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Anna Gouznova
COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE
As the Communication Associate, Anna Gouznova manages outreach strategies including the Waterkeeper magazine, website and social networking sites. Having emigrated from Russia when she was 10 years old, Anna is fluent in Russian while time abroad bolstered her Spanish comprehension. She is thrilled to work with international programs and plans to use her lingual dexterity to involve new audiences. A recent graduate of Fordham University, Anna studied Tropical Ecology and Conservation in Costa Rica, as well as Mediterranean Environment in Spain. Committed to environmental conservation and sustainability, she has worked with the National Audubon Society, New York League of Conservation Voters, GRACE and her local Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment. Ever inspired by the Waterkeeper stance, she is also working to secure clean up and maintenance efforts for her hometown Liberty Park and Silver Lake. Find Anna Gouznova on Facebook and MySpace to stay connected and updated about ways you can get involved!
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Anne Costner
CORPORATE OUTREACH ASSOCIATE
Annie first came to the Alliance as an intern in 2004, to help support Waterkeeper’s programs in South America. In 2005 she made a trip with Robert F. Kennedy and a group from the Alliance down Chile’s Futaleufu River in the Patagonia; the river was condemned to dam projects, but as of 2008 it remains untouched. She stayed on in Chile to research a thesis on privatization of urban water systems and returned to the Alliance in 2007 after completing her degree in Latin American Studies.
In her new role at Waterkeeper Alliance, Annie is the Corporate Outreach Associate. She brings her knowledge of the organization to companies and corporations seeking to partner with Waterkeeper Alliance. Her goal is to create new marketing and sponsorship opportunities that will grow the capacity of the Alliance, therefore expanding access to clean water for everyone everywhere. A native Californian, she now hails from Providence, Rhode Island where she sees a lot of folk music, thrives on politics, bakes one mean cupcake, runs on two legs and partakes of all things craft.
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Emily Egginton
FIELD COORDINATOR
Emily joins the Department of Waterkeeper Support as the Field Coordinator. She will coordinate and help develop new Waterkeeper programs as well as facilitate the annual conference, regional meetings and strategic planning efforts. Prior to joining Waterkeeper Alliance, Emily interned at Riverkeepr where she worked on membership outreach, event planning and grant writing. Emily has also served as environmental educator at Cranberry Lake Preserve, Westchester County Department of Parks, and Program Coordinator for the Wallerstein Collaborative for Urban Environmental Education at NYU where she worked to engage students and teachers in scientific field research on the Hudson River Estuary. Emily received her B.A. in environmental policy from Middlebury College in 2006 after studying abroad in New Zealand and Italy.
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Francisco Ollervides
SENIOR FIELD COORDINATOR
Francisco is known by everyone as “Paco”, a common nickname for Francisco in Mexico. He connects and supports new and established Waterkeeper programs around the world with strategic planning and technical advice on scientific issues and development plans; among other things, he also facilitates new program growth and regional collaboration. Paco was co-founder and the first Board President of Magdalena Baykeeper in 2005. Before joining Waterkeeper Alliance, Paco directed the Center for Coastal Studies/School for Field Studies in Baja California Sur, Mexico. He led research efforts with numerous conferences and meetings participations in marine mammal and sea turtle conservation, water pollution issues and remediation initiatives, mangrove, sea grass and marine protected area studies, and environmental education projects . Paco is a 1993 graduate of Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores Monterrey in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico as a Biochemical Engineer with minor in Marine Resource Management. Paco obtained his Masters in Science and Doctoral Studies with focus on marine mammal bioacoustics from Texas A&M University, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences in 1997 and 2001 respectively. Paco recently (July 14) married another environmentalist, Emily Hissong from Marion, OH and they both live in Ardsley, NY with their dog Choya.
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Hannah Connor
STAFF ATTORNEY
Hannah Connor works as a staff attorney on the “Pure Farms, Pure Waters” program, a campaign devoted to addressing water quality problems associated with large scale, industrial production of livestock and other agricultural products. Through active pursuit of Federal, State and local measures, she will address accountability of industrial animal feeding operations for associated pollution impacts on health and water quality. Prior to joining the Waterkeeper Alliance, Hannah worked with the National Audubon Society in Washington, D.C.
Hannah graduated with a BS in biology from Boston College and a JD from Vermont Law School. Hannah lives in New York with her husband and their invisible dog G. Her future plans include making both Mother Earth and Lady Justice proud.
