UDALL FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Education Programs and Chief Diversity Officer
Alicia Harris joined the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) in September of 2020 as Director of Education Programs. She has over 20 years of experience in student aid program administration. Prior to joining the Udall Foundation, Alicia worked for the United States Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, Minority-Serving and Under Resourced Schools Division as Acting Director. Prior to that, she was the Assistant Director of Financial Aid at Oklahoma City Community College. She has also worked for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education as a Scholarship Coordinator managing state student aid programs. Alicia began her student aid program career working for the Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program.
Alicia holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Education in Industrial Safety from the University of Central Oklahoma, and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from Oklahoma State University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Secretary
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Amy Loyd, Ed.L.D., is the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education. In this role, she oversees national programs related to career and technical education, community colleges, adult education and literacy, and correctional education.
Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Dr. Loyd was a Vice President at Jobs for the Future (JFF), where she designed and led programs across the United States that improve education and workforce outcomes. Her work at JFF focused on state and regional policies, practices, and cross-sector partnerships that engaged K-12 education, community colleges, adult education, workforce development, economic development, and employers to build systems of college and career pathways, leveraging career and technical education. She also oversaw JFF's work in workforce development with a lens on economic advancement; state and Federal policy; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She previously was the Director of Education at Cook Inlet Tribal Council, leading a network of schools providing culturally responsive education, training, and wraparound services to the Alaska Native and Native American communities. Dr. Loyd attended Santa Fe Community College and Northern New Mexico Community College, and holds a bachelor's degree from St. John's College and a doctorate in education leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she was an adjunct lecturer on building career pathways to increase opportunity and equity.
Ben Zukowski is a Senior Program Associate at the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation's (Udall Foundation) John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). He provides support for regional facilitation and stakeholder and Tribal engagement over a variety of environmental policy issues. He also provides direct services such as facilitating sessions, producing meeting summaries, supporting process design, and conducting neutral assessments for a range of projects.
Ben has several years of experience with facilitation, cross-cultural collaboration, wildlife conservation, environmental policy, training, and capacity-building across North and South America. He has specialized in working with Native communities and natural resources, from human-bear interactions in Quechua communities of northern Ecuador to First Nation hunting for Caribou in the Canadian arctic. He has established himself by building trust and encouraging meaningful discussions between governments. Prior to his time at the Udall Foundation, he wore many hats as a bear biologist, sociological researcher, EPA policy analyst, science communicator, and interdisciplinary researcher at the intersection of ecological, historical, cultural, and political interests.
Ben received his bachelor's degree in Environmental Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and earned his master's degree in Environmental Management from Yale University, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Chairman of the Council
Brenda Mallory is the 12th Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). She is the first African American to serve in this position. As Chair, she advises the President on environmental and natural resources policies that improve, preserve, and protect public health and the environment for America's communities. She is focused particularly on addressing the environmental justice and climate change challenges the nation faces while advancing opportunities for job growth and economic development.
Chair Mallory has decades of experience in both the private and public sector, including spending nearly 20 years at the Environmental Protection Agency and CEQ, serving in a number of senior roles. In Chair Mallory's first stint at CEQ as the General Counsel, she helped shape many of President Obama's signature environmental and natural resource policy successes. Now having returned to CEQ, Chair Mallory is looking to reinvigorate CEQ's important environmental policy role to advance President Biden's ambitious climate and environmental justice agenda.
Chair Mallory was the first in her family to attend college, graduating from Yale College with a double major in history and sociology and then from Columbia Law School as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She and her husband, Mark, live in Rockville, Maryland. They have three adult children. The family enjoys visiting the parks and other natural treasures that reflect the environmental values she has worked to protect.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director of Education Programs Grants, Gifts & Donations Manager
Job Titles:
- Director of the Morris K.
- Director, National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution
Brian is the Director of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation's (Udall Foundation) John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). Brian has worked at the Udall Foundation for more than 11 years and has served as Director of the National Center since 2017. He has approximately two decades of facilitation, mediation, decision analysis, conflict assessment, collaborative support, and public involvement experience with fresh water, ocean/coastal, public lands, energy, transportation, and other issues. Brian's focus has been on large, complex, and challenging collaborative processes, particularly in the water resources arena. Prior to joining the National Center, Brian consulted at an environmental engineering firm, CH2M Hill, for five years. In addition, he was an organizational development consultant for more than six years, working in the nonprofit and technology sectors.
