Stone Harbor, NJ – The Wetlands Institute is pleased to announce a new board member and a returning board member to its Board of Trustees, chaired by Deborah A. Hays, CEO of Archer Greiner LLC. Liz Thomas of Mount Laurel and Avalon, NJ is joining the board for the first time and Raymond M. Burke III of Avalon is returning after a two-year hiatus.
Thomas is co-founder of Thomas/Boyd Communications based in Moorestown, NJ. She has owned a home in Avalon for more than 30 years and has come to know, understand, and appreciate the work done by The Wetlands Institute from a personal and professional standpoint. She serves on the board of Avalon Home and Land Owners Association.
Burke, while stepping back from his day-to-day involvement at Burke Motors, remains active in business and philanthropic activities. Burke is a Director at Sturdy Bank, and the Burke family has been an important contributor to the community through service for more than 100 years.
Thomas co-founded Thomas/Boyd Communications with Pam Boyd in 1998. The firm represents the public relations interests of non-profit organizations and businesses throughout the state. Outside of work and in addition to the Avalon Home and Land Owners Association, Thomas serves on the executive committee and board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey, and the executive committee and board of Public Media NJ, Inc., a non-profit affiliate of the WNET Group that operates NJ PBS. She has recently been named by Rutgers-Camden Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs as private sector South Jerseyan of the Year and received The Salvation Army’s “Others” Award in 2024, the organization’s highest honor that recognizes and exemplifies an extraordinary spirit of service to “others.”
Burke is a long-time trustee of The Wetlands Institute, serving as board chair from 2012 until 2018. He helped guide the organization through a leadership transition in 2011 and worked to revise and restructure the organization and launch the Plan for the Future in 2012. Burke served on numerous committees and remains recognized as a quiet leader who effectively worked with The Wetlands Institute management team to herald a new level of community support and engagement.
“We are thrilled to welcome Liz as a board member and equally thrilled to have Ray return to board service,” said Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director of The Wetlands Institute. “Liz’s skills as a communicator and Ray’s already established commitment to the board and the region puts us in an excellent position to accomplish a long list of plans, including renovation of our mainland campus, planning for facility upgrades, and accelerating the innovations in research, conservation, and education programs that are the hallmark of The Wetlands Institute.”
The Wetlands Institute’s Board of Trustees is dedicated to helping us grow and succeed in fulfilling our mission: To promote appreciation, understanding, and stewardship of wetlands and coastal ecosystems through our programs in research, conservation, and education. Our board recognizes the importance of staying true to the Institute’s mission, vision, and goals, and they are committed to promoting the wetlands and coastal surroundings that we know and love.