Staff
Lisa Wozniak, Executive Director, lisa@michiganlcv.org
I love Michigan because people who have never been here don't believe that it could possibly be this beautiful or that that Lakes could be so vast. I love Michigan because once you've been here and experienced the sugar-sand beaches and sand dunes, the forests, the rocky shores of Lake Superior and the incredible beauty of the Keewenaw Peninsula, the endless and perfect expanse of Lake Michigan while the sun is setting, you wonder why you've ever been anywhere else. And, I love Michigan because I always believed, as a kid growing up in the Mediterranean, that all seas were salty. Not this one.
Lisa comes to the Michigan League of Conservation Voters with a long history in both the environmental and political worlds. Between 1996 and 2005, Lisa served as the Great Lakes Regional Director for the national League of Conservation Voters, overseeing programs and projects in Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin, with an enormous focus on keeping the Great Lakes Congressional caucus in check. Prior to that, Lisa cut her teeth on Lana Pollack's1994 heart-wrenching U.S. Senate campaign and on Alma Wheeler Smith's successful campaign for state Senate. Bitten by the political bug, Lisa was destined to deal with Michigan's current political challenges, which includes the world of term limits, reapportionment, and a bi-partisan log-jam.
Lisa is adept at working with a broad array of people and organizations and brings a strategic vantage point to almost any discussion. Although she may deny her expertise (and the years behind her), Lisa is thought of as a key leader within the conservation community in Michigan. With degrees in French and History of Art, Education and Social Work--all from the University of Michigan--Lisa's strong interdisciplinary background clearly influences Michigan LCV's approach to problem solving, collaborative campaigns, and political change.
Many may consider Lisa an extravert, but a deep, dark secret is that Lisa recharges by being alone! Give her a good book, time to tend to the garden or do yoga, a run with her dog, and Lisa is good to go.... peaceful, calm, measured, attentive. And, meshed between the politics and the garden is Lisa's beautiful family: husband Kenny, hip young sons Zachariah and Benjamin, and lovely dog, Santosha.
Lisa serves on the board of a number of local, state and national organizations, including the Advisory Board of Growing Hope, the fundraising committee of Friends of the Rutherford Pool, and the boards of the Michigan Environmental Council, and the national League of Conservation Voters Education Fund .
Pam Bierzynski, Director of Operations, I love Michigan. It’s that simple. I can’t explain why, I just do.
Pam’s official title is Director of Operations, but we’ve been thinking about changing it. So far, we’ve come up with “point guard,” “master juggler,” “production director,” “life manager,” “IT specialist,” or “Pam of all trades.” If it weren’t for Pam, we’d need a larger office to host more staff. It’s safe to say while you are reading this, she is probably busy trying to find a way to help our organization run more efficiently and effectively. Her duties include managing the Michigan LCV newsletter and assisting in all facets of our programs, development, and administration.
Since childhood, Pam has always loved the outdoors, whether playing soccer or camping with her family. Eventually, her deep appreciation for nature –combined with her skills on the soccer field – led her to Aquinas College (a school known for its beautiful forested campus). There she earned degrees in Geography and Sociology, and was awarded Geographer of the Year and Academic All-American honors on the soccer field. Upon completing her studies, Pam worked as a City Year Detroit Americorps member and as an Associate Financial Representative with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network before being recruited to join the Michigan LCV team. We’re happy to say, she’s ours now.
A hard-core vegetarian, Pam lives in Plymouth with her husband, Tim, an environmental consultant with AKT Peerless Environmental & Energy Services ,and her two cats, Harley and Tanqueray (currently both cats are unemployed). When she’s not daydreaming about riding motorcycles, Pam enjoys spending time outdoors experiencing nature through the lens of her camera. In her free time, she also assists KMS Photography LLC in Dearborn.
Ryan Werder, Campaigns Director, ryan@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.
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.
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.
Phil Skaggs, West Michigan Director, phil@michiganlcv.org
Phil was born and raised in Ohio, but moved to Michigan at the first available opportunity. He attended the University of Michigan, majoring in Russian studies as an undergraduate and Russian history as a graduate student. After getting married, spending time in Washington D.C., Moscow and other cities in Russia and Ukraine, Phil returned to Michigan in 2000. In Grand Rapids, he settled into his chosen profession – teaching history and humanities first at Grand Valley State University and then Aquinas College. A few years back, unexpectedly, he was bitten by both a political bug and a profound desire to improve his community rather than just complaining from his ivory tower (seriously, it actually had ivory). At a crossroads, Phil decided to leave academia and join the MLCV as the new West Michigan Director in March 2011.
Phil’s love for Michigan blossomed during summers on the family cottage on the shores of Burt Lake. Phil is looking forward to working in West Michigan on regional politics and policies related to water protection, healthy communities, energy policies, and public transportation.
Phil lives in East Grand Rapids with his wife Beth and their two daughters Lainey and Julia as well as a dog, two cats and the longest living goldfish in West Michigan. When he finds free time, Phil takes in the occasional opera, watches Michigan football and hockey, goes to his daughters’ swim meets, and generally hangs out with family and friends. He prides himself on raising two pure Michigan daughters: they wear shorts while there is still snow on the ground and hate the ocean, frequently wondering, “why is there salt in this water?”
