Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM
at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, 17 Pemberton Rd, Southampton, NJ 08088
Please join us in honoring Pine Barrens Hall of Fame inductees, former Governor Thomas Kean and author John McPhee, and Catalyst of Change awardee, Hopeworks.
The evening will feature locally sourced gourmet hors d’oeuvres and entrée stations, a signature cocktail, fine wine, and New Jersey’s own craft beer, and a dessert and coffee bar following the awards ceremony. Enjoy lively conversation and a silent auction offering unique items, fun excursions, and much, much more! Please note: John McPhee will be inducted into the Pine Barrens Hall of Fame virtually and will not be in attendance that evening.
RSVP by September 30, 2025.
Our barn is wheelchair accessible with an elevator to the loft.
Tickets are $200 per person, which includes gourmet appetizers and entrée stations, locally brewed beer, regionally sourced fine wines, a specialty cocktail, coffee, and dessert.
Proceeds from the evening will benefit the collaborative work of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Hopeworks, and our other partners to connect the people and communities of New Jersey to the Pinelands and the natural resources we all depend upon.
Become a sponsor!
Your sponsorship honors Governor Thomas Kean, author John McPhee, and Hopeworks, and it showcases your leadership in protecting one of New Jersey’s most treasured landscapes. By partnering with the Alliance, you’ll help engage the next generation of advocates while gaining visibility among community leaders, decision-makers, and supporters who value conservation, sustainability, and corporate responsibility.
You can view the sponsorship packet here. For more information or to become a sponsor, click on the button below. Questions? Contact Kellie at 609-859-8860 ext 124 or email kellie@pinelandsalliance.org.
Make Donation
Can’t attend the event? You can still make an impact! Your donation will honor Governor Kean, John McPhee, and Hopeworks while expanding the Alliance’s ability to engage a new generation of advocates in the critical work needed to protect the Pinelands so all people can enjoy its beauty and natural resources.
The pine barrens Hall of fame
The Pine Barrens Hall of Fame recognizes those individuals who have played a significant role in preserving the natural and cultural resources of the region. We are proud to induct two honorees this year, Governor Thomas Kean and author, John McPhee.
Governor Tom Kean is a hero of Pinelands conservation because he defended the Pinelands Protection Act when he succeeded Brendan Byrne as Governor of New Jersey and has remained a steadfast advocate for the Pinelands and New Jersey’s natural resources throughout his long and storied career.
Kean served two terms as New Jersey’s 48th Governor, from 1982 to 1990, after ten years in the General Assembly. Kean distinguished himself on many fronts, including the ability to work across party lines and with diverse constituencies. He championed environmental causes important to New Jersey, such as the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act, toxic waste cleanup, and land preservation. In the legislature, he was the prime sponsor of the bill that created the Department of Environmental Protection.
As Governor, Kean was rated among America’s most effective state leaders by Newsweek magazine, and he remains the most popular governor in New Jersey’s history.
Since leaving office through to today, Kean has supported the cause of Pinelands conservation and helped PPA defend the integrity of the Pinelands Protection Act and Comprehensive Management Plan. He has advocated publicly and privately for the Pinelands when important challenges arose for the Pinelands and other parts of New Jersey’s exceptional natural heritage.
In 2002, Kean was named by President George W. Bush to head the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. The Commission’s work culminated on July 22, 2004, with the release of the 9/11 Commission Report, which quickly became a national bestseller. Its recommendations resulted in the largest intelligence reform in the nation’s history.
Kean served as president of Drew University from 1990 until 2005. During his 15-year tenure, he focused on shaping Drew into one of the nation’s leading small liberal arts universities by stressing the primacy of teaching, the creative use of technology in the liberal arts, and the importance of international education.
Kean has served on several national committees and commissions. He holds more than 30 honorary degrees and numerous awards from environmental, educational and civil rights organizations. Among his many Board, policy and philanthropic activities, Kean is Vice Chairman of the Environmental Defense Fund. He is member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Art & Sciences, and the Vice Chairman of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
Kean holds a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.A. from Columbia University’s Teachers College and has served as a trustee of both institutions. Kean is the author of The Politics of Inclusion and co-author of Without Precedent. For many years, he wrote an award-winning column for The Star Ledger with former Governor Brendan Byrne and appears as a regular commentator on NJTV News.
John McPhee
John McPhee holds a special place in the hearts of those who know and love the Pine Barrens because he wrote The Pine Barrens, a book that is a joy to read, a still indispensable introduction to this unique corner of the world, and a work of art that had a real impact on the movement to create the Pinelands National Reserve. The Pine Barrens was published in book form in 1968, early in McPhee’s writing career. McPhee became friends with Brendan Byrne when he became governor of New Jersey in 1974. Gov. Byrne told the story of how reading the book and talking with McPhee helped galvanize his determination to save the Pine Barrens through legislation that ultimately took the form of the Pinelands Protection Act of 1979.
McPhee is recognized as an important innovator in journalism as he developed his distinctive style of storytelling grounded in hearing and understanding the individuals who make a place, a profession or an idea interesting – a style that is now ubiquitous in long-form nonfiction writing.
McPhee is the author of more than thirty books and many articles, nearly all for The New Yorker magazine, where The Pine Barrens first appeared in three consecutive issues. He received the Award in Literature from the Academy of Arts and Letters in 1977, and he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for Annals of the Former World in 1999. He taught writing at Princeton University for forty-five years and in 1982 was awarded Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson Award for service to the nation.
The Pine Barrens is still very much in print, and in 2024, McPhee donated all future royalties from sales of the book in all its forms to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. John will be inducted into the Pine Barrens Hall of Fame virtually on October 11, 2025.
Catalyst of Change
The Catalyst of Change award represents the spirit of innovation and collaboration that transcends boundaries and inspires community building for future environmental and agricultural sustainability.
Hopeworks is a non-profit organization that helps young adults (17-26) break the cycle of poverty and violence by providing technology training, job placement, and trauma-informed care. They focus on skill development, real-world job experience, and creating a positive, healing environment. Hopeworks connects young adults with opportunities where their technology skills can be utilized by businesses in the community. Hopeworks has offices in Camden, NJ and the Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA. The Pinelands Alliance and Hopeworks have forged a compelling partnership that combines environmental advocacy with social innovation, using GIS (geographic information systems) to deepen understanding of the New Jersey Pinelands and make its outdoor spaces more inclusive and equitable. Projects include the creation of a website that provides visitation information for people living with a disability about parks and natural areas in New Jersey. PPA also partnered on a project called The Story of the Pinelands and its People aimed at sharing demographic trends—tracking shifts in race, ethnicity, and population since the 1800s—to inform equitable land use policy. Together, PPA and Hopeworks are leveraging mapping technology not just to visualize data, but to drive inclusive access to nature, challenge land-use inequities, and foster environmentally sustainable farming—all while offering real-world training and employment opportunities for young people in Camden
2025 Gala Sponsors
innovator
protector
Patron
Patricia A. Butenis, Chair, Pinelands Alliance Board of Trustees, Ret., Ambassador, U.S. Foreign Service
Charles M. Chapin, Pinelands Alliance Board of Trustees
Gail Harris
nonprofit partner
