__ SPEAKER BIOS __
64th Annual MLSA Conference: Friday, April 25 & Saturday, April 26, 2025
All Speaker Information in Alphabetical Order
Dr. Curtis L. Blankespoor, Ecologist/Parasitologist, Ph.D., Cornell University
Curt first worked on swimmer’s itch in 1988 while he was an undergraduate at Hope College. He is a Professor of Biology at Jackson College and has previously held faculty positions at Calvin University and the University of Michigan Biological Station. Curt has published over a dozen scientific papers resulting from over 20 years of swimmer’s itch research, and his highly successful control programs on Higgins and Crystal Lakes were featured on Michigan Radio: Stateside in 2024.
Clifford H. Bloom, MLSA Attorney
Practicing primarily in the areas of riparian law, real estate, and municipal/public sector law, Cliff has over 40 years of legal experience. Originally from Grand Rapids, he received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan and was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1983. He has practiced law in Grand Rapids ever since. Cliff is the general legal counsel for the Michigan Lakes & Streams Association, Inc. Among his various printed works, Cliff also authors a regular column for THE MICHIGAN RIPARIAN magazine called, Attorney Writes. Having lectured on a variety of real estate and municipal topics, Cliff has served as general legal counsel for over 25 Michigan townships, and as general counsel for a number of cities. He also has extensive experience in zoning and planning matters and has lectured on those issues for various organizations.
Sarah Bowman, Ottawa Conservation District
Sarah Bowman earned her Bachelors of Science in Water Resources in 2014 from the University of WI – Stevens Point, and her Master of Science in Environmental Science in 2017 from Green Mountain College and has been working professionally in water conservation for 10 years, working primarily for conservation districts and watershed groups. Over the last 10 years she has written four state approved watershed management plans, helped provide thousands of dollars in financial assistance to farmers and residents to implement water conservation practices, hosted many water conservation related educational events, and taken hundreds of water quality samples.
Anna Briem, Graduate Assistant, AWRI, GVSU
Anna Briem is a graduate assistant at the Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University. Anna is originally from North Alabama and graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Marine Biology from the University of North Alabama. After graduation, Anna worked in Alaska as a fisheries biologist for six years until moving to Michigan. In 2022, Anna received a graduate assistantship from Annis Water Resources Institute in Muskegon, MI and has been working on graduate research at Lake Leelanau, MI for the past three years.
Joe Bush, Water Resources Commissioner, Ottawa County
Joe Bush was elected as the Ottawa County Water Resources Commissioner in 2012. Prior to this position, Bush worked for the Ottawa County Road Commission for 12 years. He is a past Olive Township Board Trustee, Olive Township Zoning Board of Appeals member, and past President of the Michigan Association of County Drain Commissioners. Bush currently serves as the Legislative Chair of the Michigan Association of County Drain Commissioners, several Lake Boards, Parks and Recreation Board, Critter Barn Board, Advisory Council board member for Careerline Tech, as well as several other committees and boards. Joe resides in Zeeland on a hobby farm and enjoys spending time with his wife and two teenage daughters. Joe loves being on the water anytime he can!
Erica Clites, Extension Educator, Michigan Sea Grant with Michigan State University Extension
She works with local communities, agencies, and other partners and networks on initiatives such as habitat restoration and coastal community development. She is also coordinating bi-monthly meetings of partner agencies and organizations that do harmful algal bloom outreach and engagement in Michigan.
Cortney Collia, Education and Outreach, Michigan Wild Rice Initiative
Cortney is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. She is an education and outreach committee member for the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative. She is a water walker, traditional healer and licensed massage therapist. She has dedicated her life to the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife, ecosystems and manoomin. It is this dedication, love and gratitude for our Mother Earth that inspires her to continue to share the knowledge she has been entrusted to hold.
Emily Cooper, Watershed Technician, Muskegon Conservation District
Emily graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. She oversees the Mona Lake Watershed Plan, aiming for its final review and approval this summer. Emily is also working on the Flower Creek Watershed cover crop implementation. She holds certifications in Construction Stormwater Operation, Soil Erosion, and Sedimentation Control Plan Review and Design through EGLE. With nine years of professional experience across Michigan and New York, Emily has worked in State, Corporate, and private sectors, her experience spans water quality testing, civil engineering, agricultural pest management, and R&D laboratory work.
