three fisher people wading in the river and a rowboat

David B. Soete

still river in the summer

David B. Soete

a series of short cascading falls along side large flat boulders

David B. Soete

looking up river towards Hancock, NY

David B. Soete

stark ariel photo of a boat with two fisherman

David B. Soete

Winter on the Delaware River

David B. Soete

Staff

Executive Director of the Upper Delaware Council

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, serves on the Callicoon Depot, Inc. non-profit board, 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.

close up photo of a woman in a winter hat standing by a snowy Delaware River

Kerry Engelhardt, P.E.

kerry@upperdelawarecouncil.org

Kerry Engelhardt is the Resources and Land Use Specialist at the Upper Delaware Council.

The RLUS is responsible for conducting the UDC's substantial conformance reviews, administering the Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program, and providing technical assistance to member towns on a variety of conservation and preservation activities.

Kerry grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey and attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ where she obtained a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Prior to joining the UDC in 2021, Kerry worked as a land development engineer in South Jersey for fifteen years before relocating to Lackawaxen, PA in 2015. She is a licensed professional engineer in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She specializes in stormwater design and environmental permitting, and has served as planning board engineer in municipalities throughout South Jersey.

She and her husband Chris Hunt enjoy fishing, swimming, and birding in the Lackawaxen River behind their home. She is a member of the Eagle Conservation Committee and the Land Protection Committee at the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, and has been volunteering with the DHC's Eagle Watch since 2016. Kerry likes to spend her free time reading, beekeeping, hiking, cross stitching, and watching live music.

picture of a blonde woman with glasses standing on a balcony overlooking the Delaware River

Stephanie Driscoll

stephanie@upperdelawarecouncil.org

Stephanie Driscoll is the Administrative Support at the Upper Delaware Council.

The UDC Administrative Support provides a wide range of administrative and clerical support to Council staff, Council representatives, and the non-profit organization itself.

Stephanie is a Town of Highland native who graduated from Eldred Central School in 2010. She comes to the UDC with nearly 10 years of experience in front office management. Most recently for seven years starting in 2016, she was the receptionist for Pine Island Turf Nursery, Inc., a family-owned and operated farm in the Blackdirt region of Pine Island, NY selling sod, fertilizer and grass products to contractors and landscapers.

Stephanie enjoys going out for bike rides, walks down River Road in Barryville, and playtime at Rohman’s Park in Shohola with her husband and young son in her spare time.

duck's view of the River
Photo Credit: David B. Soete
Did You Know?

Originally christened as “The New Swede Stream”, the Delaware River derived its name in honor of the Colonial Governor of Virginia, Thomas West, whose official title was Baron De La Warr.

Delaware River valley in the summer
Photo Credit: David B. Soete
Did You Know?

The main stem of the Delaware River extends 330 miles from the confluence of its East and West Branches near Hancock, NY to the mouth of the Delaware Bay. While almost 7% of the nation’s population relies on the Delaware Basin’s waters for drinking and industrial use, the watershed drains only 0.4% of the continental U.S. land area. In all, the basin comprises 13,539 square miles, including portions of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.