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Hudson River Valley Institute Staff Hudson River Valley Institute Staff

Hudson River Valley Institute Staff

Thomas Wermuth, Co-Founder & Director, Hudson River Valley Institute
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, Marist College
Ph.D., Binghamton University
MA, State University of New York at Albany
Bachelor of Arts in History, Marist College


Dr. Wermuth is the editor of the book series "The Hudson River Valley: An American Region," from the State University of New York Press, featuring books about the history and culture of the region. Dr. Wermuth's research and teaching is focused around the social and economic history of the Hudson River Valley. He is an associate editor of The Encyclopedia of New York State published by the Syracuse University Press, and the author of Rip Van Winkle's Neighbors: The Transformation of Rural Society in the Hudson River Valley, published by the State University of New York Press. Dr. Wermuth serves as the Publisher and Chair of the Editorial Board of The Hudson River Valley Review.

 

Andrew Villani, Executive Director, Hudson River Valley Institute
MPA, Marist College
Bachelor of Arts with Honors in History/Adolescent Education, Marist College

As Executive Director, Andy Villani is responsible for all day-to-day operations and strategic planning for The Hudson River Valley Institute. He supervises student experiences, oversees multiple annual events including the Handel-Krom Lecture in Hudson River Valley History, and maintains partnerships both within Marist College and throughout the Hudson River Valley. Andy is also the primary point of contact for donor relations, and manages the Institute’s finances, including responsibilities as Business Manager for The Hudson River Valley Review (HRVR).  He is the co-editor of the 2013 publication, Key to the Northern Country: The Hudson River Valley in the American Revolution, and co-authored “The Hudson River Valley Institute at 20: A Look Back,” for HRVR.  Additionally, Andy serves on the Board of Directors of the Dutchess County Historical Society where he chairs the Programs and Public Relations Committee and serves as a member of the Campus Campaign Committee at Marist.

 

Christopher Pryslopski, Senior Program Director, Hudson River Valley Institute
MPA, Marist College
Bachelor of Arts in Community, Regional, Environmental Studies, Bard College

As Senior Program Director, Chris Pryslopski coordinates projects and programs associated with the core mission of the HRVI. He also serves as Editor of The Hudson River Valley Review, maintains HRVI's Digital Library and Portal Site, and works with students from a variety of areas of study. He is co-editor of the 2013 publication Key to the Northern Country: The Hudson River Valley in the American Revolution as well as America’s First River in 2009. He is a specialist in regional studies and is the author of "Cultivating the Greenhouse Complex at Mills Mansion," The Hudson Valley Regional Review, March 1999, and “Getting to 'The Point;'” Design No. 26: The L. M. Hoyt House at Staatsburg,” Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook, 2009. Chris is completing his third term on the Rosendale Town Council, and his first term on the Board of Directors of the D&H Canal Historical Society.
 
Jason Schaaf, Education Coordinator, Hudson River Valley Institute
MA in Military History, Norwich University
MA in Medieval History, University of Wales, Swansea
Bachelor of Arts in History, Marist College

As Education Coordinator, Jason Schaaf works with the Institute’s history interns to create projects related to Hudson River Valley history. These projects include essays on regional history, lesson plans for a variety of grade levels, original content for HRVI’s social media, and multimedia presentations. He has served as the Institute’s representative on a variety of major initiatives including Teaching the Hudson Valley, an oral history of the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge, and the New York State Quadricentennial Celebration. Additionally, Jason has been an adjunct professor for 20 years at both Marist College and Dutchess Community College, teaching courses on military history, ancient history, and the history of New York State. 

 

James M. Johnson, Co-Founder & Executive Director Emeritus, Hudson River Valley Institute
Dr. Frank T. Bumpus Chair in Hudson River Valley History, Marist College
Military Historian of the Hudson River Valley
Ph.D., Duke University
MA in History, Duke University
MA in National Security and Strategic Studies, Naval War College
BS, United States Military Academy at West Point

Dr. James M. Johnson serves as the Dr. Frank T. Bumpus Chair in Hudson River Valley History at Marist College. He taught courses in military and Hudson River Valley history there from 2000-2018. As the Military Historian of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, he has been involved with a number of major projects, including the Fort Montgomery State Historic Site and Visitor Center, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor at New Windsor Cantonment, the Henry Knox Cannon Trail, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution, including a Patriots’ Weekend each year from 2002-2008, the conservation of the fortifications at West Point, and the founding of the 5th New York American Revolution reenactment regiment. Author of Militia, Rangers, and Redcoats, co-compiler of America’s First River, and the co-editor of “Key to the Northern Country”: The Hudson River Valley in the American Revolution, Dr. Johnson graduated from United States Military Academy in 1969 and served for thirty years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a colonel. He is the Vice President and a founding board member of the Friends of the American Revolution at West Point.