Kaylynne Dennis, Graduate Research Assistant, GVSU
Kaylynne Dennis is a current graduate research assistant at GVSU pursuing a master’s degree in biology with a focus in Aquatic Science. Her passion for water and climate change studies led her to Dr. Bopi Biddanda’s lab at the Annis Water Resources Institute where she uses long-term monitoring and high-frequency data collection to analyze trends over time in her local freshwater system of Muskegon Lake.
Erick Elgin, MiCorps/MSU Extension
Erick is a limnologist and water resources educator with Michigan State University Extension. His main responsibilities are to promote and research the wise use, protection, and restoration of our freshwater systems. Erick’s recent efforts focus on aquatic plants, lake management, natural shorelines, invasive species, and improving the knowledge of decision makers to make sound water management decisions. Erick has a M.S. in aquatic ecology from the University of Calgary and a B.S. in natural resources management from the University of Minnesota.
Paige Filice, Natural Resources Educator and Associate Director, MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams
Paige Filice is a natural resources educator with Michigan State University Extension. Her main responsibilities include coordinating the aquatic invasive species education programs RIPPLE (Reduce Invasive Pet and Plant Escapes), assisting with Clean Boats, Clean Waters, and serving as the Associate Director of the MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams. Paige promotes the wise use, protection, and restoration of Michigan’s freshwater ecosystems. Paige has a M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University and a B.A. in Conservation Leadership from Lake Superior State University.
Jillian Greene, AWRI, GVSU
Jillian Greene is a second year Masters student in biology with an emphasis in aquatic sciences at Grand Valley State University. Her research is centered around combining biological principles with environmental technologies to create inventive ways to examine Earth’s processes. She is also a graduate research assistant with the NASA Climate Change Research Initiative.
Dr. Jennifer Jermalowicz-Jones, CLP, CLM, Certified Professional Watershed Manager, Restorative Lake Sciences
Jennifer Jermalowicz-Jones owns Restorative Lake Sciences, a lake restoration company based in Spring Lake, Michigan. She has a BS in Limnology/Biology from Michigan Technological University, an MS in Aquatic Ecology from Grand Valley State University, and a PhD from Michigan State University in Water Resource Studies and Community Sustainability. She is a long-time member of MLSA having served on the Board of Directors for 16 years, the North American Lake Management Society, and the International Association for Great Lakes Research, and the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. She currently serves on the Michigamme River Basin Authority TIFA Board in Marquette County, MI, the Wild Rice Stewardship Environmental Committee, the Ottawa County Groundwater Board, and the Ottawa County GOP Executive Committee. She holds Certified Lake Professional, Certified Lake Manager, and Certified Watershed Professional certifications. Her company works on over 100 lakes in the Michigan and the Midwest.
Ben Jordan, Watershed Programs Coordinator, Ottawa Conservation District
Ben Jordan is the Watershed Coordinator for the Ottawa Conservation District, where he oversees several projects focused on improving water quality. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Analysis and Natural Resource Management from Western Michigan University, and has worked in the Environmental field for almost 10 years. Much of his career has focused on working with landowners and agricultural producers to mitigate stormwater runoff and non-point source pollution.
Hari Kandel, PhD, Associate Professor at Lake Superior State University
Claire Karner, AICP, Director of Planning and Zoning, East Bay Charter Township
Claire Karner, AICP, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Natural Resources and Environment, and a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon. Claire has worked with communities across the state of Michigan on zoning protections to preserve natural resources. Prior to joining the township as Director of Planning and Zoning in December 2019, Claire worked as a Community Planner with Land Information Access Association across the state and with Beckett & Raeder in the northwest region of Michigan.
Rob Karner, Watershed Biologist for the Glen Lake Association
Rob Karner received his academic training at the University of Michigan earning a M.S. degree in field biology. Rob has served as the Watershed Biologist for the Glen Lake Association for 20 years and implements a wide variety of water quality monitoring strategies along with working in collaboration with a host of nonprofit, academic, governmental and commercial stakeholders. Rob also taught biology at the Leelanau School for 38 years and lives on the banks of the Crystal River in Glen Arbor.
Dr. Denise Keele, Executive Director, Michigan Climate Action Network
Denise Keele has over two decades of experience in educating others and encouraging action. Denise became Executive Director of the Michigan Climate Action Network in 2022. As a former farmer, forester, grassroots organizer, political scientist, and professor, Keele brings a holistic and collaborative approach to addressing the climate crisis.
