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Board of Directors
Michael E. Conroy, Chair
Michael taught Economics at the University of Texas at Austin for 25 years. He then spent nine years at the Ford Foundation, as a senior program officer, working in Ford’s Environment and Development field. He is currently a Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Scholar at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Michael joined the EARTHWORKS board in 2003, and became co-chair in 2010.
Cathy Carlson
Cathy has been an advocate for mineral policy reform since 1987 in both Washington, D.C and in Colorado, and has been advising Earthworks since its founding as the Mineral Policy Center. Besides her expertise in mineral development, Ms. Carlson has extensive expertise in natural resources issues on public lands in the Western U.S. including oil and gas leasing and development, livestock grazing, and fisheries and wildlife habitat conservation.
Gloria Flora
Gloria is a former Forest Supervisor for the Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana, where, among other accomplishments, she gained national attention with her popular decision to withhold the Rocky Mountain Front from oil and gas leasing. Ms. Flora has an active interest in resource and social interrelationships, has presented many professional papers and has lectured on resource management issues and civil rights. She is involved in many civic organizations and lives in Helena, Montana. Gloria joined our Board in 2005.
Jay Halfon, Esq.
Jay R. Halfon is a practicing attorney and public policy strategist. He represents tax-exempt organizations, including public charities,private foundations, advocacy groups and political entities. He has a broad range of experience influencing public policy in both Congress and state legislatures. Mr. Halfon served as executive director and general counsel of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association from May 1998 to December 2001. Previously he was executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) for a decade ending in 1997. Jay joined our Board in 1998.
Paula Hawthorn, Ph.D.
Dr. Hawthorn is a retired high-tech start-up executive who now occasionally works as a management consultant. Her technical expertise is in database management systems. She earned her doctorate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley. She has held management positions at various start-ups as well as with Informix and Hewlett-Packard.
Dr. Hawthorn has been an activist all her life, beginning with volunteering for John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, then in movements for civil rights, for peace, and for environmental responsibility. She has served on both the Association for Computing Machinery’s and National Academy of Science’s panels on improving statewide voter registration databases.
Anthony Ingraffea, Ph.D., P.E.
Dr. Ingraffea is the Dwight C. Baum Professor and Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow in the College of Engineering at Cornell University, where he has taught since 1977. He is also director of the Cornell Fracture Group and co-editor-in-chief of Engineering Fracture Mechanics.
Dr. Ingraffea performed R&D for the oil & gas industry from 1984 through 2001 and is one of the most prominent national experts on the risks to water supplies from hydraulic fracturing for shale gas. He has been outspoken about the need for sound independent science on the impacts of oil and gas development, and for stronger protections for people and the environment.
Bill McNeill, D.D.S.
Bill is the founder, coordinator and spokesperson for the Mono County Mining Committee in Mammoth Lakes, California where he led a successful campaign to block new mine proposals. He is a recognized leader amongst community leaders working on mining issues. Bill is also a retired professor of orthodontics at the University of Washington. Bill joined the EARTHWORKS Board in 2001.
Glenn Miller, Ph.D.
Glenn is a professor of environmental and resource sciences at the University of Nevada in Reno. He has been active in various conservation organizations on mining issues in Nevada for the past 20 years. He is recognized internationally as one of the leading technical and policy experts on mining issues. Glenn joined our Board in 1998.
Deborah Rogers
Deborah is a former member of the Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and former investment banker and stockbroker. Deborah's financial analysis of shale gas companies' overstated claims of reserves received widespread coverage in 2011 from the New York Times, NPR, CNBC and other major media. Deborah lives in North Texas and knows first-hand what it means to live near shale gas operations.
Wilma Subra, Secretary-Treasurer
Wilma is President of Subra Company, Inc., a chemistry lab and environmental consulting firm in New Iberia, Louisiana, which provides technical assistance to citizens and victims of environmental issues. She serves on local, state and federal committees dealing with oilfield waste, oil refineries and toxic release inventory. She joined our Board in 2005.
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