Barbara Rottier Named as New Chair of the Board of Directors

PROTECT Board Names Barbara Rottier as Chair

At its October 3, 2026 meeting, the Board of Directors of Protect the Adirondacks elected Barbara Rottier to serve as its next Chair, succeeding Chuck Clusen, who has led the organization since its formation in 2009. Chuck and Barbara are shown above at our Annual Meeting in July.

The board unanimously elected Barbara as Chair, bringing decades of experience in Adirondack issues and public service to her new leadership role. She has served on the Board of Directors since 2017 and prior to her election as Chair she had been serving as a Vice Chair, working closely with Chuck on oversight of the organization. She previously served as Associate Counsel to the Adirondack Park Agency from 1985 to 2010, and prior to that worked at the New York State Office of the Attorney General in the Litigation Bureau. Early in her career, she worked as a Clerk for the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division for two years. She currently lives in Vermontville, where she is an active member of the community.

Chuck served as Chair of the organization since its formation in 2009. He was instrumental in bringing together the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks and the Residents’ Committee for the Protection of the Adirondacks to form the combined organization now known as Protect the Adirondacks. PROTECT presented the Howard Zahniser Adirondack Award to Chuck during the organization’s Annual Meeting in July at Garnet Hill Lodge in North River, NY, recognizing his extraordinary lifetime of leadership in protecting wilderness across the United States and defending New York’s Adirondack Forest Preserve.

Chuck will remain a member of the Board of Directors, having been reelected to another three-year term by PROTECT’s full membership in July 2026. Chuck’s continued presence on the Board will provide continuity and allow the organization to lean on his institutional knowledge and expertise into the future.

Please join the Board of Directors in thanking Chuck for his many years of leadership and in welcoming Barbara as the organization’s new Chair of the Board of Directors. Make a donation today in honor of Chuck and Barbara!