Norwalk River Valley Trail Announces New Executive Director

NORWALK, CT — The Norwalk River Valley Trail announced this week Andrea Gartner will become NRVT's new executive director effective Jan. 3.

"As someone long-committed to projects that encourage residents to build sustainable and thriving towns and cities, Andrea is ideally situated to serve as NRVT’s first full-time executive director," NRVT president Charlie Taney said in a news release.

Gartner is a lifelong resident of Fairfield County who has been actively involved with community initiatives in the region for decades.

After graduating with a bachelor of science in government from Georgetown University, Gartner settled in Ridgefield to raise her family.

During this time, she pursued a master's degree in history from Western CT State University and involved herself in establishing the Ridgefield Playhouse and the Ridgefield Historical Society, expanding the Boys & Girls Club and serving as a historic district commissioner for 15 years.

As the Executive Director of CityCenter Danbury, Gartner was an active partner in creating the Downtown Revitalization Zone, lobbying for Naugatuck Valley Community College to locate in the central business district and launching the Danbury Innovation Center.

As a volunteer, she has served on Fairfield County's Community Foundation, the Regional Advisory Council of Naugatuck Valley Community College, the Greater Danbury Area Women's Business Council, Housatonic Habitat for Humanity Advisory Council, the Friends of the Danbury Museum and Historical Society and the DanburyWORKS Executive Board. She continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the Cultural Alliance of Western CT.

"The work of the Friends Board has made extraordinary progress and its vision for the Norwalk River Valley Trail is inspiring," Gartner said in a news release. "I am honored and excited to join an organization with such a strong foundation and advance this legacy project. Now more than ever, people understand and appreciate community amenities that enhance our quality of life."