Northwest New Jersey
Beekeepers Association

NWNJA Executive Board 2025–26

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President: Eleanor Tessier

Eleanor Tessier is president of NWNJBA, chair of the Warren County Farmers Fair committee, and a member of the Honey Show Committee. Eleanor has 10 hives, and is entering her eighth season as a beekeeper and member of the NWNJBA. Eleanor supports her beekeeping habit working as a senior managing director for Webster Bank working in commercial real estate finance, and also works as a beekeeping assistant on a local farm. She holds a B.A in English from the University of Baltimore, and an M.S. in Real Estate from The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Eleanor is a member of the Carey Business School Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board, where she chairs the Development Committee, and is past Board President of Family Promise of Hunterdon County. Eleanor is a former Boy Scout leader for Troop 112 in Alexandria, where she was fundraising chair, but she will always be an Eagle Scout Mom.

 

First Vice President: Doug Atkinson

Doug Atkinson has been an active beekeeper since 2016 and a dedicated member of the NWNJBA since 2019. He currently maintains eight thriving colonies, with plans to expand further in the coming seasons.

As a key member of the club’s Outreach team, Doug participates in nearly a dozen events annually, enthusiastically sharing his knowledge and passion for honey bees with the community. Mentorship and education are at the heart of his beekeeping journey, and he is actively enhancing his skills through Cornell’s prestigious Master Beekeeping program.

Outside of beekeeping, Doug works in IT, combining technical expertise with a love for lifelong learning. A classically trained chef and graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education, Doug also brings creativity to everything he does. When not tending to his bees, he enjoys cycling local trails and indulging in his favorite comic strips, Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts.

Doug has also been deeply involved in the Phillipsburg High School marching band alongside his wife, Dana, where he managed fundraisers and chaperoned events to support band camps and student trips.
 

Second Vice President: James Zdepski

James Zdepski resides in Holland Township, Hunterdon County where he has kept bees, along with his wife Deborah, since 2018. James is a fourth-generation New Jersey beekeeper. His family has kept bees in New Jersey since 1913 and in Holland Township since 1918. James and his wife Deborah have been members of NWNJBA since 2018. This is the second generation of bees for James. In the mid 1970s and 1980s, he and his brothers maintained 12 hives with their father. Currently, he cares for over 50 hives and is raising and selling overwintered nucleus colonies, along with spring nucs and award-winning honey.

In addition to the bees, he has successfully maintained a career as a full-time cabinet and furniture maker for nearly 40 years, as well as performed historic and restoration carpentry. Prior to running his own business, he served as a shop manager/production manager in four different large high-end cabinet and millwork shops, supervising more than 20 employees. All of these shops serviced high-end residential and commercial NYC clients and surrounding markets. He has supervised and installed millwork in some of the city’s most prestigious homes.
 

Still actively working full-time, James carves some time to devote to raising hardy, healthy, local honey bees. Through volunteering with NWNJBA, local honey sales to the public, and his many social media posts, it is his hope to promote awareness of bees and the importance of these fascinating creatures, as well as the people dedicated to their care. 
 

Third Vice President: Laura Joiner

Laura Joiner has been keeping bees since 2017 and is a member of EAS in addition to the Northwest and Raritan Valley chapters. She and her husband Dennis maintain about 5 colonies in Pittstown (Union Township).

 

Laura always has a positive attitude, loves meeting new people, solving problems, learning new things and teaching what she learns. She was recognized for her efforts in 2019 receiving the prestigious NWNJBA Spirit Award for outstanding participation and promotion of the club’s mission. She has served officially with NWNJBA as co-chair for community service events outreach and currently as NWNJBA Facebook Group administrator and moderator for over 140 members and guests. She has also assisted with Honey Shows and judging rules, mentoring new members, and the Black Jar Honey Contest.

 

Laura holds a BS in Computer Programming from Kean University and is retired from work as a software testing engineer for network configuration management at Telcordia Technologies, and as the accounting clerk for construction engineering at Schering-Plough.
 

Prior to this club, Laura has held many volunteer leadership positions in various clubs including President of a Toastmasters International chapter, Treasurer, Membership, and Newsletter Editor for Spokes-Women Motorcycle Club, as Treasurer and Membership for local Moms Club, local PTA Bookfair Chairperson for 8 years, and Girl Scout leader.
 

An avid gardener since childhood, she is most comfortable in the outdoors, studying nature. Laura’s other hobbies include swimming, camping, birdwatching, knit/crochet/fiber arts, painting, wood turning, and exploring the outdoors on foot and by kayak.
 

