Gary Pivo
for Zoning Commission
Gary Pivo (“pie-vo”), and his wife, retired pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Carrie Freedheim, moved to East Lyme in 2020 to be close (but not too close) to their grown kids in Boston & Brooklyn. Gary will retire in December after 35 years with the Universities of Washington and Arizona as a professor in urban planning, natural resources, and sustainable real estate. He is an internationally recognized expert in walkable communities, sustainable urban water systems, sustainable economic development, and socially responsible property development.
Gary has helped dozens of communities with problems like those of East Lyme, such as preserving small town and rural character, providing affordable housing, making streets safer for bikes and pedestrians, and conserving precious farms, forests, and wetlands. He’s an accomplished manager, having served as a college dean, director of research, and a small-town planning and zoning administrator. He has also founded several local, statewide, national, and international committees and advocacy groups focused on saving wetlands, managing urban growth, fostering greener development practices, and investing in socially responsible urban development. Finally, Gary is also a successful businessman, having co-created the Vert Global Real Estate Fund (VGSRX), a mutual fund with over 300 million dollars invested in the world’s most sustainable real estate portfolios. Dr. Pivo strongly believes in solving problems through collaboration, fact-based analysis, and peer sharing of best practices and win-win solutions.
Nancy Kalal
for Zoning Commission
Nancy Kalal is a Flanders resident who is passionate about conserving our environment and preserving our aquifer. A descendent of East Lyme farming families since the late 1800s, she actively continues the tradition of farming by raising beef cattle and pigs with her family.
Active on the East Lyme Agriculture Committee since its inception, she teaches the Small Farmer Classes with the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.