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Janelle Robbins
STAFF SCIENTIST
Janelle joined Waterkeeper Alliance in 2003 as a research fellow to write a report on manure management. Her completed book, A Citizen’s Guide to Manure Treatment Technologies, is available for free download from the Waterkeeper Alliance website. Janelle is now Waterkeeper Alliance’s staff scientist. She fields scientific questions from our ever-growing member programs, covers the scientific and engineering aspects of Waterkeeper Alliance’s campaigns, and works to reduce Waterkeeper Alliance’s ecological footprint.
Janelle graduated with honors from Cornell University in 2001 with a BS in Agricultural and Biological Engineering where she was part of a research team developing biosensors to detect viable Cryptosporidium parvum in water, and later to detect and distinguish between different strains of HIV. After completing her degree at Cornell, Janelle interned at Hudson Riverkeeper, and later went on to earn a MS in Biological Systems Engineering with a concentration in Land and Water Resources from Virginia Tech. There, she conducted research in the James River Basin of Virginia, studying the quality of agricultural best management practices.
Janelle and her husband Steve live in the Hudson Valley and enjoy fixing up their old house, hiking, traveling, and playing with their dog Riley.
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Jeffrey Odefey
STAFF ATTORNEY
Jeff has dual roles at Waterkeeper Alliance. He is responsible for our “Pure Farms, Pure Waters” project, a campaign devoted to addressing water quality problems associated with large scale, industrial production of livestock and other agricultural products. This project offers support to member Waterkeeper Programs who are faced with agricultural pollution impacts. On a second front, Jeff spearheads Waterkeeper Alliance’s stormwater campaign – a multidisciplinary response to one of the most serious threats to water quality in the United States. A native of Colorado, Jeff comes to the Alliance by way of San Francisco, Missoula, Montana, and a childhood spent in several other states across the West and Midwest. Prior to joining the Alliance, he served as an attorney at Hudson Riverkeeper, working on issues related to the New York City Watershed, the largest unfiltered public water supply in the country. Jeff holds a bachelors degree in English and Art History from the University of Colorado, a masters degree from the University of Montana, and is a graduate of the Pace University School of Law. He lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife, daughter and son.
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Jillian Gladstone
ADVOCACY & OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Jillian coordinates the public advocacy component of the Pure Farms, Pure Water campaign. Through grassroots organizing, media advocacy, and work with member programs and other partners she raises awareness and attention to water quality problems caused by industrial livestock farming.
Before joining Waterkeeper Alliance, Jillian organized diverse groups – from retired Generals and Admirals speaking publicly about torture, to high school students raising awareness about Darfur – as well as doing media advocacy and outreach for Human Rights First. Jillian received her B.A. from New York University in 2004.
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Kristine Stratton
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Kristine Stratton joined Waterkeeper Alliance in September 2007 as Executive Director. She is responsible for strategic program and budget planning along with overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Alliance, including member program support, campaigns, development, communications and administration. Kristine is excited about partnering with Steve to support the growth of this international grassroots environmental movement.
Kristine comes to Waterkeeper Alliance as the former Vice President of Finance and Operations for the Conservation Law Foundation, a New England environmental advocacy organization that operates three companies in five regional offices and houses the Lake Champlain Lakekeeper program. At CLF she was responsible for managing and improving the financial, administrative and operational functions of that $5 million organization, including program planning and reporting. Prior to CLF, she spent more than a decade at WGBH, the Boston-based flagship public broadcaster. Kristine received her B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University and M.A. in Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University.
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Lauren Brown
OF COUNSEL
Lauren Brown works remotely with Waterkeeper's Clean Water Act Defense program, designed to maintain a strong and active national presence on Clean Water Act defense issues and protect the Act from regulatory rollback. Lauren is working as a contract attorney on Waterkeeper's challenge of EPA's pesticide rule, which purports to exempt certain applications of pesticides to water from CWA regulation. She prepares Waterkeeper Alliance's Water Enforcement Bulletin, a quarterly publication tracking regulatory changes to the Clean Water Act, recent case law and Congressional action, all of which impacts clean water protection. She is also now the Director of Fraser Riverkeeper in Vancouver, BC.
Lauren holds a bachelors degree in Environmental Studies and Geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder and graduated with honors from Pace University School of Law, receiving a Certificate in Environmental Law. As an intern at the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic, Lauren represented Riverkeeper in various enforcement actions on the Hudson River and in the Catskill Mountains.
