ELP is delighted to announce the Delaware Valley Regional Network Fellows Class of 2004!

Sarah Low Aigen, Project Coordinator, Fairmount Park Commission

Andrew Brazington, Environmental Corps Coordinator, Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center

Laurie Colborn, Senior Preventive Health Programs Coordinator, Independence Healthcare Management; Graduate Student, University of Maryland and University of Colorado

Heather Cowley, Regional Pollution Prevention Manager, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Phillip Collins, Program Development Specialist, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Bridget Croke, Director of Strategic Relationships, RecycleBank

Jonathan Essoka, Environmental Engineer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Daphne Fifield, Project Assistant, Pennsylvania Environmental Council

Daniel Garofalo, Senior Facilities Planner, University of Pennsylvania

Mike Gross, Regional Community Organizer, New Jersey Regional Coalition

Jada Jackson, Program Development Specialist, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Kristie King, Diversity Manager, Environmental Careers Organization

Libby Kleine, Design Director, Half-Full Studios

Kimberly Koczan, Director, Kirkwood Urban Camp

Fran Lawn, Assistant Director of Land Restoration, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education

Scott Maits, Environmental Coordinator, Belmont Community-Pennsylvania State University Partnership

Teresa Mendez-Quigley, Project Director of Environmental Stewardship, Women's Health & Environmental Network

Stephen Miller, Project Manager, Strategic Energy Innovations

Elaine Mills, Landscape Design Project Manager, Thomas Biro Associates

Jaclyn Rhoads, Director for Conservation Policy, Pinelands Preservation Alliance

Sherry Riesner, Realtor, and Founder, Greater Philly Environmental Network

Shawna Riley, Biologist, Environmental Protection Agency

Mark Scorsolini, Project Manager, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Graham Sinclair, Product Manager, Research for KLD Research & Analytics, Inc.

Carie Szalay, Science Teacher, Springside School

Shandor Szalay, Project Scientist, F. X. Browne, Inc.

Paco John Verin, Community Gardens Project Coordinator, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

Dana Walker, Aquatic Biologist, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Janine Warnas, Director of Education and Communication, Partnership Transportation Management Association of Montgomery County

Steve Weinberg, President, National Foundry Products, Inc.

Sarah Low Aigen is the new project coordinator at the Fairmount Park Commission. Previously, Sarah was the field director for the Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers, where she planed reforestation and invasive plant removal activities in the Wissahickon Valley Park. She was also a project scientist at F. X. Browne, Inc., working on watershed management plans, greenway plans, Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, wetland delineations, streambank restoration, floodplain reforestation, environmental education, and water quality monitoring. She conducted research for the University of Massachusetts's Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Program and taught in the Environmental Science Program. She worked at the Connecticut River Watershed Council and was an instructor for UMass Continuing Education.

Andrew Brazington is an environmental corps coordinator for Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center in West Philadelphia where he develops and implements restoration projects within the Cobbs Creek community through environmental education and volunteerism. Previously, he was the Director of Public Relations and Community Relations at the School of Hard Knocks, Inc., an intervention, prevention nonprofit organization. Andrew is a member of Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Philadelphia Green Advisory Board, represents Yeadon Borough on the Multi-Municipality Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan, is a facilitator with Alternative To Violence Project, and a guest lecturer on minority student issues and multiculturalism in the Philadelphia and Bucks County School Districts. Andrew was formerly Vice President and Secretary of United American Indians of Delaware Valley. He recognizes his Choctaw and Chickahominy ancestry.

Laurie Colborn is senior preventive health programs coordinator at Independence HealthCare Management and a graduate student in the University of Maryland's Post Master Program in Environmental Health Nursing and the University of Colorado's Public Health Nursing Certificate Program. Her work and academic studies focus on community health nursing, including her interest in the influence of suburban sprawl on water quality and general health. Previously, she was a preventive health nurse coordinator in the private sector and a nurse in the United States Army Nurse Corps.

Heather Cowley is the regional pollution prevention manager of the Office of Energy and Technology Development for the Southeast Region of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Heather conducts outreach and education to audiences in Southeastern Pennsylvania on the topics of energy and pollution prevention. Her current focus is on green buildings and the development of an in-house "energy team" of DEP employees to provide broad energy outreach to the regulated community. Previously, she was an inspector and pollution prevention specialist at the department. She serves on the Delaware Valley Green Building Council Educational Programs Committee, the Philadelphia Local Emergency Planning Committee's Facilities Group, the East Falls Community Council School Committee, and East Falls Tree Tenders.

