SSREC Speaker & Presenter Biographies

Schedule | Workshop Descriptions | Speaker & Presenter Bios | Lead | Resource Fair | Directions | Housing | FAQs

Speakers

Eric Belvins, Mountain Justice Eric Blevins is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where he worked with Students for Environmental Action on a successful clean energy campaign and helped start the state-wide group Tennessee Alumni and Students for Sustainable Campuses

Johanna de Graffenreid, Alliance for Climate Education Johanna is the North Carolina educator for the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE).Originally hailing from North Carolina, Johanna graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her professional background ranges from working as a substitute teacher within DC Public Schools, hands on farm and nutrition education through the Neighborhood Farm Initiative, to living and working on a rural orphanage in Les Cayes, Haiti.  Johanna’s environmental organizing foundation was formed during a fellowship at Greenpeace USA in the spring of 2009.  She is passionate to combine her two passions of working with youth and ending catastrophic climate change.

Haiz Oppenheimer, Dogwood Alliance Haiz became the newest member of the Dogwood Team in January 2011 as organizer of the Kentucky Fried Forests Campaign. Haiz is a lifelong Southerner and outdoorsman. A recent graduate of the Green Corps field school, Haiz has campaigned for various environmental organizations around the country, including the Sierra Club and Corporate Accountability International's Think Outside the Bottle Campaign. Haiz is particularly excited to work with students and community groups across the South. Off the job, Haiz enjoys backpacking and canoeing in the beautiful mountains of Southern Appalachia.

Kristen Powers, Alliance for Climate Education Kristen Powers, the founder of the Chapel Hill High School Green Tiger Club and Garden, is known around the community as the "eco-girl".  Over the past three years she has worked with her school to create an environmental club that has made tangible energy saving changes to her school as well as many educational demonstrations such as bringing the Alliance for Climate Education presentation to 200 students. The garden she founded has seen over 300 unique teenage volunteers walk through the gates and the team has donated over 130 bags of organic produce to local community members and food banks. Now a senior, Kristen is eying Stanford University, University of Virginia, and UNC-Chapel Hill as her top college choices, mostly because of their non-profit/service programs

Carly Queen, NWF Campus Ecology Carly serves as the primary coordinator of field work for NWF's Campus Ecology program in the Southeast. Campus Ecology works with faculty, staff and students at universities, colleges and community colleges to advance campus sustainability efforts.  Carly holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. As a student organizer, Carly led campaigns to make campus dining more sustainable through waste reduction and local, organic and vegetarian purchasing options, set up a bike co-op program and educate Georgia Tech and surrounding communities about sustainability in principle and in practice.  

Lauren Reilly, Florida YES and SSREC Planning Committee Lauren is a student at the University of South Florida – St. Pete were she leads her student government’s environmental initiatives. Having just finished a summer fellowship with the Energy Action Coalition, Lauren has taken Florida by storm as a leader in the Florida YES state network. This fall Lauren has been fearless in organizing actions to call out climate deniers, stop the Keystone XL pipeline, and ensure a nuclear free future for Florida. 

Larry Shirley, Director of Green Economy, North Carolina Department of Commerce Larry Shirley serves as the Director of the Green Economy in the NC Department of Commerce.  Prior to assuming this position in 2009, Mr. Shirley directed the State Energy Office for nine years.  In late 2000, Mr. Shirley served for 13 years as the Executive Director of the NC Solar Center at NC State University.  While there, he was elected as Chairman of the American Solar Energy Society in 1996-97.  Previous to his work at the Solar Center, he served as the Assistant Director of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation in Winston-Salem and founded the Nonprofit Energy Management Program for the Advanced Energy Corporation.  He also served as Director of Field Operations for the Center for Renewable Resources in Washington, DC.  Mr. Shirley is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rio Tazewell, Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy (AIRE) Rio Tazewell is a 2010 graduate of Appalachian State University, where he received an Interdisciplinary Studies degree in Sustainable Development and Political Science, with a minor in Appropriate Technology. During his time at ASU Rio was a leader in promoting renewable energy and raising awareness around sustainability issues. Rio has worked as a campaign organizer with the Energy Action Coalition, a student lobbyist with the Climate Action Network, intern with the US House of Representatives, and video production consultant with Environmental Defense Fund. Rio has worked with AIRE since early 2010 to develop the Education and Outreach program. He currently serves as the Director of Education and Outreach.

