CO-CHAIR

Katherine Kanaga retired from Marsh & McLennan some 10 years ago having spent her career primarily focused on International property clients. Since then she has served on a number of nonprofit boards. Currently she is President of the board for Perfect Ten, and now Co-Chair for Friends of the Public Square.

CO-CHAIR

Dorothy Heyl is a practicing lawyer who has worked in government and private practice since graduating from the University of Virginia Law School in 1983. She divides her time between Hudson and Scarsdale, where she serves as Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel of a registered investment advisor. Dorothy has a keen interest in saving historic landmarks and is writing a book on the saving of Olana in the 1960s.

I am a writer of historical fiction. My novel Woonsocket is set in 1920’s Rhode Island. The prequel to Woonsocket follows a chaplain with the French-Canadian forces in WWI.
I was born in Ottawa, Canada. My first career was as a filmmaker at the National Film Board in Montréal. In New York City, I was a journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. When I moved to Hudson, I was inspired by this small city’s many opportunities for civic engagement and volunteered on several political campaigns. I am currently the Secretary on the Executive of the Columbia County Democratic Committee.

BOARD MEMBER

Growing up in New Orleans influenced my love for historic places. I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in landscape architecture as well as a Bachelor’s Fine Arts in stained glass. I have won awards in both landscape architecture and fine arts and am a nationally exhibited artist - currently showing at Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson.

As former Deputy Administrator of Riverside Park in Manhattan and project manager/landscape architect for the World Trade Center, I am well versed in the complexity and understanding of the urban landscape.

BOARD MEMBER

Walter Chatham is an architect and urban planner who lives and works in Hudson NY. Walter has been actively involved in both New Urbanism and the Environmental Design movements. He is committed to both preserving the historic city of Hudson and to helping Hudson to grow in the thoughtful, coherent way that the Founders intended.

Sharon Javna is a lawyer and founder of ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum in Oregon. Sharon moved to Hudson in 2020 and brings fundraising experience and enthusiasm to Friends of the Public Square.

TREASURER & SECRETARY

Keith Kanaga is a retired banker and business executive living in Hudson, where he visits all the city’s parks while walking his dog, Peg. He previously resided in Ghent, where he served on the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals and Board of Assessment Review. Keith has served on several non-profit boards in Hudson, including one as Audit Chair. He recently completed a five-year term as the chair of a political party county committee.

Khary is a founding member of the Tenth Magazine and the Tenth Academy (10A) in Hudson NY. “10A is a school of thought and space for play for black and brown queer and trans youth to wonder, to challenge, to dream, and to learn”

Sarah Marley Shaw, a San Francisco native now living in Hudson NY, is the founding Director of the Nature Defense Foundation. Sarah graduated from Boston University with a BA in Political Science. Her post graduate work was primarily with the Wilderness Society on Capital Hill. Throughout her career, Sarah has been actively engaged with numerous philanthropic entities having served on the Board of Elephant Aid International, The Gerbode Foundation, Return to Freedom, WonderDog Rescue, San Francisco Parks Alliance and the Nature Defense Foundation.