Phillip Collins is a program development specialist with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program responsible for statewide park development projects and land acquisition in urban cities. He assists local governments and nonprofits with their park development and recreation projects and is involved with select acquisitions. He also serves as the Green Acres representative on the Brownfields Interagency Team, a group of state offices working with local governments and developers on brownfields cleanup and redevelopment funding options, and works with Camden Greenways, a nonprofit committed to providing recreational opportunities along the Camden waterways.

Bridget Croke is the director of strategic relationships at RecycleBank, a socially responsible business providing incentive based recycling, research and reporting, and community outreach and education. Previously, Bridget was the co-director of the White Dog Cafe Foundation and the Philadelphia Fair Food Project where she focused on building a local, sustainable food system and a Local Living Economy for the Greater Philadelphia region. She also worked at the Center for a New American Dream in Washington, DC, and Growing Power in Milwaukee, WI, and was an organic farmer and an on-farm researcher.

Jonathan Essoka is an environmental engineer within the. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 3 Water Protection Division where he permits facilities, evaluates technical reports, and regulates activities with his state counterparts in the District of Columbia. Jonathan's Ph.D research at Drexel University focused on environmental policy, specifically regarding the effects of brownfields revitalization projects upon environmental justice communities. Previously, he served as an engineer within a chemical feed equipment company and as an environmental and computer networking consultant.

Daphne Lynch Fifield is a project assistant at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Her work includes helping to orchestrate the creation of an 8 mile Greenway along the North Delaware River, outreach to municipal leaders and assistance in financing open space protection, and promotion of a program for prioritizing land in this region for protection based on its potential value for agricultural, ecological, and recreational purposes. For her Masters of Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania Daphne is writing a manual on open space financing.

Daniel Garofalo is the senior facilities planner at the University of Pennsylvania, where he assists with implementation of the 25-Year Development Plan, and is directing the revision of Penn's Design Guidelines to incorporate sustainability and environmental awareness. Previously, Dan was an architect at several Philadelphia firms and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, where he was the architect in charge of design for the capital city's Housing and Planning Office. He is founder and past chair of the Community Design Collaborative, and serves on the boards of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council and the Friends of the Free Library.

Mike Gross is a Regional Community Organizer for the New Jersey Regional Coalition, working with faith-based congregations and community organizations to address public policy issues including sprawl, economic and racial segregation, and public school funding on a regional level. He worked two years as a Policy Advocate for the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment in New Jersey, where he coordinated policy working groups and subsequently wrote recommendations adopted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. As President and a founder of the watershed protection group Friends of the Monoshone Creek in Philadelphia, PA, he helped win a $1 million repair by the City of Philadelphia to protect the Monoshone Creek. Mike also works with adults and youth as a Jewish environmental educator, and worked in New Jersey as an Americorps volunteer doing environmental education, stream monitoring and environmental justice organizing.

Jada Jackson is a program development specialist with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program. She works with the Divisions of Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Forestry and Natural Lands Trust and other Federal agencies; local government; non-profits; and citizens, to identify and acquire land to preserve Federal & State Threatened and Endangered species, protect water quality and enhance recreational opportunities. She is also a senior adjunct professor with Burlington County Community College in the Department of Math, Science and Technology. She is a tutor for Trenton elementary school students with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Trenton Monthly Meeting.

Kristie King was most recently diversity manager with the Environmental Careers Organization where she directed programs to increase exposure and broaden environmental career opportunities for people of color as well as internal workforce diversification efforts. This work included assisting the organization's recruitment staff with developing strategies for effective outreach to diverse audiences and working with various constituents to assess their diversification needs. Previously, Kristie worked in both state and local government. She currently serves on the advisory board of the United Negro College Fund Ecological Society of America environmental program initiative and is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management.

Libby Kleine is co-founder and design director of Half-full Studios, a design and communications firm providing effective and affordable solutions to nonprofits. Half-full focuses on environmental causes, working closely with client organizations to create powerful designs, advertisements, and alternative marketing. Libby also works to develop environmental and social awareness within the corporate advertising community, creating space for professionals to get involved in the nonprofit world and directing their talents toward work that will last beyond yesterday's headlines. Before launching Half-full, Libby worked in commercial design, designing print and interactive media for companies such as Disney, Mattel and SPEAK magazine.

