Michigan LCV Staff

 Lisa Wozniak, Executive Director, lisa@michiganlcv.org

Ryan has lived in seven different cities and five different states and, while he can’t exactly call himself a Michigan native, he certainly does call Michigan home.  As a kid, he would look forward to summertime when he would head off to participate in, and years later ultimately lead, wilderness trips that would take him rock climbing, mountain biking, canoeing, or simply hiking in Northern Wisconsin (or just south of the UP, as he would more likely say now).

 

Ryan’s early exposure to the beauty of the Great Lakes region led him to remain deeply interested not only enjoying the outdoors, but protecting it, as well.  Immediately out of college, Ryan was fortunate enough to work and learn from one of America’s greatest conservationists, Congressman John Dingell, who passed the majority of America’s landmark environmental legislation over the past fifty years. In Rep. Dingell’s Michigan office, Ryan was responsible for operating across all political levels and for translating the debate in Washington into tangible assistance for the constituents of the area.

Ryan’s greatest passion during his time in the Congressman’s office, however, was the opportunity to work many exciting hours guiding and growing the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.  For those of you have not yet had the chance to visit one of the most remarkable urban refuges in North America, and the only international one, please stop reading this bio immediately and head toward the Detroit River now.

 

Before diving headfirst into Michigan politics and conservation, Ryan was well occupied as a student at the University of Michigan.  On campus, he founded The Michigan Independent – a progressive monthly magazine that, within three months, attained a circulation of over 5000 students.  Ryan also was also responsible for the communications and policy work for the largest College Democrats chapter in the country.  Forecasting the future, his place of employment his senior year was the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. While in Ann Arbor, he also picked up his degree in Political Science.

 

Ryan’s current role at Michigan LCV as Political Director involves managing the annual Scorecard, endorsement and PAC recommendations to the Board, and overseeing the overall political operations of the organization.

Outside of work, Ryan can generally be found drinking an Oberon on his back porch or running around the region’s many expansive parks in funny shoes.  On the weekends, odds are he is either at Eastern Market, cooking something up that he bought there, or otherwise boosting Michigan’s economy by eating at any number of the state’s incredible restaurants.

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Christine Green, Development Director, christine@michiganlcv.org

Christine grew up in Marshall, Michigan, on the banks of the Kalamazoo River. In the mid- 1960’s, before passage of the Clean Water Act, the Kalamazoo periodically turned a sickening milky green color – from poorly treated sewage, industrial wastes, and solvents dumped into the River upstream.   As a result, the Kalamazoo River was off limits for humans for most of Christine’s youth – and hardly any fish or wildlife lived there either.  Finally, in 1971, efforts began to clean up the Kalamazoo, thanks to growing public concern and the hard work of conservationists in Lansing*.

 

Christine obtained her undergraduate degree in 1974 from the University of Michigan, and worked at the Graduate Library and then the State Appellate Defender Office . In 1982,  At the age of 31, Christine enrolled in law school and graduated in 1985 (cum laude) from the University of Michigan.

 

Christine practiced law for 26 years, litigating civil rights, employment discrimination, whistleblower protection, personal injury and medical malpractice  cases. She has been a Michigan “Superlawer” since 2008 and has been included in “Best Lawyers in America” since 2006.  

 

In the years following law school, Christine developed a keen interest in land use planning and the control of urban and suburban sprawl.  Thanks to a call from Lana Pollack in 1998 asking for support for the first Washtenaw County ballot initiative for the purchase of development rights, Christine became involved in the Michigan Environmental Council and local environmental initiatives. Christine now serves as Chair of the Michigan Environmental Council board of directors, and serves on the Board of the Ecology Center. She has also served as a Scio Township Trustee since 2008.

 

In 2010 Christine ran for State Representative for the 52^nd District. She lost (51-49%) but will forever be convinced that the best way to protect Michigan’s land, water and air is to elect smart, capable people to public office.

 

Christine has served as development director for Michigan LCV since January of 2012. Her fundraising philosophy is that every person should be given the privilege of contributing in some manner to the preservation of the natural world upon which we are all completely dependent.

 

Like most Michigan LCV staff members, Christine has had a life-time love affair with Northern Michigan and the Great Lakes. She and her husband Phil and their two dogs, Wilson and Hendrix, spend as much time as they can at their cabin on Torch Lake.       

 

*Residents of Marshall along the Kalamazoo River have been able to swim, canoe, and kayak until – tragically – the Kalamazoo was once again fouled in 2010 by a burst oil pipeline owned by Enbridge Oil Company.   This time, it will take even longer for the River to recover.  The fight continues.

 

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill

Erica Bloom, Program Manager, erica@michiganlcv.org

Erica works as the Program Manager for Michigan LCV, where she manages the Great Michigan Environmental Priority Agenda as well as civic and voter engagement programs.