Brian earned his M.A degree in Conflict Resolution, with a focus on environmental policy, from the University of Denver. He has a B.S. degree in Management Science/Decision Support Systems from Virginia Tech. Brian served as a past co-chair for the Association for Conflict Resolution Environment and Public Policy Section.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs / U.S. Department of the Interior / Washington, D.C.
- Member of the Bay Mills Indian Community
Bryan Newland, an enrolled member of the Bay Mills Indian Community, a Federally recognized Ojibwe Tribe in Michigan, is the 14th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 7, 2021, and officially sworn into office on August 25, 2021. A ceremonial swearing in by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland was held on September 8, 2021.
Mr. Newland is an alumnus of the Udall Foundation's Native American Congressional Internship Program, serving as an Intern in 2002.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Chairman / at Hogan Marren Babbo & Rose, Ltd.
- Chairman / Shareholder, Hogan Marren Babbo & Rose, Ltd
At Hogan Marren Babbo & Rose, Ltd., Charlie represents educational institutions and education-related businesses in regulatory compliance, corporate transactions, education law and policy and civil rights matters. Formerly, Charlie served as the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Education from May 2009 to July 2011-a Senate-confirmed position for which Charlie was nominated by President Obama. As General Counsel, Charlie was a senior official in the Obama Administration and advised the U.S. Secretary of Education on all legal, regulatory and policy matters as well as education reform initiatives. Charlie is active in community service, is a frequent speaker on education law and policy and previously served as an adjunct lecturer at DePaul University College of Law and Northeastern Illinois University. In 2014, Charlie was nominated by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, a federal agency focused on environmental and Native American matters.
Courtney Owen is a Senior Program Associate at the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation's (Udall Foundation) John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). She provides support to various environmental collaboration and conflict resolution (ECCR) projects related to oceans, fresh water, Native resources and Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act compliance. She conducts conflict assessments, leads process design, and facilitates collaborative conflict resolution efforts using innovative strategies. She has also worked on National Center leadership initiatives, including the ECCR Policy Forum, to facilitate exchange of information among Federal staff as well as provide outreach support and guidance on ECCR.
Prior to the Udall Foundation, Courtney worked for Engility Corporation on international development issues, specifically related to energy infrastructure, gender programs, and financial development for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. She also worked for Oceana, conducting research, GIS mapping, and developing campaigns on climate change in the United States.
Courtney graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., and the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica with a dual Master of Arts in International Environmental Affairs/Natural Resources and Sustainable Development. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Salisbury University in International Relations and Conflict Analysis & Dispute Resolution.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President
- Trustee
- Member of the Conference Board
- Public Affairs Consultant / Scottsdale, AZ
- Special Assistant, Legislative Affairs
Mike Rappoport retired from the Salt River Project (SRP) as associate general manager, Public & Communications Services, in 2011. SRP, based in Tempe, Arizona, is one of the nation's largest public water and electric utilities, with annual operating revenues of $3 billion.
At SRP, Rappoport's responsibilities included Advertising & Corporate Research; Community, Consumer, Government & Media Relations; Corporate Contributions; and Communications & Communications Services.
Rappoport was appointed by President Clinton and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a Trustee of the Udall Foundation in 1994. Rappoport was re-appointed in 1996. During his time on the Board, he has chaired the Management Committee and has been Vice Chair.
Rappoport joined SRP in 1973 and served as special assistant, Legislative Affairs; director, Government Affairs; and assistant general manager, Government Affairs, before being named associate general manager, Public & Communications Services, in April 1991. Prior to SRP, Rappoport worked at Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and the National Association of Electric Companies. Rappoport also served as a legislative assistant to former Congressman Craig Hosmer (California).
Rappoport has been a member of the Conference Board Public Affairs Council and is a past director of the Public Affairs Council. He served two terms as a member of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, an adviser to the Phoenix Junior League, and as a director of the National Water Resources Association.
Rappoport earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from American University in Washington, D.C., in 1961. He received a Master of Arts degree in 1963 from the University of Hawaii. Rappoport completed course work and curriculum requirements for his Ph.D. in 1971.
Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1939, Rappoport and his wife have two children and two grandchildren.
