The Board

Stephen Hiltner walking in the woods pointing something out.

Stephen Hiltner

President

Prior to moving to Princeton in 2003, Steve founded and led the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association (ECWA) in Durham, NC. With degrees in botany and water quality, Steve has served Princeton in multiple capacities. During his years as the first resource manager for the Friends of Princeton Open Space, he conducted plant inventories and led workdays and nature walks at many of Princeton's parks and nature preserves. He was a longtime member of the Princeton Environmental Commission, spearheading a new Environmental Resource Inventory for the town, and served as chair of the Princeton Shade Tree Commission. As a member of the board for Princeton's Mountain Lakes House, he helped increase energy efficiency and solve runoff issues.

Pallavi Nuka

Vice President

Pallavi became involved with FOHW when her Girl Scout troop began participating in workdays at the preserve. She is associate director of the Center for Public Policy & Finance at Princeton University with a professional background in international development and environmental policy. An advocate of smart and inclusive growth, she is interested in municipal and regional issues related to land use, sustainability, and planning. She believes in making the outdoors accessible to all in the community. She is happy to be bringing enthusiasm as well as operational know-how to the board.

Headshot of Ahmed Azmy smiling.

Ahmed Azmy

Co-Treasurer

A graduate of University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, Ahmed is a prominent architect in Princeton. Before forming Azmy Architects LLC, Ahmed was the principal architect at HACBM Architects, Engineers and Planners, and CUH2A. Ahmed is also a leader in the Rotary at district and local levels. He brings to the project a passion for rehabilitating Veblen House, and a hands-on approach that complements his expertise in design and planning.

Scott Sillars grinning and waving to the camera.

Scott Sillars

Co-Treasurer

(Former Board Member but still Co-Treasurer) Scott has been deeply engaged in community organizations since leaving corporate life over a decade ago. Recently he served as chair of The Watershed Institute’s board of trustees and as chair of Princeton’s municipal Citizens Finance Advisory Committee. Scott’s business career was in corporate finance, but his real love was always in working in the woods. His undergraduate degree is in forestry; his yard is filled with raingardens and native wildflowers.

Shefali Shah

Secretary

Shefali first discovered Herrontown Woods almost a decade ago when her husband and she were looking for trails their toddler could navigate. A chance meeting with Steve on one of the hikes got the family engaged in volunteering for the woods and the rest is history! She has joined the board as the secretary and will also support events and fundraising efforts. Professionally, Shefali is a leader within the Life Sciences and Digital Health Industries with experience in commercialization, patient access, analytics, and insights.

Inge Regan

Inge Regan, MD is an emergency department physician, originally trained in family medicine. Inge grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania, and is committed to helping people learn to become stewards of their local environment. In 2022, Inge created the social "Invasive Species of the Month Club," and more recently the "Princeton Salamander Crossing Brigade." She manages several of FOHW's events, and has collaborated with Princeton Public Library to create local nature photo-cards for the library's explorer backpacks. Inge heads FOHW's annual Earth Day event and she is responsible for the wildflower photos and signage at the Botanical Art Garden. Inge has a goal to help botanists, who she calls "Physicians of the Earth," to translate what they know into easily understood information for people to learn and enjoy. 

Hope VanCleaf

Hope is a multi-media artist and founder of Creative Fingerprint, an organization dedicated to fostering positive change and growth through art. Her past experience in communications and fundraising has broadened her scope and understanding of many facets of business, which are blended into Creative Fingerprint. She is now retired from Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, allowing her time to pursue Creative Fingerprints mission: to provide unique, judgment-free workshops where art facilitates team building, enhanced communication, personal development, and well-being, effectively bypassing ego and hierarchical barriers to enable genuine and meaningful change.

Founding Board Members

Sally and Kurt Tazelar

Beginning in 2013, Sally worked with her future husband and fellow founding member, Kurt Tazelar on weekends and during the summer to clear and mark long neglected trails in Herrontown Woods and Autumn Hill Reservation--more than 200 total acres. Along with Steve Hiltner, Kurt and Sally formed the core of what became FOHW. Kurt and Sally received the 2013 Sustainable Princeton Leadership Award for their work to reopen trails. 

Kurt in particular worked tirelessly to improve trails and clear large areas of invasive shrubs that had grown over historical features and had blocked vistas. Sally worked as an art teacher for East Windsor Regional Schools.

Sally also collaborated with her husband on documentary videos. She maintained the FriendsOfHerrontownWoods facebook page for many years. Kurt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019, but after initial treatment was able to resume his work at Herrontown Woods for a period, completing the purple trail and envisioning other improvements. An obituary in Town Topics documents his remarkable life and contributions to the community, and a letter-to-the-editor by Steve elaborates on the legacy he left behind at Herrontown Woods.