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Marc A. Yaggi
DIRECTOR OF WATERKEEPER SUPPORT
Marc works to connect and support Waterkeeper programs around the world. Before joining Waterkeeper Alliance, Marc was a Senior Attorney and Watershed Program Director for Riverkeeper, Inc., where he worked to protect the 2,000-square mile watershed that serves as New York City’s drinking water supply. For Riverkeeper, Marc coordinated and supported activities of citizens and environmental groups throughout the watershed by giving them access to information and strategic guidance on effectively opposing harmful development projects and government policies. Marc also acted as an advocate for strengthening governmental watershed protection policies and for educating the public about its water supply. Before joining Riverkeeper, Marc served as a Staff Attorney with the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, D.C. In addition, Marc has authored legal articles on the U.S. Supreme Court, marine mammal protection, road salt, impervious surfaces, sprawl, and clean air.
Marc is a 1993 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and a 1997 graduate of the Pace University School of Law. In addition, Marc obtained an LL.M in Environmental Law in May 2002.
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Mary Beth Postman
CHIEF OF STAFF
Mary Beth Postman is Executive Assistant to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Mary Beth received her Bachelor of Arts in International Management with a minor in Marketing from Pace University. As the assistant to the President of Waterkeeper Alliance, Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper, and Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Mary Beth pretty much does whatever comes up that day (her job is a perpetual state of emergency filled with constant juggling and unending scheduling, etc.). Mary Beth's hard working attitude has set the tone for Waterkeeper Alliance. Her positive, energetic example is infectious for staff and Waterkeepers alike.
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Michele Merkel
CHESAPEAKE REGIONAL COORDINATOR
Michele Merkel is the Chesapeake Regional Coordinator for Waterkeeper Alliance. She coordinates and supports the activities of the fifteen Waterkeeper programs that protect the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays. Prior to joining the Alliance, Michele was Senior Counsel and co-founder of the Environmental Integrity Project. At EIP, Michele was responsible for litigation and policy issues under the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, focusing on industrial livestock production and municipal sewage issues. Michele previously served as an attorney for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, where she worked closely with the Department of Justice to bring actions for violations of federal environmental laws. Prior to joining EPA, Michele was General Counsel for Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, and worked for a few years in the criminal defense section of a private law firm. Michele received her law degree from the Tulane University School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Science biology degree from Lafayette College. Michele lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband Christopher and their dog O.D.
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Rachel Cook
OPERATIONS ASSISTANT
Rachel’s primary responsibilities include assisting and supporting the Development Department as well as helping to oversee the general running of the office. Rachel has always had a passion for the outdoors and conservation. She holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont. While attending UVM, Rachel participated in two study abroad programs. The first program was a School for International Training course in Australia focusing on conservation and natural resource management. While in Australia Rachel interned with Parks Victoria and conducted a photo survey of rare birds as well as a wildlife inventory. The second study abroad program was a course in ecotourism and sustainable development in Costa Rica. Before coming to Waterkeeper Alliance Rachel worked for the JCC on the Palisades. The last position that she held at the JCC was Youth Services Program Director. While in this position Rachel’s main responsibility was to develop and manage programming for children in kindergarten through high school. Although she enjoyed this position Rachel’s true passion is in the environment and wanted to pursue this passion through her work. Rachel has volunteered with and worked for the Hackensack Riverkeeper at their canoe and kayak livery in Secaucus, NJ.
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Richard (Rick) J. Dove
WATERKEEPER LIAISON, LITIGATION ASSISTANT
A former Riverkeeper, Rick spends much of his time training new Waterkeeper programs. He also works alongside Jeff Odefey on the Alliance’s Pure Farms, Pure Waters campaign. Before serving as the southeastern representative for Waterkeeper Alliance, Rick enjoyed a varied career that began with two tours in Vietnam with the United States Marine Corps. He later served as a military courts-martial judge, Congressional Liaison and Provost-Marshal. After retiring from the military, Rick commercially fished the Neuse River and owned and operated a wholesale fish store until 1991. He then practiced civilian law until becoming the Neuse Riverkeeper in 1993, a post he held until the year 2000. As the river’s spokesperson, Rick has been in more than 4000 news stories in both major and local media. His work was detailed in a chapter of the 1997 Simon and Schuster book, "And the Waters Turned to Blood." From 1996-1998, Rick was the Governor’s appointee to the Neuse River Basin Advisory Council, during which time he was asked to testify before the U.S. Congress on the microorganism Pfiesteria Piscidia and its effects on the river. In 1999, Rick was named one of the “100 People Who Have Shaped the North Carolina in the past Century” by the Raleigh News and Observer, and in 2000 he received the Environmental Protection Agency’s IV Merit Award. In 2001, Rick received an Appreciation Award from the Alliance for a Responsible Swine Industry, and later that year he was given the Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for Advocacy. In 2002 he again testified before the U.S. Senate on pollution from industrial animal factories. Rick graduated from the Baltimore School of Law in 1962, and from the National War College in 1980.