Kimberly Koczan is a consultant working with faith communities on environmental stewardship. She is the director of Kirkwood Urban Camp, a summer urban camping program that aims to empower young people to be faithful and responsible to one another and the environment. Kimberly also provides education and resources on environmental illness and encourages implementation of healthy, sustainable products and practices for families and nonprofit organizations. She is completing work on a project to reduce the use of lawn chemicals and educate citizens on their impact on the watershed and personal health. Kimberly serves on the Ambler Environmental Advisory Council, CSA committee for Pennypack Farm Education Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Plant Ambler, and is the environment chair for the Kirkwood Camp Board of Directors.

Fran Lawn is the assistant director of Land Restoration at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education where he focuses on the restoration efforts of five hundred acres. Fran is currently involved with the management of invasive exotic plant species, research on invasive earthworms and salamander studies. Before joining the staff at The Schuylkill Center, he was a fellow at the Jenkins Arboretum in Devon.

Scott Maits is environmental coordinator at the Belmont Community-Pennsylvania State University Partnership, a VISTA program in West Philadelphia, where he manages greening, streetscapes, circulation, GIS, and related efforts with the University's Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance. Scott is a long-time city, state, and regional activist for public transportation, urban planning and renewal issues. He also directs the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers and is chief planner for the Philadelphia Trolley Coalition. Scott is co-founder of Lots of Love Gardens, winner of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's 2001 awards for Best New Garden and Best Use of Gardening for Urban Improvement.

Teresa Mendez-Quigley is the director of Environmental Stewardship, at Women's Health & Environmental Network in Philadelphia. She is currently working with the health care industry on pollution prevention, toxins reduction, medical waste minimization, electronics, and green building. Teresa serves as the regional coordinator for Health Care Without Harm for the Philadelphia region and Pittsburgh, PA. She also works with childcare centers and schools on greener cleaners. Additionally, she co-owns Healthy Spaces which helps people create a healthier home by addressing biological, chemical and electromagnetic exposures that can harm their health.

Stephen Miller is a project manager at Strategic Energy Innovations where he identifies and implements energy efficiency initiatives within the higher education sector. Previously, Stephen worked for the U.S. Department of Energy's Philadelphia Regional Office, where he implemented programs in energy-sustainable communities and in the market transformation of solar energy within the Mid-Atlantic region. He also directed market research for a division of Exelon (PECO Energy) focused on developing new business ventures. Prior to this post, Stephen worked for a market research supplier designing and executing quantitative primary research for various clients, including public opinion polling for ABC News & The Washington Post.

Elaine Mills is a landscape design project manager with Thomas Biro Associates, a firm that strives to create sustainable environments that respect the natural attributes of a site while providing attractive and cost effective solutions. She is a member of the Lawrence Township, NJ Greenway Committee, working to foster the connection of parks and green corridors for pedestrians, bikers and wildlife; and of the Exteriors/Property Committee of The Lawrenceville School, where she participates in the preservation of a Frederick Law Olmsted residential campus on the National Register of Historic Places. Elaine wrote The Trees of Lawrenceville, A Walking Tour, an award-winning booklet designed to increase appreciation and preservation of an historic landscape.

Jaclyn Rhoads is director for conservation policy at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. She has a Ph.D in environmental policy from Drexel University, and teaches environmental science and exploring science at Philadelphia University. Previously, she was vice president of the Green Building Division at Edifice Rx, a consulting firm specializing in indoor environmental quality, green buildings, and environmental psychology. Jaclyn serves on the board for Darby Creek Valley Association and as a member of Norwood zoning task force, and is founder of a citizens group in Delaware County, Delco's Concerned Citizens for Environmental Change.

Sherry Riesner is a licensed Realtor® whose clients include investors who remodel and rehab properties in the Philadelphia area, and she will be obtaining her EcoBroker certification in 2007. She is founder of the Greater Philly Environmental Network (GPEN.org), an Internet resource publishing “All Things Environmental” in the Philadelphia region. Sherry previously worked for Arcadia Windpower, a wind power developer, and the New York New Media Association, and she is an active member of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia and Pennypack Farm for Sustainable Food Systems.

Shawna Riley is a biologist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the U.S./Mexico border team of the Office of International Affairs. Previously, she worked for Drexel University and Tenet Healthcare Corporation implementing radiation safety programs to meet regulatory standards and promote standardized practices that reduce risk of injury to human health and the environment. Shawna was a hazardous waste management specialist and a researcher for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She served as a mentor for the National Society of Minorities in Agriculture and Natural Resources & Related Sciences and a graduate advisor to Drexel University's Green Ideas student organization.

