Press release: Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Assoc. picks Katie Cassidy as new Deputy Director

Katie Cassidy has been hired as the new Deputy Director for the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association and its Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership and will officially begin her new role on May 11, 2026.

“Katie’s track record, including vital leadership roles over the past decade with the Wildlife Leadership Academy, really stands out. She has a special skillset that we are excited to add to our team as we strive to best protect and promote our river and its resources,” said Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper and association Executive Director John Zaktansky.

Cassidy is leaving her fulltime role as Director of Outreach and Alumni Engagement at the Wildlife Leadership Academy, one of several key positions she has held over the past 12 years that has helped grow the outreach program for alumni, allowing students to conduct hundreds of projects and connect with thousands of individuals across Pennsylvania every year. From 2018 through 2025, she was head of recruitment for the Academy, helping build key connections that boosted attendance well past available placement for programs.

“We serve a large and diverse watershed facing a wide number of concerns, and more than ever, this work requires building strong connections, working collaboratively with other nonprofits, concerned community groups and other partners,” said Zaktansky. “As Deputy Director, Katie will play a key role in helping us recruit additional key resources we need to be effective, such as volunteers and funding opportunities, and strengthening bonds with important individuals and groups who share our passion for pure water resources and provide tools to help them be successful in their corners of the watershed.”

The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2015 serving an 11,000 square-mile watershed that includes all land that eventually drains into the Susquehanna River and its West Branch from just below Selinsgrove (where Penns Creek enters) up to the New York border. The association’s mission is to protect and promote the health and vibrancy of the river, its tributaries and the life it sustains across the 20-plus counties within that watershed in central, northcentral and northeast Pennsylvania.

"With the addition of a Deputy Director, we are building upon how we carry out our mission, placing a stronger emphasis on connection, collaboration and community presence across the watershed," said Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association Board President Michael Kinney. "By strengthening its ability to engage directly with the people and partners who care about these waters, the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association is better positioned than ever to serve as a clear and unified voice for the river and the communities it supports."

Cassidy admits she is ready to step into the new role and make a difference.

"I am excited to join the Riverkeeper’s Association and look forward to the new challenges and relationships that this job will present,” said Cassidy, who has a wide variety of interests, including reading, sewing and "outdoor pursuits of all kinds."
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Learn more about the association at www.MiddleSusquehannaRiverkeeper.org and the Vernal School initiative and associated programming at www.VernalSchool.org. You can contact Executive Director John Zaktansky at [email protected] or 570-768-6300. Deputy Director Katie Cassidy will be available to contact starting May 11 at [email protected] or 570-993-4423.