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SEJ's 25th Annual Conference Speaker Information

 

 

All about
SEJ 2015 speakers

 

 

Agenda Coverage Lodging/ Travel Exhibits/Receptions Environmental News About Norman

 

Below are biographies (or links thereto) of speakers for SEJ's 25th Annual Conference, October 7-11, 2015, in Norman, Oklahoma, as well as the sessions they're participating in. Norman conference home.

Photo courtesy of the National Severe Storms Laboratory

 

Alphabetical Speaker List

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S |
T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

 

 

 

 

A

Jason Aamodt

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Indian Environmental Law: Flexing Legal Muscle Beyond Reservation Lands, 10:45 a.m.
  • Jason Aamodt is the Assistant Dean for online legal education at the University of Tulsa College of Law where he teaches International Environmental Law and Water Law, and helps to run the online programs. Aamodt is published in numerous journals and books on energy, water and indigenous law. He is the founding member of the Indian and Environmental Law Center, a mid-western law firm specializing in water rights, land damages, Indian law and toxic tort litigation. Among notable cases, the Tenth Circuit created a new cause of action while overruling the dismissal of one of Aamodt’s Indian trust accounting cases. Aamodt obtained certification of the first geographically defined toxic tort class in Oklahoma. The National Law Journal ranked one of Aamodt’s jury verdicts as one of the top-25 verdicts in the United States in 2013. He has a J.D. from The University of Tulsa College of Law and a B.S. in Chemistry from The State University of New York.

Erin Ailworth

Bill Allen

  • Event: Friday, Lunch Breakout Session 1, Helping Environmental Scientists Engage the Public Directly, 12:15 p.m.
  • Bill Allen is an Assistant Professor of Science Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He teaches domestic and international field reporting on the environment, food system and natural resources; drone journalism; and science communication for science majors. Before joining the MU faculty in 2004, he served 25 years as a journalist, beginning in 1977 on the police beat for the City News Bureau of Chicago. He has covered science for magazines and newspapers, including 13 years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is author of "Green Phoenix: Restoring the Tropical Forests of Guanacaste, Costa Rica" (Oxford University Press, 2001). He was a 1996-97 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds degrees in biology, history and journalism. Among other honors, he won the 1999 Media Spotlight Award of Amnesty International-USA and the 1998 national Engineering Journalism Award. He was a finalist for the 1998 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.

Erik Andrejko

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Can Big Data Save American Farmers? 2:00 p.m.
  • Erik Andrejko is Vice President of Science for The Climate Corporation. He leads the data science and research organization, which applies large-scale statistical machine learning and data science to solve challenging problems in numerous domains including climatology, agronomic modeling and geospatial applications. Erik’s contributions to The Climate Corporation include defining the data science vision and leading the research underpinning pioneering products including Climate Basic and Climate Pro. Previously, Erik worked at several Bay-area start-ups. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from Arizona State University and a PhD in Mathematics from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Deke Arndt

  • Event: Wednesday, All-Day Workshop 1, Telling the Big Story Through Graphics, 8:00 a.m.
  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, THE CRAFT 1, Figures That Illustrate, Figures That Obfuscate and How To Tell the Difference, 2:00 p.m.
  • Deke Arndt has been chief of the climate monitoring branch, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly known as the National Climatic Data Center), since 2009. The centers track data and analysis on the Earth’s climate system, from the local to global level. For several years running, he has been a lead editor of the "State of the Climate," an annual supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Prior to NOAA, he worked 15 years at the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. Arndt holds a B.S. and M.S. in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma.

 

B

Edmund Baker

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Conservation and Mineral Extraction on Native Lands, 9:00 a.m.
  • Edmund Baker, environmental director for the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, grew up on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. Today, his tribal homelands sit atop the Bakken Shale formation, one of the largest oil extraction developments in North America. He oversees a tribal entity responsible for an array of duties, including enforcement of tribal codes related to oil production and waste disposal of oil production water. His department works with the EPA and USGS for water risk assessments in the oil fields. Baker has a law degree from the Alexander Blewett III School of Law, University of Montana.

Kim Barker

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Ecosystem-Based Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation on U.S. Farms and Ranches, 9:00 a.m.
  • Kim Barker has been ranching with his family for more than 40 years in Woods County, OK. They market grassfed beef and lamb, pastured eggs and chickens under their Walnut Creek Farms label. Kim has been practicing Holistic Management and planned grazing for 25 years and has hosted many workshops and field days to improve knowledge and awareness of sound ecological principles and management. Kim has participated in farmer to farmer projects in Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan.

Cynthia Barnett

  • Event: Sunday, Book Authors’ Brunch, Climate Lit and Lessons from the Great Plains, 10:30 a.m.
  • Cynthia Barnett is an award-winning environmental journalist specializing in water. She is the author of three water books that blend journalism and environmental history: "Rain: A Natural and Cultural History" (2015); "Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis" (2011); and "Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S." (2007). Cynthia has written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Salon, Politico, Orion, Ensia and many other publications. She lives in Gainesville, Florida, where she also teaches Environmental Journalism at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.

Laura Barron-Lopez

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, THE CRAFT, Show Us the Money, 10:45 a.m.
  • Laura Barron-Lopez covers Congress for The Huffington Post. Previously, she reported for The Hill and E&E Publishing's Greenwire. Her work has also been published in The Oregonian, Orange County Register and Roll Call. Laura earned her bachelors' from California State University, Fullerton.

Allen Best

Brian Bienkowski

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Environmental Justice Today: From the Plains to the Streets, 2:00 p.m.
  • Brian Bienkowski serves as editor of Environmental Health News and its sister site, The Daily Climate. He was part of the reporting team that won an Oakes Award honorable mention for EHN's 2012 series, "Pollution, Poverty, People of Color." He also won 2013 and 2014 awards for Outstanding Beat Reporting from the Society of Environmental Journalists for his coverage of the Great Lakes region at EHN. As a graduate student Bienkowski served as a reporter and assistant editor at Great Lakes Echo. He has contributed to newspapers throughout Michigan, as well as local and national magazines. Prior to attending graduate school he worked in manufacturing and urban agriculture. He holds a master’s degree in environmental journalism and a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Michigan State University.

Denise Bode

Jennifer Bogo

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, THE CRAFT 2, Freelance Pitch Slam, 2:00 p.m.
  • Jennifer Bogo, SEJ Board vice president and programs chair, is the executive editor at Popular Science, where she orchestrates coverage on topics ranging from medical breakthroughs and space exploration to advances in alternative energy and robotics. Stories she edited have won a National Magazine Award and been included in The Best American Science Writing and Best American Science and Nature Writing anthologies. She’s appeared on radio and television programs, including NPR, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Nightly News, and Fox Business, to discuss topics such as green design, asteroid defense, and solar storms. She’s traveled to research stations from the Arctic to the Antarctic to write stories herself.

Seth Borenstein

  • Event: Friday, Opening Plenary, Climate Change and Extreme Weather: Planning for an Uncertain Future, 9:00 a.m.
  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, THE CRAFT 1, Figures That Illustrate, Figures That Obfuscate and How To Tell the Difference, 2:00 p.m.
  • Event: Sunday, Can Faith Save the World? 7:30 a.m.
  • Seth Borenstein is a national science writer for The Associated Press, the world's largest news organization, covering Earth and space sciences. He is the winner of numerous journalism awards, including the National Journalism Award for environment reporting in 2007 from the Scripps Foundation and the Outstanding Beat Reporting award from the Society of Environmental Journalists in 2008 and 2004. He was part of an AP Gulf of Mexico oil spill reporting team that won the 2010 George Polk Award for Environment Reporting and a special merit award as part of the 2011 Grantham environment reporting prizes. He was part of a team of finalists for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Columbia space shuttle disaster. A science and environmental journalist for more than 25 years, covering everything from hurricanes to space shuttle launches, Borenstein has also worked for Knight Ridder Newspapers' Washington Bureau, the Orlando Sentinel and the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. He is the co-author of three out-of-print books on hurricanes and popular science. He has flown in zero gravity and tried out for Florida Marlins. He also teaches journalism at the New York University’s Washington DC campus. Recent stories.

Sylvia Brandt

Ziva Branstetter

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, ENERGY, What's Shaking: Earthquakes Linked to Drilling in Oklahoma and Beyond, 11:00 a.m.
  • Ziva Branstetter is editor in chief of The Frontier, a new website devoted to investigative news in Oklahoma. She previously spent more than 20 years as a reporter and editor at the Tulsa World. Ziva is a board member of Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. She was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in local reporting this year, along with reporting partner Cary Aspinwall, for an investigation into the state's botched execution of Clayton Lockett.

Jane Braxton Little

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 1, Diving into Tallgrass — and Wind, 5:00 a.m.
  • Jane Braxton Little, an independent journalist based in California's Sierra Nevada, writes about science and natural resources for publications that include Scientific American, The Daily Climate, Environmental Health Perspectives and Audubon, where she is a contributing editor. She is co-coordinator of SEJ's Mentor Program.

Adam Briggle

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, ENERGY, Fracking: What’s Happening in Your Home State? 9:00 a.m.
  • Adam Briggle holds a PhD in Environmental Studies and is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Texas. He is a member of the Denton Drilling Awareness Group, which led the successful Frack Free Denton campaign. In addition to his political activism around the issue (including an arrest for blockading a frack site), Briggle has written extensively about fracking for local, regional, national, and international outlets including Slate and the Guardian. His book, "A Field Philosopher's Guide to Fracking" (2015, W.W. Norton), tells the story of the Denton fracking ban both through his personal involvement as a grassroots organizer and his philosophical theory of innovation.

Harold Brooks

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, Hours to Decades: The New World of Long-Range Tornado Science, 11:00 a.m.
  • Dr. Harold Brooks is a Senior Research Scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) in Norman, Oklahoma. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1990. He has been at NSSL as a post-doc and permanent employee since then. His work focuses on why, when and where severe thunderstorms occur and what their effects are, and on how to evaluate weather forecasts. He has won numerous awards including the Department of Commerce’s Silver Medal, the NOAA Administrator’s Award, and NOAA’s Daniel L. Albritton Outstanding Science Communicator Award. He is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.

Sharon Burke

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, Meltdown: Climate Change and Political Instability, 2:00 p.m.
  • The Honorable Sharon E. Burke is a senior advisor to New America, where she focuses on international security and the security implications of energy, climate change and other natural resources challenges. She is also an advisor to the Pew Project on National Security, Energy, and Climate. Before joining New America, Burke served in the Obama Administration as the assistant secretary of Defense for Operational Energy, a new office that worked to improve the energy security of U.S. military operations. Prior to her service at DoD, Burke held a number of senior U.S. government positions, including at the Department of State in the George W. Bush Administration, and was a vice president and senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. She attended Williams College and Columbia University, where she was a Zuckerman and International fellow at the School of International and Public Affairs.

Jeff Burnside

  • Event: Wednesday, Opening Reception, 5:00 p.m.
  • Jeff Burnside is the senior investigative reporter at KOMO 4 News in Seattle and president of the SEJ Board of Directors. He has been in the news business for more than 20 years working as a reporter, anchor, news manager and producer in cities such as Seattle, Boston and Miami where he was part of the highly regarded WTVJ Special Projects Unit. In addition to environmental reporting, Jeff covers daily news and periodically reports investigative stories. He's won more than 20 journalism awards — for television and newspaper reporting and photography — including a dozen regional Emmys. Among his environmental stories, Jeff was among the very first to chronicle the harm to marine mammals from low frequency active Navy sonar, documented concerns over rock mining threats to Miami-Dade wellheads where one million people get their drinking water, has traveled extensively to cover the decline of the world's coral reefs, and ventured to the bottom of the ocean aboard a scientific submersible during bioprospecting and reporting the damage from bottom trawling. His general assignments have ranged from interviewing presidents, going inside to investigate violent white extremists, exposing dangerous religious cults, documenting serious lapses in Florida's drivers' licensing, videotaping bribes, to going undercover to expose the little-known pipeline from puppy mills to pet stores. Jeff is also a frequent invited speaker and panelist on environmental journalism and journalism ethics. He's earned working media fellowships at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (Tromso, Norway), Steinbrenner Institute for climate science (Carnegie Mellon University), Reynolds Center for Business Journalism on the green economy (Cronkite School at Arizona State University), Metcalf Institute for Environmental Reporting (University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography) and the Western Knight Center for Specialized Reporting in political coverage (University of Southern California Annenberg School).