Mark Scorsolini Mark Scorsolini, Project Manager, enfoTech & Consulting, Inc. Mark Scorsolini is a project manager at enfoTech & Consulting, Inc., where he designs software systems that streamline the production and exchange of environmental information. Previously, he worked at the NJ Department of Environmental Protection where he commented on Environmental Impact Statements pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, coordinated the regulatory review of major new development projects, and served on the New Jersey Smart Growth Interagency Team. Mark led pro se legal action against local land use practices and helped lead an initiative/referendum petition drive that resulted in the passage of a municipal ordinance that limits campaign contributions to local government officials. He earned a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and is a fellow of the charter class of Leadership Trenton.

Graham Sinclair is Product Manager, Research for KLD Research & Analytics, Inc. Previously as an MBA candidate at Villanova University and founding president of its Net Impact chapter, he conducted independent research into socially responsible/sustainable investing, focusing on the role of institutional investors. While in school he interned at SRI World Group Inc. in Brattleboro, VT as consultant on the Corporate Social Responsibility Global Reporting project and served on the Sustainability Policy team of the Villanova Quality Initiative. Graham has also worked in pensions consulting, investment management, and strategic marketing in South Africa.

Carie Szalay is a science teacher at the Springside School in Chestnut Hill. Previously, Carie was the watershed education manager at the Academy of Natural Sciences where she developed and implemented watershed education for all ages through weekend programming, teacher workshops, lessons, exhibits, and web site activities, and integrated and translated the Academy's scientific research into programs. Carie also worked as an educator at the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She serves as a board member and Program Committee chair for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and is an active participant of the Philadelphia Water Department's Citizen Advisory Committee and the Delaware Estuary Program's Public Participation Implementation Team.

Shandor Szalay is a project scientist for F. X. Browne, Inc., a nationally recognized civil and environmental consulting firm, where he leads the stream restoration projects program and manages watershed assessment and restoration projects. Previously, he worked as a riparian ecologist for the Friends of the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was founder and president of Water Resources Students in Action at the University of Minnesota. Shandor currently serves on the Technical Advisory Group for the Academy of Natural Science's research effort entitled "A Compilation and Evaluation of Stream Restoration Projects: Learning from Past Projects to Improve Future Success."

Paco John Verin is a community gardens project coordinator at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society/Philadelphia Green. At Philadelphia Green, Paco supports, organizes, and trains community garden groups throughout Philadelphia. He creates and leads workshops in organic gardening, organizing, and budget management to create new gardens or improve existing ones. Previously, he was an organic farm apprentice in Maryland, community garden project coordinator in New Jersey, and a children's theater technical apprentice in France. Paco is an officer of Hollow Bones, a Zen Buddhist lay order, where he leads weekly meditation sessions.

Dana Walker is an aquatic biologist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in Harrisburg, PA. Dana works in the Citizens' Volunteer Monitoring Program, providing statewide support and training for volunteer stream and lake monitoring programs. She has also served as a water quality specialist for DEP's Southeast Regional Office in the Water Management Program; in this capacity she worked with the regulated community, specifically those facilities with permitted discharges, and responded to various water pollution complaints and incidents. Prior to working for DEP, Dana was the Watershed Programs Coordinator for the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, where she taught students about natural history and watershed education, and provided professional development for teachers within the Philadelphia region. She also acted as the statewide training coordinator and quality control officer for the Pennsylvania Senior Environment Corps, a volunteer water-monitoring program.

Janine Warnas is director of education and communication at The Partnership Transportation Management Association of Montgomery County. Janine designs, coordinates, and facilitates educational summer programs with local youth program partners as well as conducts public relations outreach to the community. Prior to joining The Partnership TMA, she worked for Gwynedd-Mercy College as graduate programs administrator where she recruited and marketed multiple graduate programs.

Steve Weinberg is president and owner of National Foundry Products, Inc., providing business-to-business sales and marketing to manufacturers. He is a founder of the Mt. Airy Greening Network, a collaboration of neighborhood leaders committed to creating an environmentally sustainable, economically sound, and vital community in Philadelphia's Northwest. Steve is co-chair of Minneapolis-based Alliance for Sustainability, and treasurer of Philadelphia's Sustainable Business Network. Steve was co-founder of Sustainers in New York City, a diverse group of artists, coaches, and businesspeople who together created sustainability education programs.