 2022. Bill is a retired executive with an extensive background in the development, acquisition, financing and management of energy infrastructure assets, including a strong emphasis on renewables and the regulatory process. Bill’s background includes serving as an officer, director and board member of various entities in the energy sector, including federally and state regulated electric and gas public utilities, independent power production companies and transmission companies.
Bill also serves on the Board of Caramoor Center for Music and The Arts where he is a member of the Executive Committee, Chair of the Building and Grounds Committee and has overseen the Center’s capital projects since 2014.
Bill received his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from The Cooper Union and his MBA in Economics from the Stern School of Business at New York University. Bill is a 40-year resident of Pound Ridge, NY where he lives with his wife Sandra and Labrador retrievers Dylan and Kingsley.
Maryanne Hartley
Maryanne Hartley has spent most of her career as a small business owner and consultant in the outdoor apparel industry, working with renowned European brands such as Rossignol, Belfe & PostCard and VIST, who were looking to market and expand in North America.
Having grown up in the Berkshires she developed an early devotion to conservation, and a respect for the environment and the animals that are so critical to the ecosystem. The passionate research and fundraising for wolves by one of her children led her to the WCC. Over the last 2 decades, Maryanne has been involved in both charity and fundraising projects, supporting organizations such as the Maine Children’s Cancer Program, Boston Ballet, and the German International School in Montreal where she has lived for the past 15 years before moving to Connecticut with her family.
Shari Wolf Ruckh
Shari Wolf Ruckh joined the Board in the spring of 2010 and became Treasurer in 2011. Shari obtained a BS in Psychology in 1987 from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and an MBA in Certified Public Accounting in 1989 from Hofstra University, in Hempstead, NY. She spent the next two years as an auditor in the Retail and Publishing division of Arthur Andersen, LLP, and then went on to a career in private, corporate accounting including the positions of: Accounting Manager at the World League of American Football; Manager of Financial Accounting at Home Box Office; Controller of US Operations of the recruiting firm Michael Page International; Controller and Assistant Treasurer of the music label, publishing and distribution company Ryko Music Group; and most recently, Assistant Controller at World Wrestling Entertainment. Currently, Shari has chosen to leave the workforce to focus on raising her daughter. In addition to being on the Board of the Wolf Conservation Center, she also is on the Board of the Pound Ridge Neighbors’ and Newcomers’ Club as its Treasurer. Shari resides in Pound Ridge, NY with her husband Robert Ruckh and her daughter Amelia. She has always been a great lover of all types of animals, and considers it an honor and a privilege to serve the wolf population by being involved with the Wolf Conservation Center.
Marc Vigliotti
Marc Vigliotti is the Executive Director of Planned Giving at the global humanitarian group CARE. He is the founder and Chair of the Planned Giving Humanitarian Working Group, representing leaders from the 12 largest humanitarian organizations in the United States.
Before joining CARE, Marc held similar roles at Save the Children, the environmental advocacy group the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and represented Rutgers University on the West Coast.
He a Board Member of the Ridgefield Playhouse, Advisory Board member of the Disclosure Foundation, and hosts the long-running podcast All Across America.
He is a graduate of the Wagner School of Public Policy at NYU where he received his Master of Public Administration. He lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut with his family in a home from 1750 that he restored.
Susan Freund
Susan Watkins Freund has been an active supporter of the WCC for over a decade, and continues to be instrumental in both strategic planning and development. Susie first learned about the WCC when she met co-founder Hélène Grimaud who was performing at the Caramoor Summer Music Festival nearly 20 years ago. With five children and a strong commitment to both education and the environment, Susie quickly offered her support, joining the Board a few years later. After graduating from Boston University, Susie, who was born and raised outside of Philadelphia, moved to New York where she worked while earning a Masters Degree in History from Columbia University. Her interest in conservation and the environment began in earnest when she was a researcher for the industrial display company designing the Washington State Department of Ecology’s pavilion at Expo ’74 in Spokane–known as the first environmentally-themed World’s Fair. The pavilion celebrated the State’s victory over litter from the first trash (Adam and Eve’s apple core) to the landmark passage of the Model Litter Act. Other exhibits covered subjects including the importance of protecting aquifers and vanishing species as evidence of man overstepping his boundaries in the environment. Susie serves on the Board of Caramoor Center for Music and The Arts where she is a member of the Executive Committee. She is also the Director of Captiva Island Yacht Club. She has also served on the Parent Boards of both Rippowam-Cisqua and the Low Heywood School for Girls, as well as on the Fund Raising and Development committees of the Katonah Museum of Art where she initiated the highly successful annual House Tour. Susie, who was a competitive swimmer as a child, continues to play championship golf. She and her husband John live in Pound Ridge with their horses, dogs and 13 visiting grandchildren.
Scott Kantro
Scott: "As we all know a journey starts with knowledge and desire without which no significant progress can be made.
It advances through a collective vision that excites and energizes all concerned to reach the destination, and through a strategy adaptable to changing circumstances, tells us how to proceed.
But as always, the journey’s success is determined by how well folks execute…and although our road is long, we can and must change the direction of protecting one of our most valuable resources: wolves!"
Tripp Killin
Tripp Killin is the Executive Director of the Jeniam Foundation, a small family foundation that focuses on conservation issues. Previously, he was Associate Director of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, an advocacy group working to preserve wild places in the Land of Enchantment (including vital wolf habitat). Tripp received a B.S. in Biology from the University of New Mexico (Go Lobos!) and then spent a decade in the software industry, first in Silicon Valley and then in Albuquerque. Tripp joined the Wolf Conservation Center to help save a creature that is critical to many wild ecosystems, and which represents the very essence of wilderness. He believes wolves are an indicator species for the health of the human spirit. He lives in Newtown, CT with his wife and two children.
Advisory Board
Diane Bentivegna
Nina Fascione, International Rhino Foundation
Cathy Kangas
Randolf Perry, Nonprofit Attorney and Advisor
Scientific Advisory Board
Charlie Duffy, VMD (Veterinary Medical Doctor)
Cristina Eisenberg, Ph.D., Earthwatch Lead Scientist, Author
Dr. Don Moore, Smithsonian Zoo/ Polar Bear international
Rolf Peterson, Wolf Biologist
Douglas W. Smith, PhD, retired Project Leader for the Yellowstone Gray Wolf Restoration Project, Author
In Memoriam
Honoring the board members whose dedication helped shape the Wolf Conservation Center.
Dean Travalino
Dean was a founding Board Member of the Wolf Conservation Center and remained active in his role for 26 years. Wolf Conservation Center President, Martha Hunt Handler, said: “Dean was a visionary and steady presence whose legal acumen, deep community knowledge, and unwavering commitment to public service laid the foundation for the conservation center's growth into the internationally respected organization it is today.” Dean served on the organization’s executive committee throughout his tenure and provided thoughtful, bold, and transformative leadership. He steered the Center through the complexities of local zoning regulations, not only making intelligent, informed arguments but also respectfully listening to various sides of issues, while helping all parties reach a consensus. Founder of the Wolf Conservation Center, Helene Grimaud, said: "He was one of the greatest minds and bravest spirits I ever met."