 

C

Casey Camp-Horinek

  • Event: Wednesday, Opening Reception, 5:00 p.m.
  • Event: Thursday, Tour 1, Diving into Tallgrass — and Wind, 5:00 a.m.
  • Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca) is a long time Native rights activist, environmentalist and actress. As Traditional Drumkeeper for the Ponca Pa-tha-ta Women’s Scalp Dance Society, Casey helps to maintain the cultural identity of the Ponca Nation for herself, her family and her community. She has been at the forefront of grassroots efforts to educate and empower both the Native and Non-Native Community regarding environmental and civil rights issues. As Founder and Director of the Coyote Creek Center for Environmental Justice, Casey sits on the Board of Advisors of the Women's Earth & Climate Action Network, International (WECAN). In 2014, she delivered the opening statement at the International Rights of Nature Conference and Tribunal in Ecuador. She has represented the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) at the United Nations Conferences on Climate Change in Montreal, Mexico, Peru and New York, and will be representing IEN and WECAN in Paris, December 2015. In the fall of 2015, Casey will travel to Ecuador for a meeting of Indigenous women of the Americas to develop a statement linking the common issues faced by Indigenous women from the Arctic Circle to the tip of South America.

Shellie Chard-McClary

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, THE LAND, Infrastructure, The 14-Letter Dirty Word, 11:00 a.m.
  • Shellie Chard-McClary obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in 1992 from the University of Oklahoma. She has been the Division Director of the Water Quality Division of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality since January 1, 2010 and has 23 years of experience in the drinking water and wastewater arena. Today she oversees all aspects of drinking water and wastewater for DEQ including permitting, compliance, enforcement, technical assistance, Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan program and the operator certification training and licensing program. In addition to her activities at DEQ, she currently serves on the Boards of Directors for the Oklahoma Water Environment Association, Ground Water Protection Council, is the Past-President of the Association of Clean Water Administrators, and is a member of the Collection Systems Committee and the House of Delegates of the Water Environment Federation.

Jenny Chen

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Environmental Justice Today: From the Plains to the Streets, 2:00 p.m.
  • Jenny Chen is an award-winning science journalist and multimedia producer. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, Reader’s Digest, Vice, and many more. In 2014 she co-produced a radio story on higher level math with a grant from PRX that was aired on NPR members stations across the country. That same year she received a grant from the D.C. Humanities Council to produce a radio documentary series on growing up mixed race in Washington, D.C. Jenny has also received numerous fellowships and awards to cover health, aging, minority issues, and climate change. She has spoken about journalism and the role of ethnic media at the Smithsonian Folklife festival. In another life, she has also had a play produced at Arena Stage and the Kennedy Center. More.

Russ Choma

George Choy

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, ENERGY, What's Shaking: Earthquakes Linked to Drilling in Oklahoma and Beyond, 11:00 a.m.
  • George Choy is a seismologist who has been with the U. S. Geological Survey since 1976. He has been principal investigator on projects studying earth structure, earthquake rupture characteristics, tsunami potential and ground motion studies which have led to 60 peer-reviewed publications. He is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and was editor-in-chief of the North American Office of the Geophysical Journal International. He has served as an expert on various Working Groups of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior and as a lecturer in international training courses in seismology and tsunami warning. Currently he is part of a team of USGS researchers who are investigating the nature and shaking characteristics of central U.S. earthquakes. He is based at the Geologic Hazards Science Center in Golden, Colorado. He received his B.S. degree (1969) in Physics from the Cooper Union School of Engineering and his PH. D. (1976) in Geophysics at Columbia University.

Jeffrey Clark

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 1, Diving into Tallgrass — and Wind, 5:00 a.m.
  • Jeff Clark is Executive Director of The Wind Coalition. He leads the organization’s efforts throughout America’s Wind Corridor, the extraordinary wind energy resource contained within the SPP and ERCOT. Jeff brings nearly two decades of public affairs experience to his work at The Wind Coalition. Prior to assuming leadership of the coalition in July 2012, he was Vice President of Governmental Affairs at The Technology Association of America where he led advocacy efforts to enact the organization’s pro-technology “innovation agenda” in the fifty states. He also directed the organization’s grid modernization and alternative energy efforts, including its successful efforts to promote the deployment of smart meters throughout the nation. Previously, he served as Executive Director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) in Texas. Prior to NFIB, he was a Principal at Public Strategies, Inc. He is a veteran of many political campaigns at the local, state, and federal level including the campaigns of President George W. Bush on which he served as a member of the Advance Staff, traveling with the President throughout the United States and internationally. He is a graduate of Abilene Christian University and studied business at Saint Edwards University.

Marla Cone

 

D

Geoff Dabelko

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, Meltdown: Climate Change and Political Instability, 2:00 p.m.
  • Geoffrey D. Dabelko is Professor and Director of the Environmental Studies Program at the George V. Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University in Athens, OH. He teaches and conducts research on natural resources, conflict and peacebuilding; global environmental politics; climate change and security; and environmental leadership. He is currently focusing on the conflict and peacebuilding potential of climate change responses and co-directing an environmental peacebuilding study abroad program in the Balkans. From 1997-2012, he served as director of the Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP), a nonpartisan policy forum on environment, population and security issues at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.

Nedra Darling

Shugofa Dastgeer

  • Event: Wednesday, All-Day Workshop 2, Beginning and Advanced Video Training, 8:00 a.m.
  • Shugofa Dastgeer is a third-year PhD student at OU's Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is from Afghanistan and did her undergraduate studies at Journalism College of Kabul University. During her undergrad years, she worked as a journalist and news anchor in TOLO TV, the biggest and most popular TV station in Afghanistan. After five years of working there, she got a Fulbright scholarship to do her master’s degree in the United States and was sent to the University of Oklahoma. She received her master’s degree in fall 2013 and is interested in doing research on social networks and women’s and minorities’ issues.

Joseph A. Davis

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, THE CRAFT 1, Pipelines at Your Doorstep: Safety and Routing Databases, 9:00 a.m.
  • Joseph A. Davis has been writing about the environment since 1976. Joe currently edits SEJ's WatchDog newsletter as part of SEJ's freedom-of-information project, which promotes access to information for environmental journalists. He also compiles SEJ's daily news headlines, EJToday. Joe is something of a geek, having built his first computer in the mid-80s, about the time he did his first database reporting project. He lends a hand to SEJ's website.

Roger-Mark De Souza

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, Meltdown: Climate Change and Political Instability, 2:00 p.m.
  • Roger-Mark De Souza is the director of population, environmental security and resilience for the Wilson Center. He leads programs on climate change resilience, reproductive and maternal health, environmental security and livelihoods, including the Global Sustainability and Resilience Program, Environmental Change and Security Program, and Maternal Health Initiative. Before joining the Center in 2013, De Souza served as vice president of research and director of the climate program at Population Action International, where he provided strategic guidance, technical oversight and management of programs on population, gender, climate change, environment and reproductive health. From 2007 to 2010, as the director of foundation and corporate relations at the Sierra Club, he led a multi-million dollar foundation and corporate fundraising program. Prior to working at the Sierra Club, he directed the Population, Health and Environment Program at the Population Reference Bureau for 10 years, where he designed and implemented research, communications and capacity-building projects in the United States, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Kelvin Droegemeier

  • Event: Friday, Opening Plenary, Climate Change and Extreme Weather: Planning for an Uncertain Future, 9:00 a.m.
  • Kelvin Droegemeier, Vice President for Research, Regents’ Professor of Meteorology, and Weathernews Chair Emeritus at the University of Oklahoma, and Vice-chair of the National Science Board, is a national leader in the creation of partnerships among academia, government and industry. He was appointed Vice President for Research in 2009. In 2014, Droegemeier was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of leadership efforts in national and international arenas for the development of unique partnerships in the atmospheric sciences across academia, government and industry. He is also a Fellow of the American Meteorology Society. Droegemeier initiated and led a three-year, $1 million partnership with American Airlines to customize weather prediction technology for commercial aviation, and this resulted in the founding of the private company, Weather Decision Technologies, located in Norman on the University Research Campus. WDT is commercializing advanced weather technology developed by the University of Oklahoma and other organizations. He led a $10.6 million research alliance with Williams Energy Marketing and Trading Company in Tulsa, which is the largest such partnership between a university and a private company in the field of meteorology.

Riley Dunlap

  • Event: Friday, Lunch Breakout Session 2, Beyond Hard Science: Social Science and the IPCC, 12:15 p.m.
  • Riley E. Dunlap is Dresser Professor and Regents Professor of Sociology at Oklahoma State University, and one of the founders of the field of environmental sociology. He has published widely on public opinion toward environmental issues (both domestically and internationally), environmentalism and anti-environmentalism, and environmental politics. His current work focuses on climate change, particularly political polarization and organized denial. Dunlap served as Chair of the American Sociological Association's Task Force on Sociology and Global Climate Change, and co-edited (with Robert J. Brulle) the resulting volume, "Climate Change and Society: Sociological Perspectives" (Oxford, 2015). He is Past-President of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee on Environment and Society and Past-Chair of the American Sociological Association's Section on Environmental Sociology. Dunlap is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Psychological Association, and the winner of several awards for his scholarly work.

 

E

Robert Engelman

Sterling Evans

  • Event: Sunday, Book Authors’ Brunch, Climate Lit and Lessons from the Great Plains, 10:30 a.m.
  • Sterling Evans is the Louise Welsh Chair in Southern Plains and Borderlands History at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Sterling teaches Oklahoma, western, environmental, Latin American and borderlands history, and has a special interest in agricultural and water history. He has edited collections on the history and literature of the western American-Canadian borderlands, and on Native Americans in American history. His books include the forthcoming "Damming Sonora," an environmental history of water and agriculture in northern Mexico.

 

F

Dan Fagin

  • Event: Friday, Lunch Breakout Session 1, Helping Environmental Scientists Engage the Public Directly, 12:15 p.m.
  • A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who writes frequently about environmental science, Dan Fagin is also a science journalism professor at New York University. His book, "Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation," was awarded the 2014 Pulitzer for General Nonfiction, as well as the New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism, the National Academies Science Book Award, and the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Rachel Carson Environment Book Award. Dan’s recent publications include The New York Times, Scientific American, Nature and Slate. His new book project is about monarch butterflies and the Anthropocene.

Douglas Fischer

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 3, Drought and Climate Change Impacts in Air, Water and Agriculture, 6:00 a.m.
  • Douglas Fischer, an SEJ board member, has spent 18 years covering subjects ranging from climate science to pesticides to energy development. From 2008 to 2015, he served as editor of DailyClimate.org, a journalism site that syndicates news about climate change and science to media outlets worldwide and also aggregates mainstream news on climate change. Starting in 2015 he is the director of Environmental Health Sciences, the non-profit publisher of Daily Climate and EHN.org, where he guides the organization’s funding efforts and editorial content. Before switching to the Web, Fischer spent eight years covering the environment for the Oakland Tribune and five years at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska, where, among other hats, he was the paper’s restaurant reviewer. He started his journalism career in Newsweek’s Letters Department. His articles have won numerous national and regional awards, among them an Award of Merit from the inaugural Grantham Prize. Fischer is a graduate of Columbia University.