Dana Goodson joined the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) in 2016 as a Senior Program Manager at the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). She has nearly 15 years of experience in conducting conflict assessments, designing multistakeholder processes leading to consensus outcomes, and facilitating groups towards the achievement of their goals. She has worked on a wide range of topics from forest resources to environmental health. She focuses on issues surrounding the management, use, and conservation of ocean and coastal resources as well as on energy development, production, and resilience, often working with Native Nations in these areas. She also leads trainings on environmental collaboration and conflict resolution. Prior to joining the Udall Foundation, Dana was a mediator at RESOLVE, where she facilitated consensus-building projects and policy dialogues on both national and international levels.
Dana earned a master's degree in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) with a focus on conflict management. She also holds a graduate degree from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Institute of Political Studies, known as Sciences Po) in Paris, France, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Williams College. She is a former Leadership Council co-chair for the Association for Conflict Resolution's Environment and Public Policy Section and also co-chaired the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Consultant / Berkeley, CA
Denis Udall is an educational consultant. Most recently, he served as Director of Strategic Partnerships with the George Lucas Educational Foundation where he managed the strategic direction of its research agenda in civics education, mathematics, and interdisciplinary education. Prior to this, Denis was a Program Officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation where he managed strategy and grants, including improving the quality of curriculum and instructional materials, California education policy, and aligning K-12 and higher education standards and assessments. Denis has also worked as a Senior Program Officer at the Walter S. Johnson Foundation where he focused on connecting high school dropouts and adolescents transitioning out of foster care to post-secondary and workforce development opportunities.
Earlier in his career, Denis had a 10-year history with Outward Bound including helping to found Expeditionary Learning (now EL Education), a national school improvement network, and the New York City Outward Bound Center, Outward Bound's first urban center. Denis is the founder of the North Oakland Community Charter School. He received an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The son of Stewart L. Udall, Denis is honored to serve on the Udall Foundation Board of Trustees, which he joined in May 2022.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Executive Director of the Morris K.
Dr. David Brown has been the Executive Director of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) since September 2019. He came to the Udall Foundation following a 20-year career as a climate scientist, climate services provider, and educator, during which time he published over 40 peer-reviewed and technical publications and taught introductory, advanced, and graduate courses at three universities. Prior to his appointment as Executive Director, David was Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Southern Plains Climate Hub and Acting Director of its Grazinglands Research Laboratory, both located in El Reno, Oklahoma. David also served as the Southern Region Climate Services Director for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and held tenure-track faculty appointments at Louisiana State University and the University of New Hampshire, where he was also the New Hampshire State Climatologist.
David holds a B.S. degree in Meteorology from Penn State University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Geography from the University of Arizona.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- President / University of Arizona / Tucson, AZ
Dr. Robert C. Robbins assumed his position as the 22nd president of the University of Arizona on June 1, 2017. Previously, he served as president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston from 2012 to 2017. In this role, he significantly enhanced TMC's commitment to collaboration, introducing five cross-institutional research initiatives centered on innovation, genomics, regenerative medicine, health policy and clinical research.
Prior to his time in Houston, Dr. Robbins served as professor and chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine, founding director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, president of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation, president of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association, president of the American Heart Association Western States Affiliate, president of the Bay Area Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and chair of the American Heart Association Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia Council, among other roles. In 2016, he served as president of the American Heart Association Southwest Affiliate.
An internationally recognized cardiac surgeon, Robbins has focused his clinical efforts on acquired cardiac diseases with a special expertise in the surgical treatment of congestive heart failure and cardiothoracic transplantation. His research work includes the investigation of stem cells for cardiac regeneration, cardiac transplant allograft vasculopathy, bioengineered blood vessels, and automated vascular anastomotic devices. Robbins is the author of more than 300 peer-reviewed articles and a former guest editor of the Circulation Surgical Supplement.
While at TMC, Robbins also served on the Houston branch of the Dallas Federal Reserve board, the board of directors of the Welch Foundation, and the American Heart Association Southwest Affiliate in 2016. He served on an independent blue ribbon committee to evaluate the Veterans Affairs health system, and the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston honored him as the 2016 International Citizen of the Year.
His educational background includes a B.S. in chemistry from Millsaps College, medical degree from the University of Mississippi, general surgical training at the University of Mississippi, cardiothoracic training at Stanford University, postdoctoral research at Columbia University and the National Institutes of Health, and congenital heart surgical fellowships at Emory University and Royal Children's Hospital.