She grew up in metro-Detroit and moved westward to Kalamazoo for college. Determined to continue her migration West, she left Michigan for Seattle and then Montana. There she worked doing environmental restoration for EarthCorps, and attended the University of Montana where she earned an M.S. in Environmental Studies with a focus on writing and environmental health and justice. But her love for Michigan brought her back to the Midwest where she now works to protect her state's air, land and water.

Erica feels most inspired walking among the Michigan dunes, the Northern woods, or in Detroit partaking in many of the new environmental initiatives in the city.

Wibke Rebecca Bettina Heymach, Moms Clean Air Force Organizer (Southeast Michigan), wibke@michiganlcv.org

Born and raised in Berlin, Germany, Wibke grew up politically in and around the Green Party, and was involved with them for years before moving to the United States. Since her name - Wibke - is a bit of a mouth full, people have grown accustomed to calling her “Vee” for short...for those of you who don't speak German, a “W” is pronounced like a “V”. Growing up Vee has always enjoyed the great outdoors; camping, canoeing, horse back riding, skiing and hiking all over Europe.

While finishing her degree in North-American history and politics at Freie Universitaet Berlin, she was offered an internship with the Macomb Democratic Party and so began her love-affair with Michigan. During her first visit in 2006 she fell head over heels for the beauty of the state and its people. Vee officially moved to Michigan in 2007 to complete her Masters degree in Industrial Relations at Wayne State University. She has lived in Ferndale ever since and enjoys Oakland County for its plethera of cities that offer diverse restaurants and bars, as well as great micro-breweries, galleries and events throughout the year. Vee also enjoys spending time in Detroit as it has often been compared to the industrial urban feel of her hometown, Berlin.

She has worked on various campaigns during her time in the U.S., and later on worked for the Michigan House of Representatives. Always interested in Union political work, Vee worked for the UFCW’s Legislative and Political Office before joining Michigan LCV as a Mom’s Clean Air Force Organizer. Having worked in the political field for many years, she is very excited to work for a single cause and utilize her organizing chops in a different approach to community organizing.

Making sure the communities we live in and that our children are raised in a healthy and pollution free place is a high priority for Vee. She is happy to work with mothers and caregivers to help raise awareness and mobilize citizens in support of the Clean Air Act.

Melissa Bernardi, Field Director, melissa@michiganlcv.org

Melissa Bernardi has been a Michigan resident since 2002. Though she’s never described herself as an environmentalist, she tries to live like one through actions like recycling and conserving water. She leaned about conservation in her native New Jersey from her father, who hunted deer. He would take her on walks in the woods where he would point out an abandoned bird’s nest or the matted down field grass where a deer bedded down the night before.

Melissa has tremendous organizing experience from serving as the regional field director in Oakland County for Organizing for America on the successful Barack Obama campaign. Her organizing experience also includes raising three sons, one husband, two dogs and a cat. She is excited to work on the 25% by 2025 Renewable Energy Standard ballot initiative because it blends her love of issue organizing with the challenge of a campaign.

In her spare time, Melissa tends her perennial beds and paints the natural Michigan landscapes that she will be protecting through her work here at Michigan LCV.

Kim Easter, Leadership Coordinator, kim@michiganlcv.org

Kim Easter is a lifelong Michigan resident. Her love of Michigan’s natural beauty grew after meeting her husband, an ardent outdoorsman. They honeymooned in the Upper Peninsula and continue to enjoy family vacations in various Michigan settings.

With a degree in English from Yale University and a law degree from University of Michigan Law School, Kim brings a background in law, policy, and politics to MLCV. She has decades of experience bringing people together around issues and encouraging individuals to find their respective political voices. Her Lansing experience includes working in the legislative context and interacting with legislators, lobbyists, and interest groups. She believes that most folks want to become more engaged in the issues that matter to them. . .and with good information and support, every voter can make a difference!

Kim lives with her husband and two children in Ann Arbor. In her spare time she performs as a vocalist with local rock and jazz ensembles.  

Alicia Prygoski, Special Projects Associate, alicia@michiganlcv.org 

Having grown up in Michigan, Alicia enjoyed frequent trips to the Great Lakes and especially, the Sleeping Bear Dunes, as a child. After her first backpacking trip freshman year of college, that innate love of the outdoors grew extensively, and drove her to figure out how to do her part in protecting Michigan’s beautiful outdoors.

Alicia started as an intern at MLCV while getting her degree in the Program in the Environment at the University of Michigan, and enjoyed the experience so much that she didn’t want to leave! Alicia handles much of MLCV’s accountability work, producing the weekly legislative publication, The Hot List, and tracking the bills that move through the Legislature every day. Recently, she also managed two of MLCV’s new accountability tools, our 2012 Lame Duck Scorecard, and the “How Green is your Governor?” Midterm Report Card.

Alicia still goes backpacking all over the country, but in her opinion, nothing compares to the beautiful trips she’s taken in Michigan (her personal favorite was hiking the perimeter of Grand Island in the UP). She also enjoys running, playing the mandolin, and hanging out with any animal she meets. A devout animal lover, Alicia describes herself as “mostly-vegan,” and has two guinea pigs, Oberon and Guinness.

