Dr. Elizabeth Thorndike

Advisory Board Member

Elizabeth “Liz” Thorndike has been a supporter of the Mariposa DR since its founding. She is an educator, specializing in environmental policy. In that capacity she has taught as adjunct faculty at Cornell University and served on New York State boards of Adirondack Park Agency and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. She is currently a trustee of Paul Smiths College, the Adirondack Research Consortium, and Adirondack Park Institute. 

Liz was the founder of the nonprofit Center for Environmental Information in Rochester NY, serving as executive director and board member for 33 years.

She holds degrees from Stanford University, Harvard University and Ph.D from Cornell University in the field of natural resource policy and planning. 

Liz is the mother of Mariposa Founder and Executive Director, Patricia T. Suriel.