For Immediate Release: June 16, 2025
Contact:
Benjamin Brosseau | Assistant Public Information Officer | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
RAY BROOK, NY – Last week, the New York State Senate confirmed Governor Kathy Hochul’s nominations to appoint two new board members, Jose Almanzar and Rush Holt Jr., to the Adirondack Park Agency board and confirmed the reappointment of current board members Benita Law-Diao, Daniel Wilt, Ken Lynch, Mark Hall and Zoë Smith. Chair John Lyman Ernst will retire at the end of his term on June 30. Board member Arthur Lussi will continue to serve on his current appointment. The Agency will welcome its two newest board members at its next monthly meeting.
Jose Almanzar is an attorney with over 15 years of legal experience in environmental law and policy matters across numerous industries, including real estate and renewable energy. He currently works for the law firm Holland & Knight and is a member of the firm’s Public Policy and Regulation Group. Mr. Almanzar’s legal expertise includes environmental due diligence for corporate and real estate transactions, regulatory compliance and permitting, and enforcement defense. He also worked previously as an environmental scientist, where he conducted site reviews and assessments and issued project reports. Mr. Almanzar lives in Nassau County and fills an Out of Park seat.
Rush Holt Jr. is a scientist and former United States representative with a background in public policy and physics. He represented New Jersey’s 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2015. During that time, he served on the House Committee on Natural Resources and advocated for environmental legislation to address climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, and funding to preserve open space and recreation areas. Mr. Holt also taught public policy and physics at Swarthmore College, served as chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science from 2015 to 2019, and led Science magazine as executive publisher. Mr. Holt lives in Clinton County and fills in In-Park seat.
The Adirondack Park Agency Board acts on Park policy issues and permit applications during monthly Agency meetings. The Board consists of eleven members, of which eight are nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Five of the nominated eight members must reside inside the Park, while three members must reside outside the Park. Board members are appointed to four-year terms and can serve on expired terms at the discretion of the Governor.
Three additional members are established through the Adirondack Park Agency Act and consist of the Secretary of State, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation and Commissioner of Empire State Development.
For more about the Adirondack Park Agency’s board members please visit: https://www.apa.ny.gov/about/leadership.html
The mission of the Adirondack Park Agency is to protect the public and private resources of the Adirondack Park through the exercise of the powers and duties of the Agency as provided by law.