Job Titles:
- Contracting Officer 's Representative
Elisa Baca has been with the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) since October 2016 as the Contracting Officer's Representative. She holds a Federal Acquisition Certification-(FAC-COR) Level III and FAC-C Level I certification. Elisa came to the Udall Foundation following a 20-year career with the U.S. Forest Service at Gila National Forest in Silver City, New Mexico, and Coronado National Forest in Tucson, Arizona, where she served in various positions including Human Resources Specialist, Contracting Specialist, Wildland Firefighting Incident Procurement team member, and Recreation/Special Uses Realty Specialist. Her most notable detail with the U.S. Forest Service was serving as a Training Coordinator for the National Advanced Fire & Resource Institute, assisting with planning nationwide training for wildland firefighting and critical incident management teams.
Elisa earned her A.S. degree in Business from Western New Mexico University.
Job Titles:
- Communications Program Manager
Elizabeth Monroe serves as the Udall Foundation's Communications Program Manager and has primary responsibility for the communications requirements of the agency. She creates, reviews, edits, approves, and/or organizes internal and external agency communications products and materials in support of the agency's mission delivery and operations; identifies opportunities and makes recommendations to agency and program leadership for new or improved communications approaches, processes, and procedures, consistent with Federal Government requirements and best practices; and participates as a member of the Executive Office team, which includes the Executive Director, General Counsel, Administrative Officer, and Operations Coordinator. Prior to serving as the Communications Program Manager, she worked as the Executive Assistant to the Udall Foundation from January 2002 through June 2022. Beth came to the Udall Foundation, and Tucson, after living and working in New York City for 14 years. She worked for Carnegie Corporation of New York, a nonprofit educational foundation, for approximately 11 of her 14 years in New York City.
Beth earned a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College.
Elyse Magen is a Program Associate at the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation's (Udall Foundation) John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). She joined the Udall Foundation in Spring 2022 and will be supporting the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee and other National Center projects. Prior to joining the Udall Foundation, Elyse worked for a D.C.-based nonprofit, Global Land Alliance, on land and resource administration projects in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Elyse also served in the Peace Corps, in the Community Economic Development sector, working with farmers to address the challenges of illicit crop substitution and the lasting impacts of Colombia's civil conflict. Elyse earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Environmental Studies from Tulane University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Affiliate Assistant Professor / University of Washington School
Eric D. Eberhard is an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Law. From 2009 to 2016, he was a Distinguished Indian Law Practitioner in Residence at the Law School at Seattle University, where he was a faculty co-founder of the American Indian Law Journal. He was a partner in the Seattle office of Dorsey and Whitney LLP from 1995 to 2009. He received his B.A. degree from Western Reserve University in 1967, a J.D. degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1970, and an LL.M. from George Washington University in 1972. He has been actively engaged in the practice of Indian Affairs law since 1973, including employment in legal services, private practice and as the Deputy Attorney General of the Navajo Nation and Executive Director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office. His practice has involved all aspects of the representation of Indian tribes, organizations, individuals and entities doing business with Indian tribes in federal, state and tribal judicial, legislative and administrative forums.
From 1989 to 1995, he served as the General Counsel and Staff Director on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs for Senator John McCain of Arizona. In that capacity, he had direct responsibility for legislation relating to the protection of the environment on Indian lands, Indian cultural resources protection, gaming, water rights, self-determination and self-governance, tribal courts and economic development.
In December 2000, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Clinton's appointment of Mr. Eberhard to the Board of Trustees of the Udall Foundation. President Bush nominated Mr. Eberhard for a second term on the Board in 2005, and he was confirmed by the Senate in 2006. From 2001 to 2011, he chaired the Board's Committee on the Native Nations Institute. In October 2011, he was elected as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. His term on the Board expired in 2015. He was re-nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in late 2015. He was re-elected as Chair of the Board in February 2016.
He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Chambers. At Dorsey & Whitney, he was recognized as the Partner of the Year, the Diversity Partner of the Year and the Pro Bono Partner of the Year. He has been honored by the United South and Eastern Tribes, Navajo Nation and its courts, the National Indian Gaming Association, the National Association of Indian Legal Services Programs, the Intertribal Timber Council and the American Indian Religious Freedom Coalition for outstanding service and contributions.
