Who we are
About ADI
A small team working so that everyone, resident or visitor, feels a sense of safety, connection and belonging in the Adirondacks.
Our vision
An Adirondack Park and North Country where ALL people feel a sense of safety, connection and belonging, whether they live here or are visiting.
Our mission
Existing at the intersection of environmental and transformational justice, ADI works to make the Adirondacks a welcoming and inclusive place for residents and visitors while ensuring a vital and sustainable Adirondack Park for future generations.
How we work
ADI's operating philosophy honors the lived experiences of members of the community in all aspects of our work: communities must play a central role in articulating, facilitating, mobilizing and executing efforts that advance justice.
Our reach
3 people · 7 areas of diversity · 14 counties. The team is small but mighty, and committed to meeting the demands of this important regional work.
A message from our team
“At the heart of any successful organization lies a deep commitment to inclusion, where every individual feels welcomed and valued for who they are. As a team, we believe that fostering a sense of belonging is not just a goal, but a responsibility.
More than just a tourist destination, we are a community, bound by our shared commitment to respect and inclusivity. Welcoming others and fostering belonging is how we ensure that our doors and hearts remain open to all.”
Our approach
We aim to make a meaningful impact at every level: individual, local, regional and beyond. Our approach will continue to adapt and evolve in response to the needs of our ever-changing world.
ADI will
- Prioritize initiatives that support historically marginalized communities.
- Collaborate with agencies, towns, communities and residents.
- Equip individuals and organizations with tools and resources to act as change agents in their communities.
- Provide support to enable communities to cultivate and drive their own transformation.
- Assist businesses in creating a more welcoming and belonging environment.
- Engage in difficult and challenging conversations to encourage reflection and action.
- Challenge and disrupt oppressive systems and practices.
ADI will not
- Oversee or police individual behaviors or actions.
- Force our work on communities that are not ready to engage in these efforts.
Our history
- 2014A symposium in Newcomb“Toward a More Diverse Adirondacks”, at the Adirondack Interpretive Center of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Residents, activists, educators and community leaders gave the organizers two imperatives: the region should be welcoming to and inclusive of everyone, and relevant to and supported by an increasingly diverse New York State and American population.
- 2015ADI begins its workFormal alliances with nearly two dozen leading organizations in the region, an advisory network, diversity workshops and education sessions, a youth exchange, and an annual symposium.
- 2019ADI's first directorADI announces the hiring of its first director on 14 November 2019.
- TodayA program of ANCAA three-person team, a volunteer Core Team, and partners across the Park.
Our team
- Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Director - Melanie Reding
Deputy Director - Tamara Jolly
Community Initiatives Manager
ADI is also guided by its Core Team: a diverse group of committed volunteers who are integrated into their communities as leaders and change agents.
Work here
Openings at ADI, ANCA and partner organizations are listed on the jobs page.
ADI and ANCA
ADI is a program of the Adirondack North Country Association, a regional nonprofit that uses innovative strategies for food systems, clean energy, small businesses, and equity and inclusion, with the goal of building prosperity across northern New York.
In practice, ANCA is ADI's home: gifts to ADI are made on ANCA's donation form, and ADI's mailing list and some of its programs are run alongside ANCA's other work.
Our partners
Partners contribute resources and expertise, and have helped with funding, sponsorship, office space, marketing, media and training facilities. They include, but are not limited to:
- Adirondack Almanack
- Adirondack Council
- Adirondack Experience
- Adirondack Foundation
- Adirondack Land Trust
- Adirondack Mountain Club
- Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance
- Adirondack Wild
- Camp Dudley & Camp Kiniya
- Camp Sagamore
- Cloudsplitter Foundation
- Common Ground Alliance
- Eagle Island Camp
- Fidelity
- Hamlets to Huts
- John Brown Lives!
- The Nature Conservancy, Adirondack Chapter
- North Country Chamber of Commerce
- North Country Community College
- North Country School
- Northern Forest Center
- Northern Lights School
- Paul Smiths College
- Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST)
- Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
- SUNY Canton
- SUNY-ESF Northern Forest Institute
- SUNY Potsdam
- The Wild Center
- Unitarian Universalist of Saranac Lake