Vision Hudson Valley is pleased to announce the appointment of Jane Samuelson as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees for 2024.

Ms. Samuelson has served on the VHV Board since 2021 and joined the Executive Committee in 2022. Jane is both honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as Board Chair this year as Vision Hudson Valley continues to build on its past 52 years of advocating for quality of life in Orange County and beyond.  As we jump into the new year, she is excited to collaborate with all of our members and investors on our traditional annual programming; the Ottaway Medal Dinner, Agriculture, Placemaking, and Pathways, as well as pursuing a new initiative – expanding the reach of Kurt Seligmann’s artwork from his former homestead and VHV’s heart of operations in Sugar Loaf. 

Jane E. Samuelson, P.E., M.ASCE, is a licensed New York State Professional Engineer, working as a civil engineer for the consulting firm Engineering & Surveying Properties, P.C., based in their Village of Montgomery office.  Jane has over 25 years of land use design, environmental permitting, municipal review, and construction experience.  She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Ohio University in Athens, Ohio in 1996 and earned her NYS Professional Engineering license in 2001.  She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Nation Society of Professional Engineers.  Jane served as an officer of the Orange/Sullivan Society of Professional Engineers from 2000-2005 and again in 2012-2014, where she was President from 2004-2005.

Jane also served as Treasurer of the Hamptonburgh Fire District from 2001-2022.  From 2012-2021, she volunteered as a Girl Scout troop leader for an active group of young girls in the Heart of Hudson council area.  She was a member of the Town of Montgomery Comprehensive Plan Committee from 2020-2021.  Jane currently serves on the Valley Central School District Board of Education, where she is a member of the District’s Policy and Technology Planning Committees.

Jane lives in the Town of Montgomery with her husband, Jay – a lifelong resident of Orange County and descendent of Amy Bull Crist, and their daughter who attends Valley Central High School.  Jane was born in England and moved to Orange County in 1997 after living in the suburbs of both Chicago, IL and Cleveland, OH.  She enjoys many of the outdoor activities the Hudson Valley has to offer including hiking, biking, kayaking, golfing at the Country Club at Otterkill, concerts at Bethel Woods, and sampling craft beverages at local farm breweries, cideries, and wineries.

About Vision Hudson Valley (formerly the Orange County Citizens Foundation):

Vision Hudson Valley, founded in 1971, is a membership-based, non-governmental organization that improves quality of life for Hudson Valley residents through public policy and advocacy in land use and transportation planning, water conservation, waste management, cultural affairs, education, agriculture, recreation, and healthcare. Vision Hudson Valley is housed on 50 acres of bucolic farmland, formerly the home of Surrealist artist Kurt Seligmann. On these Sugar Loaf grounds, known as the Seligmann Center, the organization brings people together to create and share new ideas, artistic performances, and thought-provoking programming. For more information, visit our website at visionhudsonvalley.org or contact us at 845.469.9459 or jperez@visionhudsonvalley.org.