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Scott Edwards
LEGAL DIRECTOR
As Legal Director and Senior Attorney, Scott Edwards oversees all legal activities and campaigns at the Alliance. Scott began with Waterkeeper in 2000 as lead counsel in the Alliance’s lawsuit to stop the U.S. military’s bombing of the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. As an offshoot to the litigation, Scott helped the launch of the Vieques Waterkeeper and the Puerto Rico Coastkeeper programs. Since then, he has taken the lead on Waterkeeper's efforts to change mercury policy in the United States, working to reduce emissions of this dangerous toxin from coal-fired power plants. Working with staff attorneys, he also directs Waterkeeper's efforts on Concentrated Animal Feed Operations and stormwater. Scott has also helped foster the growth of Waterkeeper in Asia, working closely with emerging local member programs in both India and China. Before joining the Alliance, Scott spent two years with the New York City Corporation Counsel and, prior to his career as an environmental attorney, he taught environmental science for ten years in alternative high school programs in New York City. Scott lives just north of NYC with his wife and two children.
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Stephanie von Stein
ASIA PROGRAM SUPPORT
Stephanie helped develop the first two Waterkeeper programs in China, which received board approval in March 2007. She works to support all existing and prospective Waterkeeper programs in the Asia region. Stephanie's love of Asia began over 20 years ago on a college semester abroad program in Kathmandu. She is proud to be able to say that her first job after college was working for the New York office of the Tibetan Government in Exile. In addition to almost two years living with Tibetan refugees in India and Nepal, during graduate school she studied Mandarin and worked for the UNDP in Beijing. Having witnessed first-hand the environmental degradation which has accompanied rapid industrialization in Asia, she is thrilled to be supporting the growing environmental movement there through her work at Waterkeeper Alliance. Stephanie earned a Master of International Affairs degree at the School for International and Public Affairs at Columbia and a BA from Brown University. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, three children and their dog, Jake.
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Susan Sanderson
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Sue Sanderson is responsible for coordinating fundraising events and campaigns, developing and maintaining relationships with funders and creating new fundraising opportunities and strategies. Sue began her career with retail giant Federated Department Stores. Initially she served as a buyer for the retailer and worked her way up through the ranks to become a general manager for regional store locations around the United States and then the Manager of Corporate Giving. After living in Ohio and then Atlanta, Sue returned to the New York City area in 1991. She joined the staff of the Development Department in the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, New York, and eventually became the Assistant Development Director. Sue has volunteered with AIDS Related Community Services, the second largest AIDS charity in New York, and has served on the Board of the Rockland Music Conservatory. The Waterkeeper model of environmental protection and its success throughout the country and abroad has inspired Sue to help continue and expand the growth of the Waterkeeper movement.
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Tom Quinn
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING DIRECTOR
A lifelong New Yorker, Tom worked at the Ford Foundation for nearly two decades, serving in various writing and editing posts, including senior writer, speechwriter/special assistant to the president, and co-founder and editor-in-chief of the foundation’s award-winning quarterly magazine.
Prior to joining the Ford Foundation, he was a speechwriter for New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo. As a free-lance writer, he won a New York Emmy Award for a documentary he co-wrote about McSorley’s Ale House, New York’s oldest saloon. He has published many articles in daily newspapers and national magazines, including Esquire, Newsday Magazine, and The New York Observer.
As editor of the Ford Foundation’s magazine, he reported on water issues from the Amazon to Zimbabwe to the South Bronx. He has lived within walking distance of the Hudson River most of his life and it has always been one of his passions. His first “official” association with the river was as a cook on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Three years ago, to raise awareness about the Hudson, he completed his first cross-Hudson swim in the 15th Annual Hudson River Swim for Life. He completed the 5K course again last September and is training for this year’s event.
Tom graduated from Manhattan College with a B.A. in English and education. He went on to pursue a Writing Project Fellowship at the CUNY Graduate Institute, where he was certified as a specialist in the teaching of writing.
Tom lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife and four children. Besides swimming, he enjoys hiking, biking and cooking.
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