Jeri Fleming

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 3, Drought and Climate Change Impacts in Air, Water and Agriculture, 6:00 a.m.
  • Jeri Fleming is an Environmental Programs Manager in the Water Quality Division of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. She works in the Blue Thumb Water Quality Education program where she works with volunteers across Oklahoma who monitor streams and provide education and outreach about protecting water resources from nonpoint source pollution. Additionally, she oversees contracting and construction of stream bank restorations. Jeri also serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Tulsa College of Law teaching Applied Environmental Law in the Masters of Jurisprudence in Energy Law. She is a member of the Environmental Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa College of Law and a degree in Mass Communications from Northeastern State University. Prior to working for the Commission, Jeri worked for the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute at Oklahoma State University where she served as project manager of the public involvement portion of the update of Oklahoma’s comprehensive water plan. She participated in over 85 meetings with Oklahoma citizens to develop policy recommendations on water management in Oklahoma, many of which are included in the plan and some of which resulted in legislation.

Amy Ford

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 5, Water Rights — Water Fights, 7:00 a.m.
  • Amy Anne Ford has been a strong water policy advocate in Oklahoma for over a decade, providing leadership on local, statewide and national water policy issues. She was selected by citizens in South Central Oklahoma to represent their interests in the extensive public input process undertaken by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) as part of the 2012 Update of the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan. She was also appointed in 2012 to serve on the Oklahoma Public/Private Water Task Force to facilitate meaningful dialogue about Oklahoma’s current water management policies and challenges. Amy was integral in coordinating the public outreach and advocacy efforts that led to passage of Senate Bill 288 by the Oklahoma Legislature in 2003, which imposed a moratorium on the issuance of temporary groundwater permits in the area overlying the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer. SB 288 also initiated the Arbuckle-Simpson Hydrology Study. She continues to provide leadership in the subsequent rule-making process that is being conducted by the OWRB. Amy is a partner in RedAnt, LLC, providing comprehensive business development, management, messaging, and strategic public relations consulting services. Amy and her husband own and operate a cow-calf operation on their ranch on the Blue River in Durant, Oklahoma.

Eric Freedman

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, THE CRAFT 2, Covering Environmental Crimes, 11:00 a.m.
  • Eric Freedman is Knight Chair, director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and Capital News Service and a professor in the Michigan State University School of Journalism. As director of MSU’s Capital News Service, he writes and edits environmental news stories for the center’s Great Lakes Echo and carries Echo stories to its 25 member publications. As a Fulbright Scholar, he co-developed and taught the first university-level course on environmental and science journalism in Uzbekistan, and he now researches environmental journalism and coverage of environmental issues in the former Soviet Union. His forthcoming book, with Mark Neuzil, is "Environmental Crises in Central Asia: From Steppes to Seas, from Deserts to Glaciers." As a journalist, his interests include public lands, habitat and diversity, invasive species, eco-tourism, forests, international transborder environmental problems, fisheries, environmental enforcement and archaeology. He won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of a legislative corruption scandal in Michigan.

Michael Freeman

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, THE CRAFT 2, Covering Environmental Crimes, 11:00 a.m.
  • Michael Freeman is a Criminal Investigator for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and was hired by the DEQ in September of 1994 as a regulatory inspector in the Hazardous Waste program. Mr. Freeman helped build the agency’s criminal investigation program shortly thereafter, in addition to assisting with the formation of the Oklahoma Interagency Environmental Crimes Task Force.Mr. Freeman’s investigations have resulted in a variety of successful state and federal criminal prosecutions, ranging from minor infractions such as waste tire violations to major cases involving illegal disposal of hazardous waste, bribery, and conspiracy to defraud the United States Government. He represents Oklahoma on the Executive Committee of the Midwest Environmental Enforcement Association (MEEA) and has served 2 terms in the each of the positions of Secretary, Vice-chairman, and Chairman. He currently also serves as MEEA’s Treasurer. Mr. Freeman holds an Advanced Law Enforcement certification from the Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, and teaches an accredited continuing education class on environmental crimes several times each year. In addition to his state law enforcement commission, Mr. Freeman holds a Special Deputy Sheriff commission with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Monika Freyman

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 7, Drilling, Fracking, Disposal and Earthquakes? Oh My! 8:00 a.m.
  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, WATER, Water in a Thirsty World: Costs and Risks, 11:00 a.m.
  • Monika Freyman is a Senior Manager on the Water Program at Ceres, a non-profit sustainability group. She explores ways that businesses and investors can more proactively manage water risks and limit impacts to water resources. Her work looks to reshape how economic actors value water and drive better water management, recognizing that healthy water resources are an economic imperative. Recent publications focusing on investor water risks related to hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can be found here. A global survey of investor water practices is here. Water risks in agriculture and municipal systems can be found here.

Brian Fuchs

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, WATER, Megadroughts: A Threat to Civilization? 2:00 p.m.
  • Brian Fuchs is a faculty member and climatologist for the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) which is housed within the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. He received a B.S. in Meteorology/Climatology in 1997 from the University of Nebraska and a M.S. in Geosciences, with an emphasis in Climatology, in 2000 from the University of Nebraska. Fuchs first came to the School of Natural Resources in 2000, working as a climatologist for the High Plains Regional Climate Center. He started working with the National Drought Mitigation Center in 2005. Fuchs’ job functions are quite broad; however, he focuses mainly on drought-related issues and research projects. The drought-related work concentrates on research involving mitigation, risk assessment, monitoring, impacts and reporting of drought. As a climatologist, Fuchs works on the applied research projects for the Center, as well as authoring the United States Drought Monitor and the North American Drought Monitor with several others. Fuch’s work helps others to better understand the impacts related to drought across a diverse group of industries from agriculture, energy, tourism, transportation as well as social and environmental concerns.

 

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Nancy Gaarder

  • Event: Wednesday, Opening Reception, 5:00 p.m.
  • Nancy Gaarder, weather and social services reporter at the Omaha World-Herald, is SEJ's 2015 conference co-chair. She has been a reporter and/or editor for the World-Herald since 1995. Previously Nancy was reporter and editor for the St. Joseph, Mo., News-Press/Gazette, ~1982-1995. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Nancy was a community development Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, Africa in the early 1980s. She is the author of "Nebraska Weather." Put Nancy on a bicycle and she's happy.

Amy Gahran

Victor Gensini

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, Hours to Decades: The New World of Long-Range Tornado Science, 11:00 a.m.
  • Dr. Victor Gensini is an Associate Professor in the Meteorology Department at College of DuPage (NEXLAB). He has a relatively diverse background, but considered himself first and foremost an atmospheric scientist. His main research interests are primarily rooted in severe convective storms, synoptic meteorology, applied climatology, GIS techniques, operational meteorology and hazards. Currently, he is researching topics related to long range (1 to 3 weeks) forecasting of severe weather and how anthropogenic emissions may alter the climatology of tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail.

Christy George

  • Event: Wednesday, SEJ Meet and Greet: Break Barriers and Bread with Members, New and Old, 3:00 p.m.
  • Event: Friday, Lunch Breakout Session 2, Beyond Hard Science: Social Science and the IPCC, 12:15 p.m.
  • Christy George, an SEJ board member, is an independent radio and television producer in Portland, Oregon. Her most recent projects have been for Oregon Public Broadcasting's TV show, "Oregon Field Guide," and the PBS program, "History Detectives." She's also working on a book about climate change and social change. Christy initially moved to Oregon to create a bureau covering the intersection of business and the environment for the American Public Media business show, "Marketplace," and later hosted the weekly radio show, "Oregon Territory." Before that, Christy edited foreign and national news for The Boston Herald and covered politics for WGBH-TV and WBUR-FM. She started out as a volunteer, covering noise and air pollution and neighborhood encroachment by Logan Airport for The East Boston Community News — a dream job that first introduced her to the environment beat. Christy has won Emmys in both the Northwest and New England, a Gracie Allen Award, an Edward R. Murrow award, a first-place prize in the New York Festivals and numerous AP and SPJ awards. Her special, "Liquid Gold," on how water is bought, sold and marketed like any other commodity, was part of "Marketplace's" 1998 winning submission for a Columbia-DuPont Silver Baton award. A high school graduate, she was a 1990-91 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University.

Terry Gipson

Adam Glenn

  • Event: Wednesday, All-Day Workshop 2, Beginning and Advanced Video Training, 8:00 a.m.
  • Event: Friday, Network Lunch 4, Reporting Partnerships between Newsrooms and J Schools, 12:15 p.m.
  • A. Adam Glenn is an award-winning journalist, media consultant and journalism educator with 30-plus years in newspaper, magazine and online newsrooms, including ABCNews.com. A long-time specialist in environmental news, he currently manages the experimental climate adaptation news project AdaptNY. Adam is editor of the quarterly SEJournal (after a stint as features editor and co-editor in the 1990s) and is on the SEJ editorial advisory board. An online pioneer since the 1990s, he has spent the last decade focused on community, engagement and social media. Adam's consulting clients have included news publishers, journalism think tanks, and non-profit and charitable organizations. He is on the faculty at the Graduate School of Journalism of the City University of New York, and previously taught at New York University and Columbia University. Adam has won numerous fellowships and grants, most recently as a public policy scholar at the Washington, D.C.-based Wilson Center think tank. He holds a Master of Arts degree in international policy from the Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Boston University. He lives with his daughter in the Lower Hudson Valley outside New York City.

Gloria Gonzalez

  • Event: Wednesday, SEJ Meet and Greet: Break Barriers and Bread with Members, New and Old, 3:00 p.m.
  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, THE LAND, Plight of Western Grouse: Trying To Be Wild in an Increasingly Tamed World, 10:45 a.m.
  • Gloria Gonzalez, an SEJ board member, is senior editor at Crain Communications where she covers health care and environmental health and safety issues. Gloria was previously the news editor and a program manager at Ecosystem Marketplace where she reported and wrote stories for Ecosystem Marketplace's website and contributed to the "State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets" and "State of the Forest Carbon Markets" reports. Prior to joining the Ecosystem Marketplace team, Gloria was the Americas Editor of Environmental Finance and Carbon Finance magazines. Gloria graduated from Syracuse University with a dual degree in magazine journalism and political science.

Elizabeth Grossman

 

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Michael Halpern

  • Event: Friday, Afternoon Plenary, What's in Your Email, Doc? 3:30 p.m.
  • Michael Halpern is the author of "Freedom to Bully," a report on the misuse of open records laws to harass scientists. He co-wrote a May 2015 Science editorial on the same issue with climate scientist Michael Mann. Halpern is manager of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, where he works to ensure government decisions are fully informed by scientific information and that the public understands the scientific basis for those decisions. He speaks regularly on the use and misuse of science in decision making and the forces that drive attacks on science. He has written for and been quoted in numerous media outlets, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Associated Press, CNN, the Guardian and National Public Radio. Halpern holds B.A. degrees in sociology and communication studies from Macalester College.

 

Deborah Harris

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, THE CRAFT 2, Covering Environmental Crimes, 11:00 a.m.
  • Deborah Harris has served as Chief of the Environmental Crimes Section since April 2014, where she supervises an office of 42 prosecutors responsible for the prosecution of environmental and wildlife crimes nationwide. Harris coordinates national legislative, policy and training efforts in the criminal enforcement program, and co-chairs the Department’s Environmental Crimes Policy Committee, which comprises senior attorneys from the Environmental Crimes Section, experienced Assistant United States Attorneys and representatives of federal investigative agencies, including EPA and the FBI, Coast Guard, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Harris has worked in the Environmental Crimes Section since November 1999. During her tenure with the Justice Department, she has prosecuted environmental crimes throughout the United States and developed expertise dealing with Worker Endangerment, The Clean Air Act and RIN Fraud. Before joining the Environmental Crimes Section,  Harris was a Staff Attorney for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia from 1992 to 1999.