Billy Keiper, Aquatic Biologist, WRD, EGLE
Dennis Kellogg, Michigan Farmers Union Board Member
Julia Kirkwood, Nonpoint Source Program, WRD, EGLE
Julia has worked as a natural resource professional for 30 years. For the past 20 years she has worked in the Nonpoint Source Pollution Program collaborating with community stakeholders to protect and restore rivers and lakes from land use impacts through the watershed planning process. She serves on multiple statewide inland lake partnerships and is the chair of the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership. She has enjoyed developing and leading the MI Shoreland Stewards Program and is currently working on creating more resources to facilitate more understanding on how to keep lakes healthy.
Roger LaBine, Water Resource Technician, LVD Environmental and Planning Department, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Roger is an enrolled member of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (LVD) and employed in their Environmental and Planning Department as a Water Resource Technician. He is the recipient of the 2019 Michigan Heritage Award by the Michigan Traditional Arts Program of the University of Michigan and the State of Michigan. In 2024 he was honored by his tribe (LVD) and the Michigan Anishinabek Democratic Caucus with a “Lifetime Achievement Award.” He is the current tribal delegate on the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative (MWRI), Co-chairman of the MWRI Education & Outreach subcommittee, Co-Chairman of the Native Wild Rice Coalition, he was a member of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Wolf Advisory Committee and a member of the MDNR Moose Advisory Committee. He currently holds the office of President for the Michigan Indian Elders Association.
He is an active member in the Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge. He is active in the preservation of Wild Rice through continued restoration efforts of rice beds for his community on traditional and historic tribal lands and in the surrounding area lakes and rivers in the ceded territories. He shares his knowledge through conducting Manoomin Camps and workshops on his traditional homelands and throughout the Great Lakes Basin. He was inspired by his Grandparents and Uncle Niigaanash (knee-gone-nosh) who was also his teacher and Mentor.
Carrie La Seur, Legal Director, For Love of Water
As FLOW’s Legal Director, Carrie develops and implements legal and policy strategies to maximize protection of public trust resources and uses. A graduate of Yale Law School, Carrie recently relocated to northern Michigan from Montana, where she practiced civil litigation, specializing in environmental and climate issues. From 2006-2012 served as Executive Director of Plains Justice, a legal nonprofit she co-founded, litigating against new fossil fuel infrastructure.
Jo Latimore, MiCorps/MSU Outreach Specialist
I am an aquatic ecologist and Outreach Specialist in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. I am particularly interested in aquatic invasive species prevention, detection, and management; volunteer monitoring of Michigan’s streams and lakes (citizen science); science communication, outreach, and engagement; and natural resources leadership development.
As a Senior Outreach Specialist, the majority of my work is focused on engaging with individuals and organizations to promote understanding and stewardship of aquatic ecosystems. Key partners in these efforts include Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, Inc., and the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE); Natural Resources (DNR); and Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD).
Duncan Lawrence, Higgins Lake Swimmers Itch Organization
Duncan is the president of the Higgins Lake Swimmer’s Itch Organization (HLSIO.org) whose mission is to explore and understand the causes of swimmer’s itch and use science-based, humane, and environmentally sound methods to significantly reduce swimmer’s itch. He was responsible for initiating the Water Exposure Study on Higgins Lake that has tracked Swimmer’s Itch on a longitudinal basis since 2022. This is conducted throughout the summer with a core group of survey volunteers.
Chelsey Lawton, Field Operations Supervisor, Muskegon Conservation District
Chelsey attended Grand Valley State University, graduating in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources Management, minoring in Biology. Chelsey has worked with the Muskegon Conservation District for 5 years, overseeing and implementing a variety of projects including bank stabilization and restoration, dam removal, water quality sampling, invasive species management, wetland restoration and habitat management. She has written and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant work to help facilitate these projects. She has also previously volunteered as a board member of the White Lake Association for five years as their scientific committee member participating in the CLMP program.
Tamara Lipsey, Aquatic Biologist, WRD, EGLE
Charles Luebke, Director of Field Operations, Terra Vigilis Environmental Services Group
Charles Luebke is an Electrical Engineer with 40 plus years in Research and Development. He is a subject matter expert (SME) in microprocessor-based control systems, wireless sensor and communications networks, predictive diagnostics, electrical signature and data analysis, fault detection, and protection methods. Charles has 54 US patents. Charles has extensive application knowledge in Aerospace, Vehicular, Commercial, Industrial, Utility, and Critical Infrastructure Industries. In his duties at Terra Vigilis, he serves as the Director of Engineering and Field Operations. Charles is an FAA Part 107 Commercial remote drone pilot. Charles is also a lifelong sailor and an inland lake resident.
