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 & Director of Strategy
“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.
David Miller
Founder & Executive Director
“Precision on the water starts with the right data and the right discipline.”
A lifelong boater with deep roots in the New Hampshire Seacoast, David founded HMS Stewards to bridge the gap between traditional marine monitoring and modern, “Lean Science.” His perspective is shaped by a unique dual history: the strategic, high-pressure world of competitive fencing and a career in Geology and Tech.
David’s mission is to move environmental protection from reactive reporting to proactive, community-led defense. By leveraging the R/V HMS Buttercup and his custom-engineered Mobile Sensing Unit (MSU), he’s building a high-resolution data map of our Seacoast watershed.
Beyond the sensors, David is the architect of the Stewards LMS, an educational framework designed to empower local residents. He believes that when you give a citizen scientist the right tools and a defensible curriculum, you create a permanent, first-line defense for our waters—from the 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)