Gwen Franks joined the Udall Foundation in late August 2022 after serving as an attorney with the U.S. Army Materiel Command Legal Center in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, from October 2010 through November 2014 and February 2020 through August 2022. Prior to that, she was Assistant Chief Counsel for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Gwen has also served as Regional Counsel for the Federal Transit Administration, Region X, in Seattle, Washington, and as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Thurston County in Olympia, Washington.
Gwen holds a Juris Doctor from Tulane University's School of Law as well as a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College. She is a member of both the Arizona and Washington State Bar Associations and has been active in the community including through the Junior Leagues of Tucson and Olympia and the Pierce County Center for Dialogue and Resolution.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Dean Emeritus / Lewis & Clark Law School / Portland, or
Job Titles:
- Education Program Manager
- Member of the Navajo Nation
Jason Curley has worked at the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) since 2018 and now manages its Undergraduate Scholarship and Native American Congressional Internship programs. His work includes a multifaceted approach to recruiting students and young professionals pursuing careers in the environment, Native health care, and Tribal policy. He is actively engaged with college faculty and staff, Tribal leaders, and program alumni who help nominate and select students for the Scholarship and Internship. Each new class of Scholars and Interns works closely with Jason as they participate in their program activities and are introduced to the greater Udall alumni community. As a 2012 Udall Scholar, Jason appreciates the value of the lifelong Udall network and the opportunities it offers this group of leaders, public servants, advocates, and Native and environmental professionals. For this reason, and many more, he is committed to strengthening the programs; supporting the Udall Foundation's mission; and engaging past, current, and future Udall Scholars and Interns in his work.
Jason is a member of the Navajo Nation from northern Arizona. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Native American Studies from Dartmouth before moving to New York City to work on health care reform and outreach with the American Indian Community House. He continued this work with the National Indian Health Board and Kauffman & Associates, Inc. in Washington, D.C., where he expanded his interest in Native health care administration and policy. His creative and artistic abilities are perhaps two of his most noticeable traits-next to his love for sterling silver and turquoise jewelry.
Job Titles:
- Chief Data and Information Officer
Lauren Cordova is the Native American and Alaska Native (NAAN) Program Associate for the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation). She is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Taos and a descendant of the Shoshone Bannock Tribes as well as the Pueblo of Tesuque. Lauren joined the Udall Foundation in 2022 and will be supporting both its Education Programs and John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). Her work with the Education Programs will focus directly on the Native American Congressional Internship Program, and her work with the National Center will support the Native American and Alaska Native Service Area. Lauren has had many roles over the past 10 years both in Indian Country and the Arts Education field. Most recently, she worked with Native youth at the New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Prior to moving back to New Mexico, she worked on the East Coast with several organizations including the Appel Farm Music and Arts Camp and the Therapeutic Recreation program of Arlington County's Parks and Recreation Department. Throughout her life, her commitment to the importance of Native arts and education has been strengthened by her family's legacy of Tribal leadership and traditional knowledge. Lauren is a direct descendant of Shoshone Chief Arimo and Bannock Chief Racehorse. She comes from a long line of governors and spiritual leaders from Taos Pueblo and Tesuque Pueblo, respectively.
Lauren is a graduate of Northern Virginia Community College where she earned an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts. She is also an alum of the American University (AU) Washington Internships for Native Students program during which she interned at the Social Security Administration and in the AU Office of the School of Professional and Extended Studies.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Project Manager for the Morris K.
Lauren Nutter is a Project Manager for the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation's (Udall Foundation) John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). Her work is primarily focused on projects related to fresh and marine water resources as well as work with Native Nations. In her time with the National Center, Lauren has provided trainings on stakeholder engagement, interest-based negotiation, water diplomacy, and environmental collaboration. She has provided support for regional facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and Tribal engagement on ocean planning throughout the United States. She also provides direct services in conducting conflict assessments, leading process design, and facilitating collaborative/conflict resolution efforts on a range of projects.
Lauren is a 2008 alumna of the Udall Foundation's Undergraduate Scholarship program. Prior to her work at the Udall Foundation, Lauren worked as a consultant on sustainable development projects and helped develop a young climate leaders program. In 2010-2011, Lauren was a Thomas J. Watson Fellow and independently researched youth empowerment in environmental decision making in Turkey, India, Belgium, Holland, Peru, and Argentina. From 2007-2011, Lauren worked extensively on youth engagement at the international level on climate change, and she served as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change youth focal point in 2011.