Jerry Hatfield

Kim Hatfield

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 7, Drilling, Fracking, Disposal and Earthquakes? Oh My! 8:00 a.m.
  • S. Kim Hatfield is President of Crawley Petroleum. Hatfield joined the firm in 1980 and became President in 1985. Hatfield is on the board of Crawley Petroleum, Enertia Software, Cal Sierra Pipe and the Oklahoma Independent Producers Association. Hatfield is also a director and officer of the Oklahoma Energy Explorers and a member of the Industry Advisory Board of the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering and the Board of Visitors to the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy at OU. His service to the University was recognized in 2010 when the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy granted its Distinguished Service Award. He has a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering and an M.S. in Petroleum Finance from the University of Oklahoma. Hatfield completed Harvard’s Owner-President Management Course in 1987.

Robert Hathorne

  • Event: Saturday, Mini-Tour 5, Takin' It from the Streets: Norman Neighborhoods and Stormwater Innovations, 2:15 p.m.
  • Robert Hathorne is the Public Information Officer for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and a recently returned Peace Corps volunteer. A transplant from the Carolinas, he is quickly learning that what the rest of the nation considers an endless string of natural disasters, Oklahomans refer to simply as "weather." Despite the perils, Oklahoma has introduced Robert to his one true love — soil. When he's not behind a desk frantically penning press releases, he's dragging some journalist out into a field pointing out just how miraculous the world is right below our feet. In fact, he's probably doing that very thing right now.

Katharine Hayhoe

  • Event: Friday, Lunch Breakout Session 2, Beyond Hard Science: Social Science and the IPCC, 12:15 p.m.
  • Event: Friday, Afternoon Plenary, What's in Your Email, Doc? 3:30 p.m.
  • Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist whose research focuses on developing and applying high-resolution climate projections to understand what climate change means for people and the natural environment. She is an associate professor and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. She has a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Toronto and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Illinois. Katharine has served as a lead author for the Second and Third U.S. National Climate Assessments, and has conducted climate impact assessments for a broad cross-section of organizations, cities and regions, from Boston Logan Airport to the state of California. Her work has resulted in over 100 peer-reviewed publications that evaluate global climate model performance, develop and compare downscaling approaches, and quantify the impacts of climate change on cities, states, ecosystems, and sectors over the coming century. In 2014, her outreach work was featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary "The Years of Living Dangerously," awarded the American Geophysical Union’s Climate Communication Prize, and led to Katharine being named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People and the Foreign Policy's 100 Leading Global Thinkers.

Jeffrey Hayward

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, THE LAND, Are We Exhausting the Planet? 9:00 a.m.
  • Jeff Hayward is Director, Climate Program at the Rainforest Alliance. He leads a global program active in promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation by promoting best practices and standards for climate smart agriculture, reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+), and facilitating innovative carbon forestry and agroforestry projects. He has 20 years’ experience working to advance sustainability in natural resource management, particularly through policy mechanisms that harness markets responsibly. For nearly six years he managed the Rainforest Alliance forest certification programs in the Asia-Pacific region from Jakarta, Indonesia. He led the Rainforest Alliance delegation to the annual Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2007 to 2014. He is a member of the Verified Carbon Standards AFOLU Steering Committee. Jeff earned an MSci in forestry (Univ. of British Columbia, Canada); and a B.A. in Latin American development with a specialization on forestry (Univ. of Washington, USA).

Christine Heinrichs

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Feeding the World: Change of Direction, 11:00 a.m.
  • Christine Heinrichs has a background in science journalism, with a degree from the University of Oregon. She's written about a wide variety of subjects, from golf courses to horses. Her work focused on chickens after writing "How to Raise Chickens," about raising traditional breeds in small flocks, in 2007. "How to Raise Poultry" followed in 2009. Heinrichs' work appears in many publications: Earth Island Journal, BioCycle, Backyard Poultry and others.

Taiawagi Helton

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Indian Environmental Law: Flexing Legal Muscle Beyond Reservation Lands, 10:45 a.m.
  • In 2001, Taiawagi Helton joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he teaches environmental law, property law and Indian law. His research emphasizes environmental and natural resources issues relating to Native Americans, as well as nation building in Indian country. Helton began his legal career as a clerk for the Honorable Robert H. Henry, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He has served as a Special Justice for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Supreme Court (2004-2008) and as a member of the Board of Directors of Oklahoma Indian Legal Services. In 2012, Helton received the O.U. Regents’ Award for Superior Teaching. Helton earned his Master of Laws degree from Yale Law School in 2001. In 1999 he received a juris doctor degree with highest honors from the University of Tulsa College of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Tulsa Law Journal and earned membership in the Order of the Curule Chair.

Tom Henry

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, WATER, Trouble at the Tap: Beyond the Toledo Water Crisis, 10:45 a.m.
  • Tom Henry began his journalism career 34 years ago. He has focused on Great Lakes environmental-energy issues for most of his 22 years at The (Toledo) Blade. His many awards include one in 2014 from the International Association for Great Lakes Research, which honored Tom as the first newspaper journalist to receive its prestigious Jack Vallentyne Award. On Oct. 15, 2015, Tom will receive an excellence in environmental writing award from Wayne State University's Great Lakes Environmental Law Center and in Nov., he will be inducted into Central Michigan University's Journalism Hall of Fame. Tom is the only two-time recipient of a Vermont Law School fellowship for environmental journalists. In 2008, Tom spent 10 days in Greenland researching what became a four-day, nine-story series about climate change connections between Greenland and the Great Lakes region. The package was cited by Columbia Journalism Review, the Knight Science Tracker and the Yale Forum on Climate Change & The Media. Tom is a former Society of Environmental Journalists board member and currently serves as book editor of the organization's quarterly magazine, SEJournal. Tom wrote Great Lakes environmental-energy columns for years before moving over to write a Great Lakes blog, Ripple Effect, in late 2013.

Robert Henson

  • Event: Wednesday, All-Day Workshop 1, Telling the Big Story Through Graphics, 8:00 a.m.
  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, Hours to Decades: The New World of Long-Range Tornado Science, 11:00 a.m.
  • Bob Henson is a meteorologist and science writer based near Boulder, Colorado. He serves as co-lead blogger with Jeff Masters at Weather Underground and is a frequent guest on The Weather Channel's new Weather Underground series. From 1990 through 2014, Bob was a writer/editor at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, which operates the National Center for Atmospheric Research. He has written five books on weather and climate change, including one of the most widely used textbooks for 101-level college meteorology courses, “Meteorology Today” (11th edition/Cengage, 2016), with lead author C. Donald Ahrens. Bob also wrote “Weather on the Air: A History of Broadcast Meteorology” (AMS Books, 2010) and “The Thinking Person's Guide to Climate Change” (AMS Books, 2014). The latter was shortlisted for the UK's Royal Society Prize for Science Books during its previous incarnation as “The Rough Guide to Climate Change” (2007). Bob is a contributing editor of Weatherwise magazine and has written more than 50 features for Nature, Scientific American, Discover, Sierra, The Guardian, AIR & SPACE/Smithsonian and other media outlets. A native of Oklahoma City, Bob earned his bachelor's degree in meteorology from Rice University (1983) and a master's degree in journalism with extensive meteorology coursework and research from the University of Oklahoma (1988). More.

 

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Kyle Isakower

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, ENERGY, Get on the Oil Train (or Pipeline): Policies and Future, 10:45 a.m.
  • Event: Saturday, Lunch and Plenary Session, Our Energy Future, Noon
  • Kyle Isakower serves as vice president for Regulatory and Economic Policy at the American Petroleum Institute, the primary national trade association for America's oil and natural gas industry. In this role, he manages API’s review of U.S. tax policies and the development of economic analyses pertaining to public policies affecting the oil and natural gas industry. He also oversees API programs that review proposed environmental rules and energy regulations, and the creation of statistical products covering the industry and markets. Isakower possesses 30 years of energy and environmental policy experience including work in consulting and government positions. In addition to his current areas of expertise, in his 20 years with API he has overseen API's climate policy development, and served as an advocate on behalf of the oil and natural gas sector regarding waste management and remediation, ambient air quality standards and air toxics issues. Isakower holds a master’s degree in earth science from Adelphi University and a bachelor’s degree in biology-geology from the University of Rochester.

 

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Bruce Johansen

  • Event: Sunday, Book Authors’ Brunch, Climate Lit and Lessons from the Great Plains, 10:30 a.m.
  • Bruce E. Johansen is Jacob J. Isaacson Professor of Communication and Native American Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He specializes in the Native people of North America, global warming and their intersection. His books include "Eco-Hustle! Global Warming, Greenwashing, and Sustainability" (2015); "Up from the Ashes: Nation-building at Muckleshoot" (2014); "The Encyclopedia of Global Warming Science and Technology" (2009); "The Native Peoples of North America: A History" (2006); "Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Issues" (2004); and many others.

Julie Jones

  • Event: Wednesday, All-Day Workshop 2, Beginning and Advanced Video Training, 8:00 a.m.
  • Julie Jones is associate professor at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma, where she teaches multimedia, mobile journalism and a graduate class on virtual communities. Before earning her doctorate at the University of Minnesota, Jones was an award-winning video photojournalist with a number of journalism and film festival awards including a national Edward R. Murrow award for documentary and 29 Rocky Mountain Emmys. The National Press Photographers Association recognized Jones by honoring her with the Joseph Costa award, named for the founder of the nearly 70-year-old NPPA, for her work as director of the international News Video Workshop – a video storytelling bootcamp now in its 56th year. She has national teaching awards from the International Communication Association and Kappa Theta Alpha. Her research focuses on how journalists, communities and people engage with emerging technologies. For example, Jones’ article in Journalism & Mass Communication Educator examined the social network patterns on Twitter that grew out of a mobile journalism class’ coverage of a racist event on campus.

 

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Greg Kail

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, WATER, Trouble at the Tap: Beyond the Toledo Water Crisis, 10:45 a.m.
  • Greg Kail is Director of Communications for the American Water Works Association, a nonprofit which has more than 50,000 members throughout North America and beyond. He oversees internal communications, public affairs and media relations, working closely with AWWA’s Government Affairs Office. Kail came to AWWA in 2003 after seven years as communications director and spokesman for the Archdiocese of Denver. He has also worked within the news media in a variety of editorial roles, serving as editor for the Vail Daily newspaper in the mid-1990s and as a reporter, contributor and columnist for a number of other newspapers and magazines. Kail holds a Master's Degree in Digital Media Studies from the University of Denver and a Bachelor's Degree in Communications, Journalism and the Performing Arts from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Arnella Karges

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, ENERGY, Fracking: What’s Happening in Your Home State? 9:00 a.m.
  • Arnella Karges joined Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association as Executive Vice President in 2015. Arnella’s responsibilities are to help the president of the Association in developing strategic initiatives to accomplish the organizational, legislative and regulatory objectives of the association. Arnella spent three and a half years as Vice President of Government Affairs for the State Chamber of Oklahoma. At the State Chamber she worked on energy, natural resources, aerospace, military, technology, telecommunications, transportation and ethics compliance issues, including leading successful campaign efforts for State Question 764 for water infrastructure in 2012. She previously worked for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, as Deputy Clerk and Parliamentarian, and Redistricting Director for 2009-2011.