Mike Needham, Klinger Lake Association
Mike Needham is the Water Quality volunteer for the Klinger Lake Association, having served as President of the KLA for the previous seven years. He and his wife, Heidi, got involved with MLSA soon after Mike retired from a 33 year career in the IT business 12 years ago. They are the proud grandparents of the four best grandchildren in the world!
Dr. Joe Nohner, Inland Lake Fish Habitat Biologist, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Joe Nohner develops policy and collaborates on science to promote conservation of fish and other aquatic species in Michigan’s inland lakes. He also coordinates the nine-state Midwest Glacial Lakes Fish Habitat Partnership, which focuses on lake conservation science, outreach, and conservation. In addition, he co-administers the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Habitat Grant, leads the DNR Fisheries Climate Change team, and serves on numerous lake and conservation-related committees.
Grace Noyola, Communications Director, Michigan Environmental Council
Noyola joined the MEC staff in August 2022 after leading digital communications and branding at MAPSA-Michigan’s Charter School Association for five years. Prior, she told the stories of student-led projects, operational innovations, and leading environmental research for Michigan State University’s Department of Sustainability. It was at Michigan State where Noyola rounded out her professional experiences. She received a bachelor of arts degree in professional writing, specializing in environmental and sustainability studies. She also serves as a volunteer staff member and foster with New Hope Pet Rescue, a nonprofit animal rescue in mid-Michigan that works to save animals marked for euthanasia in crowded kill shelters, bringing them into foster care until they find loving forever homes. Since becoming a foster in 2020, she has adopted out over 30 cats and dogs.
Mark Ogland-Hand, Grants and Foundation Relations Manager, Michigan Environmental Council
Mark Ogland-Hand has spent most of his career in nonprofit fundraising, working with higher education, housing and environmental organizations. He has worked with individual donors and private philanthropy and in all levels and types of programs – from annual fund, to major gifts, to capital campaigns. He lives in Grand Rapids, but his favorite place is his cottage on an inland lake.
Sara Pearson, CPG, Director of the Michigan Geological Survey
Sara Pearson has worked in the environmental field in Michigan for more than 30 years. She is the Director of the Michigan Geological Survey at Western Michigan University. She has worked as a consultant managing contaminated sites for major petroleum companies and industry and as a regular for EGLE’s remediation and redevelopment and source water programs. Sara’s expertise spans the spectrum of activities related to remediation and redevelopment including extensive hydrogeological investigative, risk evaluation and corrective action experience. She has considerable experience in policy development, IT and data management, and routinely develops and organizes training for staff and environmental practitioners in the private sector.
Dr. Matt Reeves, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University
Matt Reeves is a Presidential Innovation Professor and Professor of Hydrogeology and Director of the Hydrogeology Field Course in Western Michigan University’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Reeves’ research involves applied and theoretical investigations of fluid flow, heat and solute transport in various types of porous media, with a specialty in fractured rock systems. His research has been applied to various problems, including assessing climate change impacts on water resources, environmental fate and transport of contaminants such as nitrate, per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), radionuclides, and road salts, geological waste disposal, geothermal energy, hydrogeologic characterization, and surface water – ground water interaction.
Mary Reilly, AICP, Michigan State University Extension
Mary is a Michigan State University Extension land use educator with over 25 years of experience in planning and zoning. She has worked primarily in rural, recreational areas and has experience dealing with a variety of planning and zoning issues as they relate to freshwater resources. Mary has a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources and Ecology from the University of Michigan.
Ashleigh Russett, Municipal Attorney at Bloom Sluggett, PC
Ashleigh Russett handles municipal code enforcement for a number of cities, villages, and townships across West Michigan, and she has extensive courtroom experience as both a civil litigator and criminal prosecutor. A Michigan native, she obtained her undergraduate degree from Central Michigan University and her law degree from Michigan State University. Ashleigh serves as a Trustee on the Board of the Grand Rapids Bar Association and as a 17th Circuit Representative on the Representative Assembly for the State Bar of Michigan.
Angela Scapini, Extension Educator, Michigan Sea Grant
Angela Scapini is a Michigan State University Extension educator serving Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties in Southeast Michigan, with an office in Macomb County. Angela works with local communities, partners and networks promoting Great Lakes literacy and community resiliency through place-based education programs.