Lauren is a graduate of Tufts University Fletcher School, where she completed a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy as well as an interdisciplinary Water: Systems, Science, and Society graduate certificate. She is also a graduate of College of the Atlantic, in Bar Harbor, Maine, where she received a B.A. degree in Human Ecology.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Law Student / University of Colorado / Boulder, CO
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Vice Chair
- Vice Chair of the Board
Lisa Johnson-Billy is serving her third term in the Chickasaw Nation legislature. Lisa was elected to six terms (term limits prevent more than six terms) in the Oklahoma House of Representatives prior to serving as a tribal legislator. Lisa was the first woman and Native American elected to serve in house district 42.
While serving in the Oklahoma legislature Lisa co-founded the Native American caucus and was elected as the first chairperson. She was appointed to serve as chair for the International & tribal affairs committee, Public Safety appropriations, Higher Education appropriations and assistant deputy whip. Lisa served her final two years as the floor leader. Lisa was also appointed to serve as chairman for the national legislative "Justice Performance Project," which created national policy. In 2013, Lisa was a selected as an Aspen/Rodel fellow.
As a state legislator, Lisa has received numerous awards and recognitions including the Legislator of the year from the Oklahoma Public Employee Association, the Oklahoma State Trooper Association and was recognized as a supporter of rural Oklahoma. She has also been honored with the Oklahoma Spirit Award, the American Indian Exposition Indian of the year, the Changing Winds Cultural Society Indian woman of the year, and was recognized for her work on female incarceration.
Lisa has been married for 26 years to Phillip, a veteran of the Air Force. They have three children and enjoy hunting, tribal activities and ministry outreach.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Mark Nethery has an extensive background working with government wildlife and environmental agencies. Mr. Nethery served three terms as the State President of the League of KY Sportsmen (LKS), Kentucky's oldest and largest sportsmen/women and conservation organization. Prior to his statewide presidency, he served as 3rd District President and as a State Director of the LKS. After serving as State President of the LKS Mark continued to serve as the Governmental Affairs Liaison for the League of Kentucky Sportsmen from 2014-2018.
Mr. Nethery continues his advocacy for the proper management of natural resources, wildlife, and wildlife habitat. Now, as during his tenure as President of the LKS, Mr. Nethery works with elected officials, state agencies, and civic leaders to implement policies directly affecting the natural resources and sportsmen/women of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In recognition of his conservation and legislative achievements, Mark has been awarded the LKS President's Award, the KY Wildlife Federation Foundation President's Award and the LKS Sportsman of the Year Award.
In the private sector, Mr. Nethery served as the Chief Operations Officer of a regional specialty coffee company, retiring after 30 years with the company. During his years of service, in addition to the day-to-day management, Mr. Nethery traveled extensively in South and Central America, educating growers as to the benefits of producing high-quality coffees and served on various domestic and international trade committees. Mr. Nethery also served on numerous boards and charities, including 28 years as an executive officer/board member of the KY Restaurant Association and 15 years as a board member of the Lincoln Heritage Council Boy Scouts of America.
An avid sportsman, Mr. Nethery is an accomplished competitive shooter, enjoys upland bird and big game hunting and is a freelance outdoors writer and craftsman. He can most often be found on his rural Kentucky farm spending time afield with his two English Pointers, Pippa and Ziva.
Married for 39 years, Mark lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, Regina, and has two daughters.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager & Training Program Manager
- Project Manager for the Morris K.
Melanie Knapp is a Project Manager for the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation's (Udall Foundation) John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). She has expertise in collaboration, facilitation, mediation, training, and consensus-building. Melanie works with agencies, Tribes, nonprofits, community organizations, and businesses, on a wide range of issues including freshwater, public lands, and transportation assessments and projects. She also manages the National Center's training program and serves as a trainer in courses covering environmental collaboration and conflict resolution topics such as process design, situation assessments, collaborative communication, and interest-based negotiation.
Prior to her time at the Udall Foundation, Melanie worked with various collaborative groups and as a researcher and instructor. She has worked on environmental social science and biological research teams studying various issues including wildfire resilience, forest policy, restoration, ecology, and microbiology. She also worked as part of a 12-organization partnership to develop a farm on a riparian property with a conservation easement and active restoration at a regional land trust in Oregon. While completing her graduate work, she developed and taught as a sole instructor an undergraduate course at the University of Oregon on conservation and restoration in the Pacific Northwest, and supported the National Policy Consensus Center Equity & Diversity in Public Policy team and an Oregon Solutions-facilitated group focused on landscape-scale restoration of Federal forest lands.