Ed Kelley

  • Event: Wednesday, Opening Reception, 5:00 p.m.
  • Ed Kelley was named interim dean of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma in July 2015. He is a veteran news executive, coming to OU from Salt Lake City, where he was senior contributing editor at the Deseret News. He has served as editor of The Washington Times, in Washington, D.C., and The Oklahoman, in Oklahoma City. He has held a variety of other news positions in his career, including that of Washington bureau chief, managing editor and editorial page editor. He was named Editor of the Year in 1996 by the Washington-based National Press Foundation for overseeing The Oklahoman's coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing. He served as a juror to the Pulitzer Prizes in 1998 and was named to the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2003. He has served on the board of directors of the National Press Club Journalism Institute and is a consultant to the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. Kelley holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from OU. He is a member of the National Press Club and the American Society of News Editors.

Jeff Kelly

Kim Klockow

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, Hours to Decades: The New World of Long-Range Tornado Science, 11:00 a.m.
  • Dr. Kim Klockow is a UCAR Postdoctoral Researcher and Policy Advisor at the NOAA/OAR Office of Weather and Air Quality. Her research involves behavioral science focused on weather and climate risk; it specifically explores the effects of risk visualization on judgment and perceptions of severe weather risk from place-based and cognitive perspectives. Additional projects have included analyses of agricultural risk decision-making, consumption and debt changes following tornadoes, and cultural analyses of climate change beliefs. Kim is also working to develop a NOAA/OAR strategy for integrating social and behavioral sciences into meteorological research, operations and applications. Prior to this position, Kim was the 2013-2014 AMS/UCAR Congressional Science Fellow, and worked in the U.S. Senate on a number of environmental policy areas, including natural hazards mitigation and financing, water infrastructure, control and cleanup of environmental pollution, offshore oil & gas drilling, and fisheries management. Kim earned her Doctorate in Hazards Geography and a Master's of Professional Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, and bachelor's degrees in Economics and Meteorology at Purdue University.

Kevin Kloesel

Holger Kray

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, THE LAND, Are We Exhausting the Planet? 9:00 a.m.
  • Holger A. Kray, a German national, is Lead Agricultural Economist in the World Bank's Agriculture Global Practice. His main fields are agricultural policy and rural strategy reform, climate-smart and sustainable agriculture, public sector management and international development finance. He has extensive working experience in Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and contributed to a number of global initiatives. Before joining the World Bank, Kray worked as Senior Financial Sector Consultant for an international management consulting firm, mainly in the areas of change management and institutional reforms, and led a consulting firm working with international organizations such as the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), European Commission (EC) and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Kiel University, Germany.

 

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Logan Layden

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 5, Water Rights — Water Fights, 7:00 a.m.
  • Logan Layden, a reporter with StateImpact Oklahoma, is a native of McAlester, Oklahoma. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2009 and spent three years as a state capitol reporter and local host of All Things Considered for NPR member station KGOU in Norman.

Jennifer Loren

  • Event: Wednesday, Opening Reception, 5:00 p.m.
  • Jennifer Loren is the Host and Executive Producer of "Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People," a documentary-style show that tells the stories, history and culture of the Cherokee Nation. Jennifer is a twelve-year veteran of the TV business; anchoring, writing and producing investigative and environmental stories for television news before signing on to work for the Cherokee Nation. Jennifer is passionate about her Cherokee heritage and is excited to tell the stories of the Cherokee people, documenting the tribe’s progress in the state of Oklahoma and elsewhere. She is a graduate of the Gaylord College of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma and a member of the Native American Journalists Association and Society of Environmental Journalists. Jennifer has lived in Texas and California, but her deep Oklahoma roots brought her back to Tulsa where she currently lives with her husband and two children. She is a three-time Emmy nominee and won an Emmy for her coverage of politics and government in 2012. She has won several awards for investigative reporting, but is most proud of her 2011 Society of Environmental Journalists’ Award for Reporting on the Environment (Outstanding Single Story, Second Place) and the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists’ First Amendment Award.

 

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Bobby Magill

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 7, Drilling, Fracking, Disposal and Earthquakes? Oh My! 8:00 a.m.
  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, ENERGY, Fracking: What’s Happening in Your Home State? 9:00 a.m.
  • Bobby Magill is a senior science writer covering energy and climate at Climate Central in New York City. Prior to joining Climate Central, Bobby covered Western energy and environmental issues as a freelance writer for Popular Mechanics and as a reporter for the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the Daily Sentinel newspaper in Grand Junction, Colorado. His work has also appeared in USA Today, High Country News, NewWest.net and other publications. His coverage of oil and gas drilling and fracking at the Coloradoan earned a commendation from the Columbia Journalism Review as a "model for other reporters on this beat in the West and beyond." Born and raised in Charleston, S.C., Bobby was a wilderness guide in Colorado and New Mexico and holds a B.A. in Communications with a specialization in Mass Media from the College of Charleston. He lives in New York City.

Michael Martz

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, ENERGY, Get on the Oil Train (or Pipeline): Policies and Future, 10:45 a.m.
  • Michael Martz, staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, has worked as a newspaper reporter in Virginia for more than 35 years. He has covered environment and energy, public utilities, mental health, Medicaid and health care reform, immigration and local and state government policy. His current work includes coverage of crude oil rail shipments and natural gas pipelines.

Neal McCaleb

Jessica McDiarmid

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, ENERGY, Get on the Oil Train (or Pipeline): Policies and Future, 10:45 a.m.
  • Jessica McDiarmid spent two years writing about hazardous materials transport, pipelines and rail safety for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper, before leaving in 2014 to launch a freelance career. She's based in western Canada where she routinely writes about oil and energy issues. Previously, McDiarmid worked in West Africa, focusing on resource extraction on that continent. Her work has been published by the Toronto Star, the Associated Press, CBC, Canadian Business magazine, the Tyee, and others.

Tim McDonnell

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Can Big Data Save American Farmers? 2:00 p.m.
  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, From D.C. to Paris: Climate Talks 101, 10:45 a.m.
  • Tim McDonnell is an environment reporter for Mother Jones magazine and the associate producer of Climate Desk, a collaboration with The Atlantic, The Guardian, Slate, Huffington Post, Medium, Grist, Wired, and The Center for Investigative Reporting. Tim's stories have also appeared in Nautilus, Sierra, and Audubon. Originally from Tucson, Tim lives in Brooklyn and enjoys goofy socks.

Renee McPherson

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, A Most Violent Sky: On the Frontier of Severe Weather Research, 9:00 a.m.
  • Event: Saturday, Mini-Tour 3, Moore, OK: Response, Recovery and Resiliency, 2:15 p.m.
  • Event: Sunday, Can Faith Save the World? 7:30 a.m.
  • Dr. Renee A. McPherson is Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Oklahoma and University Co-director of the South Central Climate Science Center. She also is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Meteorology at OU. McPherson holds a B.S. in Mathematics and B.S, M.S., and Ph.D. in Meteorology. Her research includes regional and applied climatology, mesoscale meteorology, severe local storms, land-air-vegetation interactions, surface observing systems, applied meteorology, and societal and ecological impacts of climate variability and change. Formerly, she was State Climatologist of Oklahoma and Acting/Associate Director of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. McPherson oversees activities of the South Central Climate Science Center, as a co-governing partner of the U.S. Geological Survey. She has been principal or co-investigator on over $40 million of grants and contracts from federal and state agencies, universities, private companies or non-governmental organizations. McPherson is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the American Meteorological Society, American Geophysical Union, Association of American Geographers and the American Association of State Climatologists. She was co-recipient of the Innovations in American Government Award (Harvard University) and received the Vice President for Research Norman Campus Outstanding Research Engagement Award. McPherson is an Evangelical Christian and currently attends Grace Fellowship Church in Norman.

Julie Mettenburg

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Feeding the World: Change of Direction, 11:00 a.m.
  • As a sixth-generation family farmer in Eastern Kansas, Julie Mettenburg leads the Tallgrass Network, an accredited Hub with the Savory Institute. Working with founder Allan Savory, the father of Holistic Management, the Hubs are a global initiative of farmers, ranchers and pastoralists who seek to heal the world's grasslands and mitigate climate change through proper land and animal management.

Alanna Mitchell

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, THE LAND, Winged Warnings: What Can Today’s Mineshaft Canaries Teach Us? 2:00 p.m.
  • Alanna Mitchell is a science journalist, author and playwright who has won multiple international awards. Her fourth book, Malignant Metaphor: Confronting Cancer Fears, was published internationally in September [2015]. Her book Sea Sick: the Global Ocean in Crisis won the Grantham Prize in 2010 and is an international best-seller. She is on international tour performing the one-woman play she created based on that book.

Vicki Monks

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 1, Diving into Tallgrass — and Wind, 5:00 a.m.
  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Environmental Justice Today: From the Plains to the Streets, 2:00 p.m.
  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Indian Environmental Law: Flexing Legal Muscle Beyond Reservation Lands, 10:45 a.m.
  • Vicki Monks is a multimedia freelancer who works as a writer, reporter, photographer and radio and TV producer. Her work has appeared on National Public Radio, BBC Radio, CBS "60 Minutes", National Geographic Television, PBS Online and in National Wildlife Magazine, Rolling Stone, Vogue and the American Journalism Review. She has a long list of national and international awards, including the 2005 SEJ Award for Radio for a story about industrial contamination of Indian lands. She was a Professional Journalism Fellow at Stanford University and a Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado. Monks is now living in Oklahoma where she is working on a book about Indian Country in Oklahoma and reporting on environmental threats to Indian lands. She is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and currently serves as Chair of the OKC Metro Chickasaw Community Council.

Berrien Moore

Susan Moran

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, THE CRAFT 2, Freelance Pitch Slam, 2:00 p.m.
  • Susan Moran, an SEJ board member, is an independent print journalist, covering science, the environment, health and agriculture, for Popular Science, Discover, The New York Times, The Economist, and other publications. She also co-hosts a weekly science show, “How On Earth," on KGNU community radio in Colorado. She is also on member of Flux, which launched an independent reporting project called Bracing For Impact on Beacon Reader, covering climate change resilience and adaptation. Susan has been a journalist for nearly three decades, initially on staff at Reuters (Tokyo, New York, Silicon Valley), Business 2.0 magazine and other news organizations. She taught journalism for seven years as an adjunct instructor at the University of Colorado. Susan has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, and a master’s degree in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley. She was awarded the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT in 2009-10, and the Ted Scripps Environmental Journalism Fellowship at the University of Colorado in 2001-02.

Jennifer Morgan

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, From D.C. to Paris: Climate Talks 101, 10:45 a.m.
  • Jennifer Morgan is the Global Director of the Climate Program at the World Resources Institute. In this capacity, she oversees the Institute’s work on climate change issues and guides WRI strategy in helping countries, governments, and individuals take positive action toward achieving a zero-carbon future. Prior to joining WRI, Jennifer worked at Third Generation Environmentalism (E3G) as Global Climate Change Director, where she led the organization’s climate change work on its full range of global activities. Before E3G, Jennifer led the Global Climate Change Program of Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), growing its climate program both in size and geography, with a focus on Asia Pacific. While at WWF, she headed its delegation to the seminal Kyoto Protocol climate negotiations. Jennifer’s career has also included working for the US Climate Action Network, and through the Robert Bosch Foundation, the European Business Council for a Sustainable Energy Future and for the German Federal Ministry of Environment, supporting the head of the German delegation to the UN climate change negotiations. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University in Political Science and Germanic Studies and a Masters of Arts from the School of International Service at The American University in International Affairs.

Leona Morgan

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Conservation and Mineral Extraction on Native Lands, 9:00 a.m.
  • Leona Morgan is a Diné advocate for clean water, focused on protection from new uranium mining and nuclear developments in the Southwest, specifically around Diné Bikéyah, Navajo Nation, plus lands within the Diné Four Sacred Mountains, which are not under Navajo jurisdiction. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelors of Fine Art and a Double Major in Native American Studies. Morgan has been working on mineral extraction issues since 2007 and recently co-founded the initiative Diné No Nukes whose mission is to keep Diné Bikéyah nuclear-free starting with widespread community-based education.