Keith Schneider, Senior Editor and Chief Correspondent, Circle of Blue
Keith manages story development for Circle of Blue. As senior editor and chief correspondent for our Global Choke Point project, Keith has reported on the intensifying confrontation between water, food, and energy from six continents. Keith holds a BA from Haverford College, and he is a nationally known journalist, online communications specialist, and environmental policy expert. He has won numerous awards for his work as a journalist, program innovator, and editor, including two George Polk Memorial Awards for environmental and national reporting (1984 and 1988), which are among the most prestigious in American journalism. For more than a decade, Keith was a national correspondent for The New York Times, where he has delivered more than 1,000 bylines. He continues to report for the Times as a special writer on energy, urban affairs, real estate, business, technology, environment, agriculture, and cultural trends. Before joining Circle of Blue, he was media and communications director at the US Climate Action Network and communications director at the Apollo Alliance. Keith developed one of the first independent online news desks as the founder and executive director of the Michigan Land Use Institute, now Groundwork. A sought-after public speaker on global trends in energy, water, and food, and on the role of original reporting and online communications in the public interest, Keith writes from his home in Northern Michigan, where he has lived since 1993. Read his personal site at Modeshift.org or find him on his bike touring the freshwater coastlines of Michigan.
Alyssa Smith, Biology Graduate Student, GVSU
Alyssa Smith completed her B.S. in biological sciences at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. She is currently a second-year graduate student in the Grand Valley State University M.S. biology program. Her thesis research investigates energy flow in Great Lakes coastal wetland ecosystems.
Kathleen Smith, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission
Prior to GLIFWC, Kathy spent six years with the KBIC Natural Resources Department as a habitat specialist working on native plant and wild rice restoration, invasive species management and youth initiatives. Prior to returning to the Anishinaabeg homelands, she had a 16-year stint with the Bureau of land Management as a fire engine captain with the California Desert District in Southern California.
Smith was born in Red Lake, Minnesota, Ma’iingan indoodem. She earned her AS degree in Environmental Science at the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, where she currently serves on the Board of Regents as secretary.
A member of the Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge, Wasanodaekwe incorporates culture and teachings from her midé family and traditional knowledge holders in her everyday work. She lives with her 13-year-old twin boys Caleb and Jacob, teaching them hunting, fishing, and gathering. As an Anishinaabekwe water walker, she facilitates two annual water walks, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Annual Water Walk and the People of the Heart Water Walk. She gives a voice to those that cannot speak.
Paul Steen, PhD, Director of Science, Huron River Watershed Council
Paul analyzes and reports on the data collected by our Adopt-A-Stream volunteers and provides scientific and educational support to several HRWC programs. He is the program manager of the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps), a state-wide program focused on volunteer monitoring in lakes and streams. Paul earned his Master of Science and Ph. D. from the School of Natural Resources, University of Michigan, where he focused on landscape ecology, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and fish community ecology. He joined HRWC in 2008 and lives in the Horseshoe Creekshed.
Renee Tardani, Master’s Student, AWRI, GVSU
Renee is a second year masters student at GVSU-AWRI in the Partridge laboratory exploring the relationships between microbe and algal dynamics along inland public beaches. Prior to this, she worked in the Partridge, Otter, and Rediske laboratories as a technician working on Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Microbial source tracking recreational waters, and monitoring E. coli levels along public beaches.
CAPT Tim Tyre, PhD, USN (ret)
Dr. Tim Tyre is the CEO Emeritus at Terra Vigilis and a principal investigator in a series of wave enhancement impact studies in freshwater lakes in the Midwest and East Coast. Dr. Tyre has a distinguished research background with published studies and articles which span several domains, including aviation pilot-stress impacts, environmental threats and post-traumatic stress disorders affecting military personnel. Tim is a retired Naval Officer who has a background in professional aviation (both fixed wing and drone) including both flight instruction and academic preparation of aviators. Dr. Tyre brings the unique perspective of a psychologist to studies on large wave impacts and strategies to encourage responsible behavior by boat owners and lake communities. Tim is a lifelong sailor who appreciates the benefits of lake community living.
David Ullrich, Keynote speaker
David Ullrich is currently retired. He was the Former Deputy Regional Administrator for the US EPA, Great Lakes Region as well as the Former Executive Director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. Dave has spent his life protecting the environment and working toward a more sustainable planet. He was in leadership positions at the US EPA for 30 years and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative for 14 years. He has also done extensive volunteer work over the years.
David Wynne, Crystal Lake Watershed Association
Dave is currently a Board Member and was president of the Crystal Lake Watershed Association from 2017-2022. He has been actively engaged with swimmer’s itch data collection and control efforts since 2016. As president he was privileged to accept the MLSA 2017” Lake Association of the Year” award for the CLWA (Crystallakewatershed.org)