Melanie holds M.S. degrees from the University of Oregon in Conflict and Dispute Resolution and in Environmental Studies with concentrations in Critical Intercultural Communication and Planning, Public Policy and Management, along with graduate level certificates in Women's & Gender Studies and Nonprofit Management. She also holds a B.S. degree in Biology and a Liberal Arts and Management certificate from Indiana University, and has completed over 200 hours of stand-alone training in facilitation, mediation, water conflict management and transformation, collaborative governance, and nonviolent communication.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Project Manager for the Morris K.
Mitch Chrismer is a Project Manager for the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation's (Udall Foundation) John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). His emphasis during his eight years with the Udall Foundation has been on public lands and Tribal issues. His primary responsibilities have included coordinating collaborative planning and conflict resolution processes, with a focus on landscape-scale ecosystem planning. Mitch currently works extensively on Missouri River Basin issues and helps lead the Missouri River Basin Interagency Roundtable and Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee projects for the National Center. His current work focus is on project and contract management.
Mitch is a graduate of the University of Denver, where he completed master's degrees in International Politics and Conflict Resolution. He focused on environmental issues while pursuing both master's degrees, with a concentration in Environmental Mediation. His Bachelor of Arts is in Psychology, which he received from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Myles came to the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where he served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in Biloxi, Mississippi. Prior to that, Myles held financial leadership and management positions in the VA's Health Care System of the Ozarks and in the private sector at Physicians' Specialty Hospital. His range of experience includes, among other areas, budget formulation, execution, and projection; accounting and managerial cost analysis; Federal appropriations law and internal controls; and information systems.
Myles holds a Six Sigma certification along with MBA and B.S. degrees from John Brown University in Arkansas. He is also a veteran, having served in both the U.S. Army and the Arkansas Air National Guard. During his time in service, Myles was deployed to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson.
Rachel Hammelman is a Program Associate at the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation's (Udall Foundation) John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). She provides support for the Climate Service Area as well as National Center projects, programming, and operational requirements. Prior to joining the Udall Foundation, Rachel worked for The Land Conservancy of New Jersey on municipal- and county-level land management planning and advocacy, specifically related to open space conservation, farmland preservation, and recreation. She also worked for the University of Rochester conducting research on the evolution and development of morphology in pea aphids.
Rachel graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government with a Master of Public Administration, during which she worked with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University on their inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and leadership (IDEAL) efforts. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Rochester in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Sara Moeller joined the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation in April 2023 as the Administrative Officer. Prior to that, she served as a Program Analyst at the Food and Drug Administration where she worked on public health performance metrics and reporting. Preceding this appointment, she worked for the Transportation Security Administration focusing on project design, analysis, and reporting for the agency. Sara worked as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Saint Xavier University prior to joining Federal service.
Sara holds a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science in Health and Social Psychology from North Dakota State University as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Arizona. She is a Tucson native and enjoys spending as much time as possible with her family, friends, and bicycle.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Manager
- Specialist
Seth Cohen is a collaboration and conflict resolution specialist with over 20 years of experience working with diverse groups as a facilitator, mediator, and trainer in Latin America, Africa, South Asia, and throughout the United States. Seth joined the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) team in 2021 as a Senior Program Manager for the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center). Seth has extensive experience bringing people together to address complex multiparty natural resources challenges, including water resources management, land-use development, and controversial infrastructure projects. He has designed and facilitated numerous meetings on flood risk management, watershed planning, and regulatory permit challenges. He has worked extensively with Native Nations and has served as a facilitator in Government-to-Government Consultation meetings between Tribes and Federal agencies. As a trainer, Seth has taught courses on facilitation, mediation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and cross-cultural communication. Before joining the Udall Foundation, Seth spent 11 years working at the U.S Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources and its Collaboration & Public Participation Center of Expertise where he assisted the agency, stakeholders, and Tribes in working through a variety of water resources-related challenges. Prior to becoming a Federal employee in 2010, Seth worked domestically and internationally as an independent mediator, facilitator, and conflict resolution trainer.
