Bridging the Data Gap for a Resilient Seacoast.
We combine open-source “Lean Science” with rigorous federal protocols to protect New Hampshire’s tidal rivers.
Defensible Science: Our Data Quality Commitment
At HMS Stewards, we believe that for data to drive action, it must first be beyond reproach. Our Mobile Sensing Unit (MSU) is being engineered to meet federal Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) standards.
By aligning our “Lean Science” methods with EPA-recognized protocols, we ensure that every data point—from pH levels to dissolved oxygen—is scientifically defensible. This commitment allows our partners in government and industry to integrate HMS findings into their long-term resilience and conservation planning with total confidence.
Agile Monitoring
We use high-mobility vessels like the R/V HMS Buttercup and our custom HMS ‘Ghost’ USV to reach headwaters that traditional monitoring ignores.
Open-Source Innovation
By utilizing open-source hardware and software, we provide high-resolution data at a fraction of the traditional cost.
Community-Led
We believe the best stewards of the water are the people who live on it. Our 2026 curriculum will empower citizen scientists to contribute to our “Ground Truth” mapping.
“HMS Stewards started with a simple observation: our local rivers are changing faster than our data can keep up with. By leveraging my background in geology and a $18,000 seed investment, I launched HMS to ensure the Seacoast has the tools it needs to protect its future.”
The Architects of Ecological Literacy
Our leadership team represents a unique intersection of scientific rigor, operational excellence, and community mobilization. We are bridging the gap between mountain headwaters and marine health through data-driven stewardship.
Kate B.
Chairman of the Board & Co-Founder
“Meaningful change in our environment requires the synergy of diverse stakeholders working toward a common, data-driven goal.”
Kate is a specialist in Consortium Building and Institutional Strategy, with a career dedicated to navigating complex public and private systems. From directing graduate programs at Tufts University to leading academic affairs for Miami Dade College, Kate has a proven track record of resolving institutional “gridlock.” Notably, she served on the Texas Instruments team that received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award—the highest U.S. presidential honor for performance excellence—bringing that same standard of rigorous quality management to the HMS mission.
Kate’s focus is Collaborative Ecosystems. She identifies the “dots” between municipalities, academic researchers, and local landowners to create a unified front for watershed protection. Leveraging her experience building supplier consortia for Fortune 500 companies like Motorola and Xerox, she is architecting the Stewards Network as a neutral, trusted hub where competing interests find consensus through scientific data.
Kate ensures that HMS Stewards operates with Institutional Integrity. Her expertise in legislative funding and national accreditation ensures our “Lean Science” meets the highest standards of accountability. By fostering inclusive communication and strategic partnering, Kate transforms raw monitoring data into a shared community narrative—turning scientific findings into actionable policy and long-term regional resilience.
Steve H.
Charter Board Member & Director of Field Operations
“A resilient Seacoast requires a deep, generational passion for all of New Hampshire’s waters.”
Steve provides the operational and technical backbone for HMS Stewards. His expertise is rooted in a lifelong history with New Hampshire’s waters as an avid boater and fisherman. Professionally, he began his career as a Cartographer for the State of New Hampshire, followed by over 25 years in the hospitality technology sector with Amadeus. This unique combination of geospatial mapping and complex systems management ensures our field operations are built on a foundation of precision and reliability.
Steve’s focus is the Geospatial Strategy of our monitoring. Leveraging his background in cartography and his intimate knowledge of the Seacoast’s tidal rhythms, he directs the where and when of our data collection. He identifies the critical sampling points—from the headwaters of the Lamprey to the deep channels of the Great Bay—ensuring our mission captures the most impactful environmental data at the most significant moments.
Under Steve’s oversight, our “Source-to-Sea” monitoring is strategically targeted rather than random. He ensures that our Stewards are deployed to the locations where their data will have the greatest scientific and municipal value. By turning the R/V HMS Buttercup into a strategically guided mobile laboratory, Steve ensures our mapping meets the high standards required for regional and state-level integration.
Rob S.
Director of Systems & Innovation
“Innovation serves its highest purpose when it strengthens the community and protects the places we call home.”