Christy Morrissey

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, THE LAND, Winged Warnings: What Can Today’s Mineshaft Canaries Teach Us? 2:00 p.m.
  • Christy A. Morrissey is an associate professor in the Department of Biology and School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan. She holds a BSc. from University of British Columbia, PhD from Simon Fraser University with postdoctoral training from University of British Columbia, Environment Canada and Cardiff University, U.K. Her academic background and research experience are in the fields of avian ecotoxicology, aquatic (freshwater) ecology, ecophysiology, and wildlife conservation. She has 16 years' experience working on issues related to environmental contamination and the use of birds as indicators of environmental damage. She has published 36 journal articles and one book chapter and a co-edited book entitled “Wildlife Toxicology: Forensic Approaches” (Springer publication). Her work too has been featured very broadly in the national and international media and she is asked regularly for interview or comment on issues related to pesticides, contaminants in birds and issues of the environment. Her research has been featured in scientific and news magazines and documentary films including over three dozen stories in the past two years alone (example: CBC online news, radio and television article). She is dedicated to training a relatively large cohort of students and postdocs. Additional information about her current projects and publications can be found here.

Kyle Murray

 

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Talli Nauman

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Indians 101: The Law and the Land, 11:00 a.m.
  • Talli Nauman is co-founder and co-director of the international media project Journalism to Raise Environmental Awareness, initiated with a MacArthur grant in 1994. She is the Health & Environment Editor at the Native Sun News, the largest weekly circulation newspaper in South Dakota, her home state. She is the editor of Meloncoyote, a bilingual newsletter, which brings together prize-winning environmental journalists and aspiring youth in training sessions to advance media coverage of sustainability issues in Northwest Mexico and Southwest U.S.A. She has served as SEJ Diversity Associate, co-authoring the organization’s "Guide to Diversity in Environmental Reporting." Her experience covers 40 years in major media outlets in the Americas, including Reuters, the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, UPI and The Associated Press in Los Angeles and Mexico City. She has a master's degree in International Journalism from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard-Radcliffe.

 

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Steve Oberholtzer

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, THE CRAFT 2, Covering Environmental Crimes, 11:00 a.m.
  • Steve Oberholtzer is the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Mountain Prairie Region. His duties include oversight and responsibility for the Service’s criminal and civil investigations and inspections in that eight state region (MT, WY, UT, CO, ND, SD, NE, KS). He also has responsibility for the Service’s National Eagle and Wildlife Property Repositories located in Commerce City, CO. Prior to his current position, SAC Oberholtzer worked for seven years as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Alaska, and held Special Agent (criminal investigator) positions in Virginia, Maryland, California and Ohio. Prior to that he worked as a wildlife inspector in Alaska, and also New York City where he started his career with the Service in 1989. He holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from the University of Massachusetts, and served 4 years active duty in the United States Marine Corps from 1981 - 1985.

Noel Osborn

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 5, Water Rights — Water Fights, 7:00 a.m.
  • Noel Osborn is Chief of Resource Management at Chickasaw National Recreation Area, where she manages both cultural and natural resources, including the unique freshwater and mineral springs that flow from the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer. Prior to her position with the National Park Service, she worked two and a half years with the USGS Oklahoma Water Science Center, where she did the Saline Groundwater Assessment of the Southern Midcontinent. Noel worked 22 years with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board as a water resources geologist. Notable accomplishments include managing the Blaine Gypsum Artificial Recharge Demonstration Study, developing the state-wide aquifer vulnerability map, implementing groundwater monitoring at the Oklahoma Mesonet weather stations, and managing the six-year, multi-agency Arbuckle-Simpson Hydrology Study. Noel has a master’s degree in geology from the University of Georgia.

James Osborne

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, ENERGY, Get on the Oil Train (or Pipeline): Policies and Future, 10:45 a.m.
  • James Osborne is a Texas-based journalist covering the energy industry for The Dallas Morning News. His investigation into a pair of recent pipeline breaks in Arkansas and Montana detailed the events and errors by operator Exxon Mobil that led to more than 260,000 gallons of oil spilling into local rivers and lakes. He previously worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Monitor in South Texas, where he covered immigration and crime in Texas and Mexico. Blog.

Jonathan Overpeck

 

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Lisa Palmer

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, THE LAND, Are We Exhausting the Planet? 9:00 a.m.
  • Lisa Palmer covers water, energy, ecosystems, agriculture and sustainability. She writes for publications such as Climate Connections, Yale Environment 360, The Guardian, Nature Climate Change and many others. Palmer has been on the science and environment beat for the past 15 years. She is a fellow at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center and is writing a book about the people attempting to reconcile the need to feed a growing world population without adversely affecting the environment (see www.hothungryplanet.com). She holds a B.S. from Boston University and an M.S. from Simmons College in Boston. In 2014-2015, Palmer was a public policy scholar at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. She is a mentor for young journalists through the Women in Public Service Project.

Meaghan Parker

  • Event: Wednesday, SEJ Meet and Greet: Break Barriers and Bread with Members, New and Old, 3:00 p.m.
  • Event: Friday, Network Lunch 8, Climate Victims or Climate Victors? Women at the Eye of the Storm in Africa and Asia, 12:15 p.m.
  • Meaghan Parker, is the Senior Writer/Editor for the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, where she is the editor of the award-winning ECSP Report and supervising editor of the New Security Beat. Meghan is the supervising producer of four award-winning mini-documentaries, including the Healthy People, Healthy Environment series and Broken Landscape: Confronting India’s Water-Energy Choke Point, which won an Honorable Mention from the 2015 SEJ Awards for Environmental Reporting. Prior to joining the Center, Meaghan was Manager of Research and Internal Communications at the energy company PPL Global, where she analyzed international investments and renewable energy policy. Meaghan is a member of the DC Science Writers’ Association and the International Studies Association, and the SEJ board representative for the associate membership.

Robert Parkhurst

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Can Big Data Save American Farmers? 2:00 p.m.
  • Robert Parkhurst leads Environmental Defense Fund’s protocol, policy and pilot development of greenhouse gas mitigation projects for working landowners, which can be used in voluntary and compliance markets, including AB32 - the California Global Warming Solutions Act. He is responsible for helping farmers, ranchers and forestland owners generate quantifiable climate benefits so that they are financially rewarded in the marketplace. Robert has received a number of awards and acknowledgements for his environmental leadership. In May of 2007, he received a Climate Protection Award from the U.S. EPA for his leadership on climate change. In 2005, he was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the California Climate Action Registry Board of Directors.

Cleo Paskal

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER, Meltdown: Climate Change and Political Instability, 2:00 p.m.
  • Cleo Paskal is an Associate Fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, as well as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Geopolitics, Manipal University, India. She has lectured at the US Army War College, the Royal College of Defence Studies (UK), the National Defence College (India) and the National Defence College (Oman). She has also briefed myriad governments' departments, including in the US, Germany, Canada, UK, EU, India and Scotland, as well as NATO, OSCE, the heads of major corporations and security professionals from over 30 countries. As a journalist, she was a columnist for the National Post and Toronto Star, a radio producer for the BBC and wrote an Emmy-winning documentary tv series. She has contributed to a wide range of media outlets, including Sunday Times, Sunday Guardian, and The Telegraph. Her book "Global Warring: How Environmental, Economic, and Political Crises Will Redraw the World Map" (Macmillan, 2010) won multiple awards. Her most recent book is the bestselling "Spielball Erde" (Random House, 2012), co-authored with German tv anchorman Claus Kleber. She is one of the trillion conflicted Huffington Post bloggers.

David Poulson

  • Event: Friday, Lunch Breakout Session 1, Helping Environmental Scientists Engage the Public Directly, 12:15 p.m.
  • David Poulson is the senior associate director of Michigan State University's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. The International Association of Great Lakes Research recognized him in 2015 for “sustained efforts to inform and educate the public and policymakers.” He teaches environmental, investigative, public affairs and data analysis reporting, and organizes workshops in the U.S. and abroad to help journalists better report on the environment and researchers better explain their work. He is the founder and editor of Great Lakes Echo, a non-profit award-winning environmental news service and of The Food Fix, which produces multimedia reports on food systems innovation. Before arriving at MSU in 2003, he was a professional journalist for more than 22 years.

Jay Pruett

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 1, Diving into Tallgrass — and Wind, 5:00 a.m.
  • Jay Pruett was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Oklahoma City. He graduated from Rice University in Houston, Texas, with a major in Biology. He initially worked in pollution control for a government agency, but then began a long career as head of environmental affairs for an electric utility company. He attended executive schools at LSU, Michigan, Yale and Stanford. In 2003, he joined The Nature Conservancy as the Director of Conservation for the Oklahoma Chapter and continues that role today. He is responsible for development and implementation of conservation initiatives for the state and oversees the management of TNC preserves there. He acts as TNC’s representative to federal, state and local conservation agencies and organizations. He is also involved with wind energy and electric transmission siting issues with regard to wildlife habitats at state, national and international levels. Jay serves on a number of boards for environmental, conservation and ecological organizations. He enjoys hiking, birding, nature photography and collecting natural history books, antique natural history lithographs, wildlife art and tribal masks.

Rick Purtha

  • Event: Friday, Lunch Breakout Session 1, Helping Environmental Scientists Engage the Public Directly, 12:15 p.m.
  • Rick Purtha is a junior photojournalism and environmental management student at Ball State University. He was a student and story leader in a course offered by the university investigating the impact that logjams have on Indiana rivers and the rivers farther downstream. Throughout the duration of the course, he was one of two people in charge of a team of science and journalism students focusing on the local problem with the logjams. The media deliverables created throughout the course brought local and state attention to the water quality issues surrounding the logjams and helped local institutions secure $100,000 in grants and donations to solve the issues.

 

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Mashiur Rahaman

  • Event: Wednesday, All-Day Workshop 2, Beginning and Advanced Video Training, 8:00 a.m.
  • Mashiur Rahaman is a graduate student at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma. Born and raised in Bangladesh, Mashiur obtained his first graduation in Mass Communication from the University of Karachi, Pakistan. He has practical journalism experience of more than eight years in both print and electronic media industries. A passionate visual storyteller, Mashiur participated in a National Press Photographers Association workshop during Spring 2015. He also worked as multimedia news intern with Oklahoma Educational Television Authority during Summer 2015. Currently, he has been teaching undergraduate students at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication as Teaching Assistant.

Chandra Rai

Janet Raloff

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, THE CRAFT 1, Wrangling the Numbers, 11:00 a.m.
  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, THE CRAFT 2, Freelance Pitch Slam, 2:00 p.m.
  • Janet Raloff has been a staff writer/editor at Science News since 1977 (yes, the late Cretaceous) focusing mainly on environment, toxicology and food issues. In 2007 (in her infinite spare time), she took over SN's online teen magazine. For the past three years, she has been the full-time editor-in-chief of its growing daily news operation.

Louise Red Corn

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 1, Diving into Tallgrass — and Wind, 5:00 a.m.
  • Louise Red Corn is the owner and publisher of The Bigheart Times. She is responsible for writing, photographing, laying out and other tasks involved with putting out a print newspaper with the help of two other employees. Red Corn is a former reporter for the Detroit Free Press, the Lexington Herald-Leader, the Tulsa World and other dailies. She bought The Barnsdall Times in 2006. Under Red Corn, The Bigheart Times has won numerous awards, ranging from the National Newspaper Association’s Sports Photo of the Year in 2006 to several first-place awards for news writing, photography and other categories in the Oklahoma Press Association in 2006 and 2007. The newspaper has been the subject of feature articles in Pub Aux, the magazine of the National Newspaper Association, and Bartlesville Magazine.

