The Hudson Independent Board Members and Staff

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Hudson Valley News Corporation Board Members

Walter G. Montgomery
President and Chairman

A resident of Irvington since 1986, Walter G. Montgomery has served its Village and local not-for-profit organizations in many elected or appointed roles. His tenure as volunteer President and Board Chair of The Hudson Independent began in 2019. Walter was co-founder and CEO of Robinson Lerer & Montgomery, a prominent New York-based strategic-communications consultancy that he merged with the London-based firm Finsbury before retiring. Earlier he was SVP of Global Communications for American Express, a partner at the New York firm Kekst & Company, a college teacher with a doctorate in Chinese history, and an instructor in the Military Police Corps.

Robert Kimmel
Vice-President

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Robert Kimmel, a 35-year resident of Tarrytown, had a long career in radio journalism as a reporter, writer, editor, director, and broadcaster. His experience spanned the American Forces Network in Germany, CBS in Philadelphia, and ABC and the all-news station WINS in New York, where he became News Director of the NBC Radio Network. Later he was Vice President of the broadcast division of the nationwide public relations firm Hill & Knowlton and the President of Audio-TV Features, an innovative source of TV and radio reports for news organizations across the country. He also produced the the television documentary “Searching for Wallenberg.” In 2006 Bob was a founder of The Hudson Independent, which he has served as a reporter, writer, Editorial Board Chair, and Director.

Dean Gallea

Dean Gallea is a retired product-test leader with over 40 years of technical writing, editing and engineering experience at Consumer Reports. He is a longtime Tarrytown resident, and adjunct to his HVNC Board position he serves as a backup webmaster for TheHudsonIndependent.org.

Barrett Seaman

A resident of the rivertowns since 1988, Seaman brings to The Indy 30 years experience as a journalist with TIME Magazine, where he served as a correspondent and editor. He reported for the magazine from five bureaus, including Washington, where he covered the White House during the Reagan administration. He later served as TIME’s Special Projects Editor, producing a series of single topic issues on subjects ranging from the societal impact of the internet to advances in medicine and multiculturalism in America.

Michael B. Richards, Esq.

Michael B. Richards is an attorney who has lived in the Rivertowns since 2014. He has practiced in a variety of areas, including commercial litigation, real estate, wills, and business law. He is a graduate of the New York University School of Law. Prior to his legal career, he worked in scholarly and academic book publishing.

Paula Romanow Etzel

Paula Romanow Etzel is a writer, editor, and photographer. She has worked for publishing and non-profit organizations in Connecticut, Boston, and New York. Paula is a founder of The Hudson Independent and has been involved in all aspects of its operations throughout the years. She has served on the Board of Directors for Jazz Forum Arts, the Irvington Theater Commission, RiverArts, and was a founding chair of the Irvington Farmers Market and co-director of the All Shorts Irvington Film Festival.