To know Rob is to know a tireless advocate for learning and a truly dedicated technical guide. He brings over 30 years of experience as a Solutions Architect and technical expert to the team, specializing in building functional, performant, and stable enterprise software solutions. Rob currently serves as a Global Solutions Architect at Amadeus Hospitality, where he leads teams in C#, Azure, CI, and agile methodologies.
A significant portion of his career was spent as a Senior Systems Consultant at Unum, where he spent over 12 years architecting, programming, and mentoring within Corporate Applications. His collaborative spirit is perhaps best seen outside of a traditional office; Rob is a profound “big thinker” and a genuine expert on all things tech, from full-stack web development to custom hardware projects like the HMS ‘Ghost’ MSU.
A devoted friend and former scout leader, he naturally channels his professional expertise into mentoring others, fostering teamwork, and community resilience. Rob holds a degree in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. In his downtime, he can be found exploring the rugged landscapes and waterways of Maine, embodying a true spirit of outdoorsman stewardship.
Jerry M.
Director of Stewardship Technology
“Open-source technology is the ultimate tool for community resilience—it ensures the data belongs to the people who protect the water.”
With over 25 years at the University of New Hampshire, Jerry is the architect of HMS Stewards’ digital reliability. A specialist in Unix/Linux and an advocate for open-source transparency, he ensures our data infrastructure is as resilient as the ecosystems we protect. Holding a Master of Public Administration, Jerry bridges the gap between complex system administration and the public good, ensuring our research remains accessible for generations.
This focus on creating reliable, sustainable systems directly advances the HMS mission, ensuring that environmental research data and community education resources remain secure and accessible for future generations of stewards. A true collaborator, Jerry is known for balancing technological challenges with human needs. His leadership on the IT Disaster Recovery Task Force further reflects his commitment to organizational resilience.
Jerry is known for his integrity, tireless work ethic, and quiet dedication to team success.
HMS S.
Director (to be announced)
“We’re building a team that reflects the resilience of the waters we protect.”
This space is reserved for a key new member of the HMS Stewards leadership team. As we scale our operations across the Seacoast Watershed, we are seeking a dedicated individual who bridges the gap between high-level technical expertise and a deep-rooted passion for environmental education.
This profile will soon feature a leader whose background in stewardship and technical innovation aligns with our “Source-to-Sea” mission. We’re committed to finding a collaborator and friend to our watersheds, who is ready to help us architect the next chapter of ecological literacy in New Hampshire.
Thank you for your patience as we finalize this introduction to a vital new voice in our community.
David Miller
Founder & Executive Director
“True stewardship isn’t just a sentiment; it’s the hard work of getting the right data into the right hands.”
David is a lifelong boater and kayaker with two decades of navigating the New Hampshire Seacoast, David founded HMS Stewards with a simple, grounded belief: you can’t protect what you don’t understand. He built HMS to bridge the gap between traditional monitoring and the fast-moving reality of our changing waters. His perspective is shaped by a unique “dual-discipline” history—the precision of competitive fencing and a career spent at the intersection of Geology and Technology.
David’s mission is to move environmental protection from reactive paperwork to proactive, community-led defense. Whether he’s at the helm of the R/V HMS Buttercup or deploying his custom-engineered Mobile Sensing Unit, he is currently leading the development of a high-resolution data map of our watershed—designed not just for scientists, but as a tool for every town and citizen along the Seacoast.
Beyond the sensors, David is the architect of the Stewards LMS, an educational framework being built to pair digital learning with traditional water sampling kits. He believes that when you provide a neighbor with the right gear and a defensible curriculum, you give them the power to tell their water’s story. By empowering residents to gather their own evidence, David is creating a permanent, first-line defense for our waters—protecting our home from the mountain headwaters to the sea.
Our Commitment to the Watershed
As the Board of Directors for Headwaters & Marine Stewards, we pledge to uphold the highest standards of scientific integrity and fiscal transparency. We are committed to ensuring that every data point we collect and every dollar we receive serves the singular mission of tracing and protecting the Vital Cycles of our Seacoast watershed.
Through our Sentinel Surveys and educational initiatives, we promise to remain accountable to our community, our environment, and our donors, moving from observation to action for the health of our region from Source to Sea.
David | Kate | Steve
Board of Directors, Headwaters & Marine Stewards (HMS)