Presenters

Eric Blevins is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where he worked with Students for Environmental Action on a successful clean energy campaign and helped start the state-wide group Tennessee Alumni and Students for Sustainable Campuses

Mandy Hancock transitioned into her current role in 2010 as a high risk energy organizer for Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, fighting for a carbon free and nuclear free future.

Mary Olson has been with Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) since she left her job co-directing Circle Pines Center in 1991. Olson has continued her work at the national and international level on nuclear waste policy, beginning in 1992 when she joined with the National Environmental Coalition of Native Americans.

Carly Queen is currently the Southeast Campus Field Coordinator for National Wildlife Federation, providing technical advice and resources for faculty, staff, administrators, and students in support of their efforts to make their campuses and communities more sustainable

Holly Garrett has worked primarily with Mountain Justice and Blue Ridge Earth First! to organize various gatherings including Mountain Justice Spring Break, Weekend in Wise and the 2008 Southeast Climate Convergence to bring an end to mountain top removal mining and nuclear power expansion in the Southeast.

Lara Mack graduated in 2008 with a B.S. in Environmental Biology and Ecology, she became more involved in regional efforts to end mountaintop removal coal mining with Mountain Justice and Blue Ridge Earth First!

Kirby Calloway is a senior at Salem College majoring in Environmental Policy Studies and minoring in Creative Writing and passionate about advocating for a change in the relationship between society and the environment, and am interested in environmental and outdoor education not-for-profit organizations

Seth Gunning worked with the Southern Energy Network as the Georgia and South Carolina Coordinator in 2007 and 2008 where he helped coordinate a state-wide campaigns for system-wide green-fee's, and against coal and nuclear energy development.  Seth now works as the Beyond Coal Organizer for the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Gabriel Fair has been a leader in Students for Environmental Action (SEA) at Clemson University for the past 4 years. During that time he has assisted his Clemson's successful transition beyond coal. He has served on the President's Commission on Sustainability where he helped write Clemson's Climate Action plan to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Scot Quaranda has been with Dogwood Alliance since 2000 and has served as a campaign organizer, field director, communications director, and is currently the campaign director.

Haiz Oppenheimer joined Dogwood Alliance in January 2011 as organizer of the Kentucky Fried Forests Campaign and has worked for various environmental organizations around the country, including the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, and Corporate Accountability International’s Think Outside the Bottle Campaign.

Tyler Offerman is currently double-majoring in Environmental Studies and Political Science at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. He has organized on campus around the Gulf Oil Spill, Investments in Solar Energy in Florida, Voter Education and Student Green Energy Funds; as well as Leadership Development, Anti-Oppression, and Environmental Justice in the community.

Jackson Wilke has been organizing with the Sierra Student Coalition from his home base in DC/Maryland since his high school days.

Cara Cooper is a second year graduate student at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. She is currently working on her Master's in Environmental Science with her research focusing on Invasive Species Ecology. She currently sits on the Sierra Student Coalition's Executive Committee as the Trainings Committee liaison.

Rio Tazewell is the Outreach and Education Director at the Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy, a North Carolina nonprofit focused on developing and implementing innovative financial strategies for renewable energy and sustainable development.

Matt Landon is a full time volunteer with United Mountain Defense, an all volunteer run 501c3 non profit based in Knoxville, TN.  He spends a lot of his time out in the field doing scientific monitoring on coal mines and oil and gas sites and loves busting companies for violations. He has been participating in Active Listening projects with Mountain Justice since 2005.

Mandy Mahoney is the Vice President for the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. Founded in 2006, the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) is a nonprofit that brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to promote energy efficiency for a cleaner environment, a more prosperous economy, and a higher quality of life in the Southeastern United States.

Jim Barton is the director of the Smith Mill Creek Institute, co-founded the first North American Transition effort. A political activist since the McGovern campaign, he has been active in the anti-nuclear movements (power and weapons).

Liz Kazal is a student at Mississippi State University, as well as the Mississippi organizer for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Liz led the green fee campaign at Mississippi State where they won with record student support. She also help found their student network, Mississippi Alumni and Students for Sustainability.

Maria Rosales is a student at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She works as the East Tennessee Organizer for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Maria is currently working on reforming the green fee at UTK and pushing for a green revolving fund. She helps lead the student network, Tennessee Alumni and Students for Sustainable Campuses, through their newly established steering committee.

Jacquie Ayala is the Florida Organizer for Southern Energy Network, and a recent graduate of Eckerd College. Jacquie organizes with the amazing students in the FL YES Coalition to work for a just and clean energy economy in Florida.