Emily Vail

is the Executive Director of the Hudson River Watershed Alliance, a regional non-profit that works to unite and empower communities to protect their local water resources. Emily served for eight years as the Watershed Outreach Specialist for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Program, in collaboration with the NYS Water Resources Institute at Cornell University. Emily’s work has supported community-based watershed groups, municipalities, and other partners throughout the Hudson Valley to improve clean water. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Vassar College and an MS in Natural Resources from Cornell University. Her research has focused on green infrastructure performance, urban streams, and intersections of art and community engagement. Emily also organizes Uptown Swing Kingston, a monthly night of hot jazz, dance, and swing, and directs the Uptown Lowdown vintage jazz dance troupe.