Seth received his doctorate in Conflict Analysis & Resolution from George Mason University in 2013, his master's degree in Intercultural Communication from the University of New Mexico in 2002, and his bachelor's degree from the Colorado College in 1993. Seth grew up in Northern New Mexico, and he currently lives in Colorado.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director, National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution
Stephanie Kavanaugh first joined the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) as a Senior Program Manager for the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center) in June of 2015 and was promoted to Director of the DC Office of Udall Foundation in January 2017. In January 2020, her titled was changed to Deputy Director of the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution. As the Deputy Director, she works with the Director of the National Center to manage National Center programs, projects, and staff. Prior to joining the Udall Foundation, Stephanie facilitated collaborative processes at NOAA's National Ocean Service for eight years. She began her Federal career as an ORISE fellow at the EPA Office of Water. Stephanie has designed and facilitated dozens of ECCR processes on very sensitive topics, including nuclear waste disposal, marine energy facilities, protected species management, and coral reef conservation. She also has trained hundreds of Federal agency staff and contractors in group facilitation, conflict resolution, and collaboration.
Stephanie earned her M.S. degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Maryland in College Park and her B.S. degree in Environmental Biology from Eastern Illinois University. She is an International Association of Facilitators Certified Professional Facilitator, holds a Certificate in Public Participation from the International Association for Public Participation, and has completed over 160 hours of training in facilitation and dispute resolution.
Stephanie Lucero joined the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) as a Senior Program Manager for the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution's (National Center) Native American and Alaskan Native Service Area in October 2018. She works on projects involving cultural and natural resources in the fields of environmental compliance and public lands management. She is also the lead trainer for the National Center's Collaboration with Native Nations and Tribal Consultation training. Ms. Lucero has over 18 years of experience in facilitation, mediation, policy development, cross-cultural collaboration, training, and capacity building. She has established herself by convening meaningful discussions among diverse participants, including Native Nations, environmental justice communities, agriculturalists, industrialists, and Federal and State agencies. Stephanie has worked nationally with Native Nations in the fields of capacity building and cooperative resources management. A significant portion of her career has dealt with natural and cultural resources issues involving Native Nations in California.
Stephanie earned a Master of Laws in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from the University of Arizona. She also holds a Juris Doctorate from UC Berkeley's School of Law, with a certificate in Environmental Law, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Native American Studies from UC Berkeley.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Board of Regents / University of Minnesota / Duluth, MN
Tadd M. Johnson is on the Board of Regents for the University of Minnesota. He retired from the University of Minnesota system after serving as the first Senior Director of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations for the University of Minnesota, a full Professor, and the Director of Graduate Studies for the University of Minnesota - Duluth's Department of American Indian Studies. He is currently serving as a senior advisor on government affairs for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians. An enrolled member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Tadd is a licensed attorney and graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. He previously served as a tribal court judge for the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians, Prairie Island Indian Community, the 1854 Authority, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, and Leech Lake Appellate Courts. He also has served as the Solicitor General (General Counsel) and the Director of Government Affairs for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians, and he was appointed by President Clinton in 1997-98 as Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, the Federal agency which regulates Indian gaming nationwide. Tadd was the creator, cohost, and coproducer of PBS's "Native Report" for 10 years; the founding senior partner for Johnson, Hamilton, Quigley, Twait and Foley law firm; and from 1990-95, the Staff Director and Counsel for the U.S. House of Representative's Subcommittee on Native American Affairs. In 2017, he was appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Udall Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Contracting Program Manager / Contracting Officer
Terri joined the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) in July 2020 as the Contracting Program Manager and Contracting Officer. Prior to joining the Udall Foundation, she was the Contracts Supervisor for the Defense Contract Management Agency, Special Programs - South Division, located in Tucson, Arizona. Prior to that, she had been a Contracting Officer for the Army Contracting Command at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, having started there in 2003 as an Army Contracts Intern under the Communications-Electronics Command Acquisition Center. Additional assignments and duties during her tenure with the Army were as the Command Contracts Critical Skills Expert for the Information Systems Engineering Command; the contingency contracting liaison for the Rock Island Contracting Center in Kabul, Afghanistan; and a special assignment with industry in the contracts department for Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona. Her experience is multifaceted in various contract types for IT enterprise and major weapon systems, with contracts totaling in excess of $10B over her career.
Terri received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, and her Master of Arts in Management (Organizational Management) from Wayland Baptist University in Tucson, Arizona.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Law Student / University of Colorado / Boulder, CO