Secretary: Vanessa Preston

Vanessa has lived in Clinton Township since 2014. She is a first year beekeeper who took the plunge after completing the club’s beekeeping short course with Jean Miller in September 2023. She currently has two hives and participated in the Managed Mentoring program in 2024. 

 

She works in workforce development for a private government services agency. Over the last fifteen years she has held positions such as trainer, career advisor, director of culture, and now Executive Vice President. She finds immense fulfillment in helping people find or reconnect with meaningful careers. Vanessa is married with one daughter and three dogs. She is currently on the Clinton Township Board of Education, serves as the treasurer for Girl Scout Service Unit 81, and is a member of the Clinton Township historical preservation society. 
 

When not beekeeping, Vanessa enjoys listening to audio books, baking, and traveling. She has visited 37 countries and is always scheming to take another vacation.
 

Treasurer: Rick Knecht

Rick Knecht has been a member of NWNJBA since 2013 after being convinced at the Warren County Farmers Fair’s bee booth of how important bees are for our food and pollination in general. Using his background in graphics, email and web design, events planning, and database management, Rick has helped NWNJBA throughout the organization, assisting with meeting A/V, being on the Warren County Fair committee, setting up and taking down the booth at both Warren and Hunterdon fairs, volunteering at both fairs, and helping redesign the club’s booth space at the WCFF. He is joined in the club with his wife Idria and child Alessandra, with whom he keeps four to twelve hives depending on weather, bears, and the success of splits. 

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Outreach: Jean Miller

Jean Miller is head of the Outreach Committee, working with Laura Joiner and Doug Atkinson, among other members. She is in charge of meetings, presentations, vendor stations, and classes which NWNJBA members run under the auspices of the club to teach people about bees and beekeeping. She has been a beekeeper for 10 years. 

 

Jean is a Rutgers Master Gardener in Hunterdon County and is leader of their Presentation Team. It was at a Master Gardener conference where she met Bob Hughes and learned a tiny bit about beekeeping. Her interest was piqued, so she took Bob and Tim Schuler’s short course and set up her first colonies in 2014. With guidance from many mentors, including Stan Wasitowski, Bob Kloss, and Roger Gares, her journey began. After learning the hard way that mite mitigation is crucial to being a successful beekeeper, Jean rarely loses colonies and chooses to keep no more than 12 so she has time to manage them all properly. 

 

In 2021 Jean earned her Master Beekeeper certification from Cornell University. She also initiated the club’s Short Course in 2023. 
 

After graduating valedictorian from her high school and earning an Industrial Engineering degree from Lehigh University, she embarked on her career with Swiss food giant Nestlé. Impending motherhood made her decide to switch gears from being the on-call, 24/7 Process Control Manager for Nestlé’s Freehold factory to being available 24/7 to an infant daughter. In 1999, Jean began her second career as a substitute teacher in the Flemington area. During her 20 years as a sub, she taught in all grade levels, K through 12, but enjoyed teaching science and math to middle school students best. Jean’s other interests include daily walks, yoga, and gardening.

 

Jean and her family have visited and hiked 55 national parks. She is also an avid international traveler and will be visiting her seventh continent, Antarctica, in January 2025. She has studied honey bees and beekeeping in Kenya and Thailand with various professors like Jaime Ellis, Cameron Jack, and Maryann Frazier. She considers herself a grown-up nerd. 

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Communications: Idria Knecht

Idria Knecht learned about bees when her husband Rick would read parts of The Beekeeper’s Handbook to her as they drove home from visiting family. She became a beekeeper herself in 2017 when a (very stupid) bear trashed Rick’s apiary while he was out of town and she had to put all the hives back together. After installing an electric fence, she became more involved in taking care of the bees. 

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She is an active club member, helping to staff the Warren County Farmers Fair booth almost every night of the fair as well as helping at the Hunterdon 4H Fair booth. She has given a presentation on swarm traps with Rick, and helped Jean Miller with the club’s short course. Idria conceived of and runs the Name a Bee fundraiser and organized the extremely popular honey tasting station for the fairs. 

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Idria is an editor with extensive experience in writing, publishing, email, websites, and other forms of communication. She maintains the club’s site (hi!), and writes and sends many of the organization’s emails. She is co-manager and communications director of her local Girl Scout Service Unit, as well as running two troops with Rick. Idria has a gift for killing plants (including a cactus and an air fern), and should not be allowed to make quiche. She is an excellent baker, however, and a pretty good crocheter. She has been a Trekkie for over 30 years.