Jeffrey Reutter

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, WATER, Trouble at the Tap: Beyond the Toledo Water Crisis, 10:45 a.m.
  • Dr. Jeffrey Reutter began working on Lake Erie in 1971 and directed 4 programs at The Ohio State University from 1987 to March 2015: F.T. Stone Laboratory, Ohio Sea Grant College Program, Center for Lake Erie Area Research and the Great Lakes Aquatic Ecosystem Research Consortium. He is now part-time Special Advisor for the programs. He received his BS and MS from OSU in fisheries management and his Ph.D. in Environmental Biology. He has been a member of the Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel where he chaired the Education Sub-Panel and served on the Research to Application Task Force. He served for 21 years on the Council of Great Lakes Research Managers of the International Joint Commission with six years as US Co-Chair, and has been the President of the National Association of Marine Laboratories. He is the US Co-Chair of the Lake Erie Millennium Network and the Objectives and Targets Task Team for Annex 4 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Dr. Reutter is the author of over 150 technical reports and journal articles. While at OSU he aided in the development of 22 endowments and supported over 2200 students with scholarships, fellowships, and part-time work.

Lindsay Robertson

Joan Rosenhauer

Carylon Ross

  • Event: Wednesday, All-Day Workshop 2, Beginning and Advanced Video Training, 8:00 a.m.
  • Event: Friday, Dinner and a Movie and... You, 6:30 p.m.
  • Carylon Ross is an instructor of communication and campus TV station manager at Langston University. With more than 18 years of television news and production experience, she has worked in all aspects of news broadcasting. Her professional experience was in a 46 market with KFOR/NBC Affiliate, KOCO/ABC Affiliate and the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority/PBS Affiliate. Ross also works with a regional agency (Magna Talent) as voice talent. Most recently she received training as a script supervisor on a locally produced film. Ross served as president of the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association in the 2010-2011 academic year. She was the recipient of the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB) Faculty Fellowship Award in 2011. Before joining Langston University, Ross worked as a Radio/TV Resource Teacher for Oklahoma City Public Schools in a Magnet School for Mass Media; she trained teachers and students in multimedia production. Ross is a broadcast journalism graduate of Langston University and holds an MBA with Integrated Marketing Communications (MBA-IMC) from Oklahoma City University.

Jim Roth

  • Event: Saturday, Lunch and Plenary Session, Our Energy Future, Noon
  • Jim Roth, attorney, is a director and chair of Phillips Murrah’s Clean Energy Practice Group. As a former Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner, Jim helps his energy clients navigate the regulatory environment encompassing new and existing energy technologies so they can accomplish their business and policy goals. More.

Gary Ruskin

  • Event: Friday, Network Lunch 12, Investigating the Food and Agrichemical Industries, 12:15 p.m.
  • Event: Friday, Afternoon Plenary, What's in Your Email, Doc? 3:30 p.m.
  • Gary Ruskin is co-founder and co-director of U.S. Right to Know. In 2012, Gary was campaign manager for California Right to Know (Proposition 37), a statewide ballot initiative for labeling of genetically engineered food in California. For fourteen years, he directed the Congressional Accountability Project, which opposed corruption in the U.S. Congress. For nine years, he was executive director and co-founder (with Ralph Nader) of Commercial Alert, which opposed the commercialization of every nook and cranny of our lives and culture. Gary was also director of the Center for Corporate Policy. He has often been quoted in major newspapers across the country and has appeared scores of times on national TV news programs. He received his undergraduate degree in religion from Carleton College, and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

 

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Mark Schleifstein

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, THE LAND, Infrastructure, The 14-Letter Dirty Word, 11:00 a.m.
  • Mark Schleifstein is the hurricane and environment reporter for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. He is co-author of the 2002 series, "Washing Away," which warned that much of New Orleans could be flooded by hurricane storm surge because the area's levees were too low and subject to overtopping. The series — which won awards from the National Hurricane Conference and the American Society of Civil Engineers — received international attention after Hurricane Katrina, because it had foretold the disaster lying in wait for the city. Schleifstein's reporting on Katrina was among the newspaper's stories honored with 2006 Pulitzer Prizes for Public Service and Breaking News Reporting and the George Polk Award for Metropolitan Reporting. He's also the co-author with John McQuaid of the book "Path of Destruction: The Devastation of New Orleans and the Coming Age of Superstorms." Stories he wrote on coastal science issues were honored in 2006 with a special award from the American Geophysical Union. He also was co-author of the 1996 series, "Oceans of Trouble: Are the World's Fisheries Doomed?", which won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Schleifstein is a member of the board of directors of the Society of Environmental Journalists. With The Times-Picayune since 1984, he has covered City Hall, the 1988 Presidential campaign, the 1987 Louisiana governor's campaign and the environment. "Mark Schleifstein: Fears Fulfilled," Dart Center, Aug 27, 2015.

John Schmeltzer

Vanessa Schneider

  • Event: Wednesday, All-Day Workshop 1, Telling the Big Story Through Graphics, 8:00 a.m.
  • Vanessa Schneider coordinates media outreach efforts as a program manager for Google’s Geo organization. She works closely with media professionals around the world using Google Maps and Google Earth for research and storytelling. Previously, Vanessa worked at The New York Times, Time Inc., and at New York startup Hot Potato, acquired by Facebook in 2010. Vanessa earned bachelor's degrees in both Journalism and Culture and Communication from Ithaca College.

Greg Scott

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Soil Tillage, Rainfall and Runoff, 10:45 a.m.
  • Gregory F. Scott lives with his wife Becky on a small cattle operation in Lincoln County, trying to reclaim what was once a cotton farm. They have a cow-calf operation, and experiment with grazing systems. He is a soil scientist with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, and is primarily involved with a broad range of Soil Health issues including no-till farming, cover crops and ecosystem health. Greg serves as a Director for “No-till on the Plains”, a farmer-led educational organization in Kansas. He retired from the USDA-NRCS in 2013, after serving as a soil scientist for 36 years in Oklahoma, Alaska and North Dakota. He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1976 with a degree in Soil Science and again in 1999 with his MS degree in Environmental Science. He was born and raised in Oklahoma City, but escaped as soon as he could.

Ernie Shea

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Ecosystem-Based Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation on U.S. Farms and Ranches, 9:00 a.m.
  • Ernie Shea is the Founder and Principal of Natural Resource Solutions (NRS), LLC. NRS designs, organizes and implements national and regional sustainable land use initiatives which deliver renewable energy, climate change, biodiversity, economic development as well as soil, water and air quality solutions and improvements. Shea has over 35 years of experience at the national, state and local level where he has worked in partnership with government agencies, agricultural and conservation organizations and business leaders helping landowners and managers conserve, protect and ensure the orderly development of natural resources. Previous positions held by Shea include Chief Executive Officer of National Association of Conservation Districts (1986-2004) and Assistant Secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture (1982-1986). Among his current activities, Shea facilitates the 25x’25 and North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliances. He also serves as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Solutions from the Land, a not-for-profit entity dedicated to land-based solutions to global challenges.

Ryan Sitton

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, ENERGY, What's Shaking: Earthquakes Linked to Drilling in Oklahoma and Beyond, 11:00 a.m.
  • Elected to the Texas Railroad Commission on Nov. 4, 2014, Commissioner Ryan Sitton won the general election with over 58 percent of the vote. Sitton is a native Texan who grew up in the Irving area. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University where he earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and met his wife, Jennifer. Following college, Ryan began his career as an engineer in the energy industry. In 2006 Ryan and Jennifer founded PinnacleART, an engineering and technology company focused on reliability and integrity programs for the oil, gas, and petrochemical, mining, pharmaceutical, and wastewater industries. As Railroad Commissioner, Ryan is working to make the commission more efficient and effective, so Texas can lead America to energy independence. Ryan and his wife have three children, and have an impressive collection of over 100,000 Legos. He is deeply honored to serve as your Railroad Commissioner and is excited to serve the people of Texas.

Duane Smith

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 5, Water Rights — Water Fights, 7:00 a.m.
  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Indian Environmental Law: Flexing Legal Muscle Beyond Reservation Lands, 10:45 a.m.
  • Duane Smith is currently working with the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations in developing a regional water plan for Southeastern Oklahoma. He served as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board for 10 years, before retiring after a 32-year career with the agency. In 2010 he worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan on water, power and transportation infrastructure. In 2011, Duane formed his own company that specializes in water planning. In addition to his work with the Choctaws and Chickasaws, his projects have included the Panhandle Water Plan, the Southwest Oklahoma Water Action Plan, and he is now working with the Northwest Economic Development Alliance to complete a Northwest Oklahoma Water Action Plan.

Kenneth Smith

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, THE LAND, Infrastructure, The 14-Letter Dirty Word, 11:00 a.m.
  • Kenneth E. Smith, P.E., is a graduate of Valparaiso University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, and Butler University with a Masters Degree in Business Administration. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Indiana. He has thirty-nine years of experience in water resource engineering. Smith is a member of ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) and past-President of ASDSO (Association of State Dam Safety Officials), and currently serves on several committees, including the Communications Committee and the Program Peer Review Program Committee. He further has served on the National Dam Safety Board of Review. Currently, Smith is also a member of Indiana Silver Jackets, an inter-agency natural hazard mitigation team, working together to protect life, property and resources, with the vision "Many Agencies, One Solution". Smith, an Assistant Director of the Division of Water, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, is responsible for the Division's Compliance and Projects Branch, which includes the State's Dam and Levee Safety Section, the Project Development Section, the Surveying and Mapping Section, and the Compliance and Enforcement Section.

Rick Smith

Lisa Snell

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 2, Tar Creek: A Superfund Study in Environmental Justice, 5:30 a.m.
  • Lisa Snell is the owner/publisher/editor/designer of nativetimes.com and of Native Oklahoma Magazine, a monthly publication featuring American Indian arts, culture and entertainment. She has owned the Native Times since 2008 and transitioned it from a weekly newspaper to an online news source in 2014. She also launched Native Oklahoma Magazine in 2014. Snell has been recognized several times by the Native American Journalists Association — earning awards for environmental journalism, news, editorial writing, features and General Excellence for her production of the Native Times newspaper. She also brought home the plaque for Best Magazine for her debut of Oklahoma Native Times Magazine in 2010. The Native Times was recognized in 2012 by the Oklahoma Native American Business Enterprise Center with their Media Development Award during the organization’s annual Minority Enterprise Development Week program. Most recently, Snell has been published in Native Peoples Magazine and is writing and designing "American Indians and Route 66" for the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association.

Mike Soraghan

Joey Stipek

Lorne Stockman

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 4, ENERGY, Get on the Oil Train (or Pipeline): Policies and Future, 10:45 a.m.
  • Lorne Stockman is Research Director at Oil Change International, where he researches and analyzes developments in the North American oil and gas industry. He has worked on oil, energy and climate campaigns as campaigner, campaign coordinator, researcher and author for over fifteen years. Prior to joining Oil Change International on staff, he worked as a consultant with Greenpeace UK, Platform and Oil Change as researcher and author of numerous reports and briefings analyzing the tar sands and other extreme oil sources. He has extensive research and campaign experience, including analysis and publications on climate change and energy, political economy of oil, transitions in energy markets, energy security and financial risk; human rights, social justice and environment & development; and political economy of development and trade issues. Lorne is co-author of "The Next Gulf: London, Washington and Oil Conflict in Nigeria" (Constable & Robinson 2005).

