Get to Know Jenny

Lake Champlain has played a central role in LCC’s new Executive Director Jenny Patterson’s life. The lake was a formative part of her childhood, and just as the Little Chazy River flows into Champlain’s waters, she has come back to this cherished spot and is ready to dive in.  

“Lake Champlain has always been an important place for me,” said Jenny. “It's where I come together with family and friends, and I've spent time here every year of my life. My fascination with the lake and its landscape – its ever-changing waters, rocks flecked with fossils, and mountainous watershed – made me want to pursue environmental studies in college. I worked for clean water and wildlife protection nonprofits, then decided to go to law school so I could become a better environmental advocate.” 

Throughout her career, Jenny has leveraged her law background for environmental protection and health policy. Now living year-round in Chazy, NY, she rekindled her passion for water and science by volunteering with LCC as a cyanobacteria monitor and an aquatic invasive species monitor through CHAMP. “I did my monitoring at Point Au Roche State Park and enjoyed talking about cyanobacteria with people I met there,” Jenny recounted on her experience as a community scientist. “I learned so much through LCC, and I wanted to share that knowledge with others." 

Jenny is driven by connections—linking people with resources and building cross-organizational coalitions. Since starting with LCC in January, she’s been getting to know other advocates who work to protect Lake Champlain’s water quality. Looking forward to the 2025 field season, she is energized by working closely with LCC staff to prepare for community science programming, outreach efforts, and the Paddlers’ Trail. She’s particularly excited about connecting directly with LCC’s volunteers throughout the lake’s shores and exploring the furthest reaches of the basin. “I tend to come into a situation saying, ‘what can I learn from this person, or situation, or animal or thing?’” Jenny reflected, “I'm thrilled and honored to be in a role that will give me many opportunities to ask questions, and to use the knowledge I gain to protect the lake I love.” 

Outside of work, you can find Jenny taking walks and watching wildlife—her home in Chazy gives her front-row seats to otters, minks, foxes, and a wide range of shorebirds. To carry on her family’s tradition of playing music together at the lake, Jenny can often be heard practicing tunes on her vintage mandolin. 

Get in touch with Jenny at jennyp@lakechamplaincommittee.org!