Katie Sulau, Communications Manager, katie@michiganlcv.org

Katie works as Communications Manager for Michigan LCV, where she writes, edits and amplifies MLCV’s take on the most pressing issues facing Michigan’s land, water and air. She captains the  Facebook page, sometimes gets lost in the Twitterverse, mans the website and draws Michiganders into the ever-expanding web of important work MLCV is doing to protect the environment.

Katie grew up in Cincinnati, but always found plenty of reasons to go north. At just a few weeks old, she vacationed on the Leelanau Peninsula and she caught the bug early. She spent fourteen magical summers as a camper, counselor and administrator at Camp Arbutus Hayo-Went-Ha, an all-girls wilderness adventure camp in the Traverse City area. After hiking, biking, canoeing and kayaking all over the state, it became clear that the Great Lakes, the pines, the dunes and the woods would never get old.

A proud Spartan, Katie graduated from James Madison College and the School of Journalism at Michigan State University where she reported for Michigan Public Radio's State Capitol Bureau and served as Editor-in-Chief of MSU's online magazine, The Big Green. She has since lived in New Orleans, Traverse City, Detroit and now Ann Arbor. Her plan to step out of the classroom and get her hands dirty became more literal than she anticipated. After college, she found herself hammering siding onto storm damaged homes in New Orleans and hauling compost at an urban farm as an AmeriCorps member. Her love for the outdoors and fresh food brought her back to the Leelanau Peninsula where she grew veggies at Birch Point Farm and solidified her commitment to Michigan’s land and water.

She hit the jackpot with this position, which draws on her enthusiasm for environmental advocacy, all things Michigan, writing and communicating clearly. Outside of work, you can find Katie helping out at Family Circle Centennial Farm, throwing everything in the refrigerator into one pot, watching college sports (go green!), practicing yoga, going for a run or dreaming of getting a dog when she grows up. But for now, Katie is thrilled to join a team of sharp, hard-working colleagues at Michigan LCV.

Jack Schmitt, Political Director

jack@michiganlcv.org

Bio coming soon!

Patty Birkholz, West Michigan Director

patty@michiganlcv.org

Bio coming soon!

Caroline Schuerman, Development Specialist

caroline@michiganlcv.org

Caroline has been with MLCV since the fall of 2010 when she began interning while studying Sociology at the University of Michigan. Before joining MLCV, Caroline interned with Congressman Gary Peters in both his Washington DC and Michigan offices. After graduating in 2011, she was hired as our Development Specialist and has been responsible for the organizing dozens of successful events, managing our growing databases, and researching potential donors and funders.

As a Michigan native, Caroline holds many fond memories of summers on Black Lake with friends in Onaway. Today, swimming and exploring the Lakes, enjoying bonfires with friends, hiking and University of Michigan sports are a few of the things she loves about Michigan.

Outside of work you may find Caroline playing volleyball or softball, trying the newest Ann Arbor-area restaurant with her roommate, reading, supporting University of Michigan athletics, watching bad reality TV, hanging out with friends, visiting her niece and nephew in Washington DC, or visiting her family and three dogs in her hometown of Bloomfield Village.

Madeline Smith, Executive Assistant

madeline@michiganlcv.org 

Madeline loves all things Michigan. From the lakes to the trails in Ann Arbor, Madeline loves Michigan’s geographic diversity and spends her days running, hiking and biking throughout the state, when she’s not busy at work as the Executive Assistant at MLCV. 

Madeline graduated from the University of Michigan in 2012 with a degree in Program in the Environment, concentrating in Urban and Environment Planning, and then found her way to MLCV after attending a fundraiser in her hometown of Battle Creek. Madeline also spent a semester in Detroit with the University of Michigan's Semester in Detroit program where she interned with the East Michigan Environmental Action Council, took a class on the history of Detroit, and lived in and explored the city with eleven other students.

In Ann Arbor, Madeline volunteers at Selma Café, coaches Girls on the Run, is a self-proclaimed foodie, and enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her friends and family.

Molly McLogan, Administrative Assistant

molly@michiganlcv.org

Molly attended Albion College and majored in political science, minored in anthropology & sociology, and had concentrations in The Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service and The Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program. An honors course on global climate sparked her interest in environmental issues, and she has been passionate about them ever since. After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree, Molly went on to earn a Master of Public Administration from Grand Valley State University, emphasizing in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. During this time, she also worked as a program assistant in the Philanthropic and Nonprofit Services Department at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.

Molly is a Grand Rapids, Michigan native and loves spending summer days at her family cottage on the Lake Michigan shore. These experiences have made her truly appreciative of Michigan’s land, air, and water, and she is thrilled to join an organization working to protect them. Outside of work, Molly enjoys spending time with her dog, Fred Basset, and is a self-confessed TV, movie, and music buff.