Starla McDermott, Moms Clean Air Force Organizer (West Michigan), starla@michiganlcv.org
Starla was born and raised in northern California but has lived in the Midwest for 18 years and in Grand Rapids, Michigan for almost six years. She can honestly say, after living in five different states, which included Idaho and Virginia, West Michigan is her favorite place to live. She loves to camp and kayak in northern Michigan and looks forward to the time when everyone can kayak down the Grand River, right through downtown Grand Rapids. Starla is the mother of three children; one in college, one in high school and one in middle school. In the past year she has begun running and has participated in several local 5k's or dashes and, for the first time ran in the Fifth Third River Bank Run along the Grand River last spring.
For the past 20 years or so, Starla has been in sales and marketing within the natural and organic food industry and have worked for large companies such as Tree of Life/Kehe Foods and The Hain Celestial Group. She is a huge proponent of sustainable, organic foods and has enjoyed working with locally owned natural food stores throughout the Midwest.
Within this past year, Starla changed career paths and went back to school to study Non-Profit Management. Before joining Michigan LCV, she worked part-time with the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, planning events around water quality such as the Grand River Water Festival and The Grand River Clean Up.
She is excited to be apart of Michigan LCV and the Moms Clean Air Force, and feels that it is the natural next step in her quest to help make our earth healthier for all.
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.
Drew YoungeDyke, Policy & Communications Specialist, drew@michiganlcv.org
Drew was born and raised Central Lake, northern Michigan. He learned to appreciate the outdoors on camping trips with his brother, cousins, and aunts, at his family’s cottage on spring-fed Chaney Lake in the western Upper Peninsula, and riding horses around the woods where he grew up. He solidified his love for the outdoors by hunting with his dad and grandpa at their deer camp on Beaver Island, fishing for pike with his grandpa on Torch Lake and Lake Skegamog, and backpacking solo in the Pigeon River Country.
He earned his B.A. in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy at Michigan State University’s James Madison College and his J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law, where his law review article on Asian carp litigation was published by the school’s Animal Legal and Historical Center. He passed the bar exam in 2011 and is admitted to the State Bar of Michigan.
Drew joined Michigan LCV as an intern while awaiting his bar exam results, and liked it so much that he stayed to track legislation and coordinate our upcoming Green Gavels judicial accountability tool. He is now our Policy & Communications Specialist, managing online and external communications, analyzing legislation, and activating fellow hunters and anglers.
When he’s not writing about conservation and the environment, he’s usually backpacking, bowhunting, fly-fishing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, canoeing, kayaking, riding his mountain bike, hiking, camping, blogging at MichiganOutside.com, reading Jim Harrison novellas, and sometimes even practicing law.
Drew also volunteers for the Huron River Watershed Council, helps out with the Central Lake Alumni Scholarship, and helps organize Ann Arbor Green Drinks. He is a member of the Pigeon River Country Association, the Washtenaw Bar Association, and the Environmental and Energy Law Section of the American Bar Association. Drew lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Michele, who works at the University of Michigan.
Matt Blain, West MI Organizer, matt@michiganlcv.org
Matt was born and raised in Troy, Michigan until heading off to West Michigan to attend Grand Valley State University. He studied Political Science and Economics, graduating from GVSU in 2011. During his undergraduate years was heavily involved with the David LaGrand campaign for Michigan Senate and the Rapid Bus Millage ballot proposal. Right after college, Matt was fortunate enough to get a job with global furniture manufacturer, Steelcase. Just shy of a year at Steelcase, an unrelenting desire to get back involved with the community guided him to Michigan LCV.
Matt currently resides just outside downtown Grand Rapids, in historic Heritage Hill, which is close enough to walk the West Michigan LCV office. The beautiful West Michigan landscape and the budding downtown of Grand Rapids has captured his whimsical early 20 desires. Matt is a regular patron at the local restaurants Hopcat, Cherry Street Deli, The Electric Cheetah, and Logan's Alley, restaurants he could not imagine living without.
Matt makes sure to find time to enjoy the wonderful nature of Michigan. You may find him with bumps and bruises on the mountain bike trails, relaxing by a campfire, hiking in any state park, or grilling in his backyard. Inspired most after a hard day's work, he finds that submitting into nature provides the perfect contemplative space. Aside from enjoying the wonders of the outdoors, Matt finds time to play the guitar anywhere and everywhere, grab a beer at Logan's Alley in an attempt to conquer their 200 beer club list (the best Wednesday tradition), pick up a classic book, or travel whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Melissa Bernardi, Field Director, melissa@michiganlcv.org
Melissa 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.
Alex Citron, Southeast MI Organizer, alex@michiganlcv.org
A native Michigander, Alex has spent his whole life enjoying the beauty of our great state. He attended Central Michigan University, majoring in hospitality service administration. After spending a few years working at Detroit area hotels, Alex decided that he wanted to have a more direct impact on the community in which he lived. He altered course, and is currently pursuing a masters degree in Public Policy at the University of Michigan. The experience has taught him the value of and need for active community involvement.
When not working or concentrating on his studies, Alex enjoys the fun that the Metro Detroit area has to offer. He enjoys nights out with friends in Royal Oak, golfing Michigan’s amazing courses or kayaking on the lake at one on the area’s metro parks.
For Alex, clean energy and the preservation of our natural environment are the responsibility of all. We are the ones who bare the responsibility of keeping it clean and safe for the next generations.