Staff
Laurie Ramie
laurie@upperdelawarecouncil.org
Laurie Ramie serves as Executive Director of the Upper Delaware Council.
She provides leadership in implementing all Council activities aimed at ensuring proper and effective implementation of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Laurie is responsible for overseeing organizational and financial administration, intergovernmental coordination, strategic planning, staff supervision, verbal and written communications, public outreach, event logistics, grants administration, fundraising, and maintaining an extensive knowledge of conservation and resource management issues. She also serves as editor of “The Upper Delaware” newsletter.
As Executive Director, Laurie represents the Council in a variety of public capacities and organizational memberships, including the Delaware River Basin Commission’s Water Management Advisory Council, Scenic Wild Delaware River Geotourism Stewardship Council, Upper Delaware Scenic Byway (recording & corresponding secretary), and the Delaware & Hudson Canal Transportation Heritage Council (secretary).
Laurie began employment with the UDC in 1997 as Public Relations/Fundraising Specialist. She was promoted to the Executive Director position on June 9, 2012. The Ogdensburg, NY native earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in English (Writing Concentration) from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in 1988. She worked in community journalism for 10 years prior to joining the UDC, including a 1992-1997 stint as a reporter and editor of the Sullivan County Democrat and a former freelance writer for the River Reporter.
She resides in the Town of Delaware, NY and is a member of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Callicoon Business and Community Association, the Delaware Community Center, Dorflinger Factory Museum, and the Basket Historical Society of the Upper Delaware Valley.
Julie Pais
julie@upperdelawarecouncil.org
Julie Pais of Shohola, PA joined the Upper Delaware Council as its Resources and Land Use Specialist on August 3, 2026.
Julie provides the non-profit organization with technical support on development projects, zoning, and ordinance reviews and environmental resource issues relevant to the Congressionally designated, 55,574.5-acre Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River corridor in PA and NY.
Her previous work experience includes roles as a geo-technical field specialist, an applied ecology and compliance specialist with wetland and forest conservation certifications in Maryland, and a project manager for Ecoscientific Solutions working throughout northeast PA. She also served as coordinator of grants management at Wilkes University.
Julie grew up outside Boston, MD and earned a 1992 bachelor’s degree at Virginia Tech, concentrating on environmental science, political science, and urban planning. She moved to PA in 2000, settling in Shohola Township two years ago.
She and her husband Rich built a house near Twin Lakes and a few miles from the Delaware River, in which Julie can frequently be found as an award-winning open water swimmer. Other sporty endeavors include being the only female on a water polo team, participating in Iron Man triathlon and running events, hiking, and skiing.
Julie and Rich are the parents of three. In 2004, the couple founded Wilkes-Barre Racing, a 501(c)3 organization that hosts athletic events to actively raise awareness and funds to help with the costs of fostering and adopting children in need.
Julie also enjoys “reading books about things I know nothing about but want to learn”, playing classical piano, and hiking in the Adirondacks.
Vacant
The Administrative Assistant position at the Upper Delaware Council is currently vacant.
The UDC Administrative Assistant provides a wide range of administrative and clerical support to Council staff, Council representatives, and the non-profit organization itself.
If you are interested in submitting an application, please click here.
Archeologists have found remains of prehistoric human settlements on the Delaware River dating back 10,000 years or more. Lenni Lenape Native American tribes appeared some 4,000 years ago. The first lasting settlement on the Upper Delaware River was started at Cushetunk around 1750 by Connecticut residents in search of land ownership.
The main stem of the Delaware is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river east of the Mississippi. Tributary river flows are controlled by upstream reservoirs operated by the City of New York. Under a 1954 Decree signed by the United States Supreme Court, in times of normal precipitation and runoff, the average daily flow at the northernmost river gauge in Montague, New Jersey must be maintained at 1,750 cubic feet per second.