J.D. Strong

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, WATER, Water in a Thirsty World: Costs and Risks, 11:00 a.m.
  • J.D. Strong was named Executive Director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board in October 2010. He previously served as Oklahoma’s Secretary of Environment, coordinating activities of the Environmental Cabinet, including the Department of Environmental Quality, Water Resources Board, and Department of Wildlife Conservation. Under Strong's leadership, the OWRB updated the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan, a 50-year water supply assessment and policy strategy to meet Oklahoma's future water needs. Strong oversees administration of Oklahoma’s AAA-rated $3+ billion Financial Assistance Program, which assists more than two-thirds of Oklahoma communities and rural water districts in financing water infrastructure projects. Other significant programs under Strong’s direction include the administration of almost 13,000 water rights permits allocating some 6 million acre-feet of stream and groundwater, hydrologic studies, licensure of water well drillers, floodplain management, dam safety, and a water quality management program that includes establishment of standards and statewide monitoring of lakes and streams. Strong represents Oklahoma on the Western States Water Council and Chairs its Water Quality Committee. He serves as Oklahoma’s Commissioner on four Congressionally-approved interstate water Compact Commissions. A fifth generation Oklahoman, Strong grew up in Weatherford and earned a Wildlife Ecology degree from Oklahoma State University.

Kathryn Sullivan

Al Sutherland

Frank Szollosi

 

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Terry Tatsey

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, NATIVE AMERICANS AND DIVERSITY, Conservation and Mineral Extraction on Native Lands, 9:00 a.m.
  • Terry Tatsey, Mai-stoo-watsis (Crow Tail Feather), was born and raised on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in north central Montana. He has strong traditional Blackfeet values of the natural world. He helped develop an associate’s degree in Natural Resource Management at Blackfeet Community College. The curriculum incorporated Blackfeet traditions and Western science. He currently serves as the director of institutional development at the community college where he secured funding for the first LEED Platinum building on tribal lands in the United States. Terry served as the first President of the First Americans Land-grant Consortium from 2005-2010. He was also a representative on the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Policy Board. He served on the interim board that established the Blackfeet Tribal Natural Resource Conservation District in 1996 and remains a board member. He also helped form a national non-profit called Indian Nations Conservation Alliance where he serves as vice-president. In 2013, Terry became a member of the Blackfeet Indian Land Trust Board — the first American Indian land trust in the country — an organization established by the late Elouise Cobell and the Nature Conservancy.

Michael Teague

Catalin Teodoriu

Sarah Terry-Cobo

  • Event: Wednesday, Opening Reception, 5:00 p.m.
  • Event: Thursday, Tour 7, Drilling, Fracking, Disposal and Earthquakes? Oh My! 8:00 a.m.
  • Sarah Terry-Cobo, co-chair of SEJ's 2015 conference, is a reporter covering energy and natural resources for The Journal Record in Oklahoma City. She reports on all sectors of the energy industry including oil and gas, wind and utilities along with health care, aerospace and defense. Previously she worked for the Oakland Tribune, Forbes.com, the San Francisco public radio station KQED and the Center for Investigative Reporting. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Policy from the University of Tulsa, a Master of Journalism in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She has been a member of SEJ since 2007, and joined the board for the Society of Professional Journalists-Oklahoma Chapter in 2015.

Mary Kay Thatcher

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Can Big Data Save American Farmers? 2:00 p.m.
  • Mary Kay Thatcher has worked as a lobbyist for the American Farm Bureau Federation for 28 years. She currently serves as Senior Director of Congressional Relations where she lobbies primarily on issues covering farm programs, crop insurance, conservation, credit and Big Data. Mary Kay served in the “first” Bush Administration as a political appointee as the director of congressional and public affairs of the Farm Credit Administration. In that capacity, she was responsible for the policy direction and management of the agency’s congressional and public affairs activities. Prior to joining AFBF in 1982, Thatcher served as a legislative assistant for agriculture and trade to Sen. Roger Jepsen of Iowa. She is a graduate of Iowa State University where she earned degrees in animal science and agricultural economics. Thatcher is a fifth generation Iowa farmer. She grew up on a 500-acre Iowa beef, hay and corn farm. She now manages a farm in Iowa producing corn and soybeans, as well as a cow/calf operation.

Andrea Thompson

Scott Thompson

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 2, Tar Creek: A Superfund Study in Environmental Justice, 5:30 a.m.
  • Scott Thompson has served as the executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality since December 2013. In that role, Thompson has implemented new approaches to environmental permitting and enforcement in Oklahoma with the goal of helping make the state more prosperous and economically viable. Prior to becoming executive director, Thompson led DEQ’s Land Protection Division, where he managed a diverse set of programs, including Superfund, Brownfields, Voluntary Cleanup, and Radiation Management. Thompson has a biology degree from Central State University. He also has a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of Oklahoma.

Kathleen Tierney

Leonardo Trasande

Tyghe Trimble

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, THE CRAFT 2, Freelance Pitch Slam, 2:00 p.m.
  • Tyghe Trimble is the Editorial Director for MensJournal.com, the online arm of Men’s Journal magazine, where he oversees all content. He was previously the magazine's Health & Fitness editor as well as an editor for Popular Mechanics and Discover magazines. When not in the office, Tyghe can typically be found running with Prospect Park Track Club, brewing beer or pack rafting in Alaska (ok, just that one time).

Mark Truax

  • Event: Saturday, Concurrent Sessions 3, ENERGY, Fracking: What’s Happening in Your Home State? 9:00 a.m.
  • Mark Truax is the Director of Operations and Coalitions for Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development. In this role he manages day-to-day operations of the statewide educational campaign focusing on fracking including research, outreach, communications, digital, direct mail and field operations on behalf of Noble Energy Inc. and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Before joining CRED in 2013, Mark worked for the National Association of Conservation Districts in Washington, DC where he oversaw the western United States and managed the Association’s work with the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service as well as the House and Senate Resources Committees. While with the Association, Mark worked on a number of natural resources issues including public lands, wildlife, energy and endangered species. In 2012, Mark co-founded the National Horse and Burro Rangeland Management Coalition, a diverse partnership of 13 wildlife conservation, sportsmen, industry and professional societies designed to identify proactive and comprehensive solutions using scientific-based strategies for horse and burro management on public lands. Mark is a true conservationist and currently volunteers for the Boy Scouts of America, currently serving on the National Conservation Task Force. Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics and Government from Pacific University.

 

W

Wayne Walker

Brett Walton

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 1, WATER, Water in a Thirsty World: Costs and Risks, 11:00 a.m.
  • Brett Walton writes about agriculture, energy and the politics and economics of water in the United States for Circle of Blue, and he occasionally reports on Australia, India and the Middle East. Brett also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. In 2014, the Society of Environmental Journalists awarded Brett 3rd place in the SEJ annual awards competition for beat reporting in a small market. Brett has received fellowships from SEJ (2013) and the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources (2011).

Kristin Weeks Duncanson

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Can Big Data Save American Farmers? 2:00 p.m.
  • Kristin Weeks Duncanson is owner and partner of Duncanson Growers, a diversified family farm in Southern Minnesota. The operation includes corn, soybeans vegetables, cattle and hog production. She is immediate past Chair of the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council, past President of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and a former director of the American Soybean Growers Association. Weeks Duncanson is a member of the AGree advisory council, member of the Carbon Market Working Group and APEX, and currently consults through K·Coe Isom. Previously she served as a marketing manager for Hubbard Milling Company and as an agricultural policy expert for former U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz. Weeks Duncanson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute Public Policy fellowship program and The Executive Program for Agriculture Producers. Kristin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and communications from Luther College and is a native of Wayzata, Minnesota.

Bill Werkheiser

  • Event: Friday, Concurrent Sessions 2, THE CRAFT 1, Figures That Illustrate, Figures That Obfuscate and How To Tell the Difference, 2:00 p.m.
  • Bill Werkheiser is responsible for USGS research, monitoring, and assessment on the Nation's water resources. He has served in numerous positions since joining the USGS in 1986. Prior to his position as Associate Director for Water, Werkheiser was the Regional Director for the former USGS Eastern Region, where he oversaw activities related to biological, geographical, geological and hydrological research and assessments. He also led the Natural Hazards Initiative Team and the long-term Hurricane Katrina Response and Recovery Team for the USGS. He has over 25 years of experience with the USGS and other agencies working on a variety of environmental and scientific issues. Werkheiser received a bachelor's degree in geology from Bloomsburg University and a master's degree in hydrogeology and glacial geology from the University of Massachusetts.

Joe Wertz

Tim Wheeler

Carolyn Whetzel

  • Event: Friday, Network Lunch 11, SEJ 2016 — Sacramento, 12:15 p.m.
  • Carolyn Whetzel is an environmental reporter for Bloomberg BNA, a private publisher headquartered in Washington, D.C. that covers legislative developments, federal and state laws and regulations, court decisions, and economic trends. Whetzel is based in California and covers a variety of state environmental issues including air and water quality, hazardous wastes, chemicals, and energy since 1992. Her work appears primarily in Bloomberg BNA's Daily Environment Report, Environment Reporter, Toxics Law Reporter, Chemical Regulation Reporter, Occupational Safety & Health Reporter, and Daily Report for Executives. Whetzel joined BNA in 1970 while attending George Washington University, but left four years later to travel and move to California. Before rejoining BNA, which Bloomberg acquired in 2011, she wrote for in-house publications for several companies and institutions and was a freelance writer in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Dallas.

Daniel Wildcat

Ed Williams

Kim Winton

  • Event: Thursday, Tour 5, Water Rights — Water Fights, 7:00 a.m.
  • Kim Winton was born in Oklahoma, and has a BS (zoology) and an MS (agronomy) from Oklahoma State University, and a Ph.D. from University of Arkansas (agronomy). She started her professional career (15 years) in the agrichemical industry, gaining experience in biological research, agricultural practices and environmental fate and effects of pesticides. She spent 5 years conducting field biological research in Greenville, MS, then 10 years in Greensboro, NC contracting environmental field, lab and analytical chemistry research. For 10 years, Kim was Director for the USGS, Oklahoma Water Science Center. She had a staff of approximately 45 and a program of approximately $5-6 million dollars. The Water Science Center works with approximately 40 different cooperators (state agencies, federal agencies, tribes, cities, etc.) to supply surface water and groundwater monitoring data, flood inundation studies, groundwater and surface water modeling tools, aquifer studies, new technology, and a variety of technical assistance. Since 2012, Kim has been the Director of the USGS, South Central Climate Science Center (SC CSC) , a consortium comprising University of Oklahoma (Host), Oklahoma State University, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Louisiana State University, Texas Tech University and NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.

Roger Witherspoon

  • Event: Wednesday, SEJ Meet and Greet: Break Barriers and Bread with Members, New and Old, 3:00 p.m.
  • Roger Witherspoon, an SEJ board member, has spent nearly 50 years working in all forms of the media as a journalist, author, educator, and public relations specialist. Along the way, he has written extensively on politics, foreign affairs, finance, defense, civil rights, constitutional law, health, the environment, and energy. Most of his career has been in the news business, working as a full time reporter, editor, columnist, or producer for a variety of media companies including newspapers (The Record, N. J.; Star Ledger, N. J.; NY Daily News; Atlanta Constitution; Dallas Times Herald; and Journal News (N.Y.); television (CNN, KNBC and NBC Network); and radio (WCBN, MI). As a freelance writer, he has written for several publications, including Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Essence, The Economist, and US Black Engineer & IT. As an educator, he was responsible for restructuring the print and broadcast curriculum and staff in the Department of Mass Communications at Clark-Atlanta University. In public affairs, he managed millions of dollars in health and environmental grant programs globally for Exxon Corp. He is the author of "Martin Luther King, Jr…to the Mountaintop," Doubleday; and co-author of "Feats and Wisdom of the Ancients," Time-Life Books; and "Engineering 101: A Text Manual," Hampton University College of Science and Engineering. He is a founder of the Association of Black Journalists, which grew into the present National Association of Black Journalists; and a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists, the International Motor Press Association, and the Automotive Press Association.

 

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