Climate Fast Forward 2019 – Presenters
Lauren Azar practices law in the electric industry, providing business, regulatory and policy advice as well as project development and permitting.
Lieutenant Governor Barnes is an alumnus of Alabama A&M University. After his time there, he worked for various political campaigns and in the city of Milwaukee mayor's office, eventually becoming an organizer for Milwaukee Inner City Congregation Allied for Hope, a Milwaukee-based interfaith coalition that advocates for social justice.
Bruce Beihoff graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison/Milwaukee with degrees in Mechanical Engineering/Physics. His employment experience of over 40 years includes Black & Veatch, Genereal Electric, UPS, Easton Corporation, Rockwell International, Whirlpool Technologies, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Blank became chancellor of Wisconsin’s flagship university in July 2013, bringing with her a deep commitment to educational excellence and innovation.
Blank is an internationally respected economist who also has spent time in Washington, D.C., working in three different administrations.
Chelsea Chandler was the director of the Academy's Environmental Initiatives from 2016 to 2020. She led the Climate & Energy and Waters of Wisconsin Initiatives, to which she brought her interdisciplinary experience and passion for researching and communicating solutions to environmental challenges.
From the time poet Robin Chapman was eight she has written poetry, returning to it in 1980 in Wisconsin with the commitment to meet with her writing groups weekly, including in her poems topics of daily life, nature, child language, and science.
Fred Clark is the Executive Director for Wisconsin's Green Fire, an organization dedicated to promoting science in conservation.
Appointed by Gov. Tony Evers in 2019, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Preston Cole directs statewide programs for environmental protection, natural resource management, outdoor recreation and law enforcement with an emphasis on diversity and service excellence.
Sharon Dunwoody was a professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UW-Madison. In addition to being an internationally recognized scholar of science communication, she also spent more than 30 years training both journalists and scientists in building effective science messages for general audiences.
Jane Elder recently retired from her position as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Academy. She brought to the Wisconsin Academy a strong background in public policy leadership, nonprofit management, and involvement in Wisconsin arts.
Tyler Huebner was appointed by Governor Tony Evers to be a Commissioner at the Public Service Commission in March 2020, and was re-appointed by Governor Evers to a six year term which began March 2, 2021.
Before beginning his tenure as Executive Administrator of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission in April, 2018, Mic Isham served as Chairman of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians or on its Tribal Governing Board since 1995.
Robin Lisowski is Director of Research and Innovation at Slipstream where she leads new product development in service of the organization's mission. Robin is also the current board chair of Sustain Dane.
Diane Mayerfeld is the senior outreach specialist for UW-Madison Division of Extension. She helps Extension agents and other educators learn about sustainable production practices such as rotational grazing, organic agriculture, and cover cropping; as well as sustainable social approaches such as community food systems.
Curt Meine is a conservation biologist, environmental historian, and writer. He serves as Senior Fellow with the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, and with the Chicago-based Center for Humans and Nature.
Matthew Mitro is a fisheries research scientist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Based in Madison, Matt works on statewide fisheries issues with a focus on trout in Wisconsin's inland streams.
Gary Radloff is the principal at The Radloff Group, a policy research and consulting firm. Radloff is a recently retired researcher from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was the Director of Midwest Energy Policy Analysis for the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI).
Keith Reopelle is the Director of Dane County’s Office of Energy and Climate Change. Prior to coming to Dane County, Reopelle was the Senior Policy Director at Clean Wisconsin where he worked for 32 years leading clean energy campaigns at the state and regional levels.
Satya Rhodes-Conway is the 58th Mayor of Madison. She has extensive experience in local policy and practice, having worked with mayors across the country for over a decade, and serving three terms on the Madison Common Council. Elected in 2019, she is the city’s second female mayor and the first out LGBTQ person to serve as Mayor of Madison.
As director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Paul Robbins oversees the institute's mission of serving as a world leader in addressing environmental change.
Peter Skopec joined the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG) in 2014 and has been the organization's director since February of 2015.
Dan Vimont is a Professor in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Nadia Vogt is a Senior Projects Manager with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Nadia works across municipal, private and public sectors to to effectively engage stakeholders in decision making around regional resilience.
Wisconsin Academy Offices
1922 University Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53726
Phone: 608.733.6633
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Madison, WI 53703
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