RAIN GARDENS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- City Council Member, Wayland, MI
Born and raised in Central Illinois, conservation has been at the heart of Bill Wood's professional career since his first job, working as a field researcher for the Critical Trends Assessment Program with the Illinois DNR.
He attended the University of Kentucky from 2004 - 2006, graduating with a Master's Degree in Social Work. After graduation, he began working for Habitat for Humanity, starting one of that organization's most viable "deconstruction" programs, which salvaged usable building materials from remodeled or demolished homes and generated revenue for Habitat's housing operations.
Bill comes to Grand Rapids by way of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he successfully started and managed a Habitat for Humanity ReStore before being hired as Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Harrisburg Area. Since 2006, programs and initiatives under Bill's guidance have kept over 1,000,000 pounds of building material out of the waste stream, reduced impact on local watersheds, and earned over $1,500,000 for Habitat programs.
As an experienced grant writer and program director, Bill has a knack for turning funders' grant dollars into innovative, actualized ways to reduce waste and increase sustainability. In his hours away from work, Bill enjoys reading, bicycling, kayaking, hiking, honing his kitchen skills, and playing with his giant dog, Bela.
Job Titles:
- Retired, Feyen Zylstra UE
Job Titles:
- Associate Director Veterans Upward Bound, Grand Valley State University
Science education and environmental conservation drew Carlos into the field of Watershed Ecology, with a focus on the urban environment. He has worked on a variety of green infrastructure and watershed management projects that protect the integrity of the Grand River and Lake Michigan.
Prior to joining the WMEAC Water Programs team, Carlos earned his Master's of Science in Aquatic Biology from Grand Valley State University, where he completed his Undergraduate as well (B.S. in Biology). During his Graduate Assistantship with the Grand Valley Metro Council, he worked to support the LGROW Environmental Program, providing watershed education to the community. While studying the Indian Mill Creek, he led the Friends of Indian Mill Creek in stream cleanups, storm drain adoption and water quality monitoring.
Water and community have been central components of Carlos' life. Northern Michigan's Inland Waterway and the Straits of Mackinac were the backdrop of his youth in Cheboygan. Grand Rapids and West Michigan have now been home for almost 20 years, and he continues to be involved in the community through work with the Garfield Park Neighborhoods Association and Plaster Creek Stewards, among others. He spends his free time gardening, catching a live show or hockey game, enjoying the natural landscape and aquatic resources of the Mitten, and exploring the World with his family.
Elaine Sterrett Isely joined WMEAC to lead its Water Programs in 2012. She is a veteran of the West Michigan legal and environmental communities, and has served as a Research Associate and Assistant for the Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State Universi- ty, Project Manager for the West Michigan Strategic Alliance's Green Infrastructure Initiative, and Sea Grant Fellow with the Great Lakes Commission. Elaine was also previously a litigation attorney working on behalf of social justice causes in West Michigan, serving as a Staff Attor- ney for Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Project, Inc. (Migrant Legal Aid) and Legal Aid of
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, STEM Greenhouse
Job Titles:
- Education Programs Manager
Kyle is a Grand Rapids local and a Grand Valley State University alumnus. He holds a B.S in Natural Resources Management with a minor in Geology. During his time at GVSU he served as the president of the Student Environmental Coalition, a student organization dedicated to raising awareness of environmental issues and student action. The SEC also focused on improving the recycling and composting rates by students on campus.
Kyle first got involved with WMEAC in the spring of 2016 volunteering for the Ottawa County Grand River Cleanup. He was then hired as a Teach for the Watershed intern in the summer of 2016 and has been supporting WMEAC's environmental education programs ever since. Officially becoming a full-time staff member in June 2019, Kyle is also involved with WMEAC's rain barrel workshops, zero waste initiatives, and stormwater education.
At the office you can find Kyle tending to the worms, packing Teach for the Watershed equipment or putting together rain barrels. Go find him in the back corner of the office if you want to get involved with the education programs! In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, building furniture, and composting.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Evangelical Environmental Network
Marshall Kilgore is a human rights advocate who has dedicated his life to uplifting underserved and marginalized communities in Michigan. Marshall received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Western Michigan University. He was the recipient of the Tim Hurttgam Memorial Prize in 2021 from Western Michigan University for his work advocating for a sustainable environment, peace and harmony throughout the world, equal rights, and a living wage.
Marshall has been actively engaged in political outreach, serving as a Deputy Field Organizer for Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2018, and most recently as Kyra Harris Bolden's Community Relations Director in her race for the Michigan Supreme Court in 2022.
He has helped lead non-profit organizations centered on LGBTQ+ rights and eliminating homelessness. Marshall is also an organizer for Michigan's Annual Rally to Stop Domestic Violence.
Marshall's favorite ways to enjoy nature are by swimming, taking walks, and hammocking. He enjoys cooking for his partner, Rosie, and for his family. Marshall has a cat he loves named Piper Mae.
Job Titles:
- Lakeshore Outreach Organizer
Tanya is a lifelong resident of Muskegon County and lives in Whitehall, in her childhood home. She attended Muskegon Community College and Grand Valley State College, graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree. After teaching first grade for several years, she started a concerned citizen group to focus on cleaning up pollution in her hometown, and in 1991, was hired as Michigan director of the Lake Michigan Federation. She opened an office in downtown Muskegon with a focus on water quality and lakeshore issues, including helping to launch local advisory groups for White Lake and Muskegon Lake, both Great Lakes toxic hotspots, that would work for decades with the state and federal government on environmental restoration. White Lake was removed from the hotspot list in 2015 and Muskegon Lake is due in several years. As a self-employed consultant, Tanya assisted numerous local, state, and Great Lakes environmental organizations with research, writing, grant proposals, and education and outreach efforts.
Tanya was a Whitehall City Council member for three terms, 12 years, and served for 10 years on the city's planning commission and led the city's 150 th anniversary celebration. She also founded a nature walks program and local green network. Tanya was a freelance columnist for several area newspapers, an editor for technical manuals and books, and a contributor to the Muskegon Channel. In 2018, she was a candidate for state representative.
Tanya enjoys small town life and likes reading, writing, creating art, riding her electric bike, Evie, and kayaking. She spends time with friends, her dad, adult children, and three grandsons. Her dogs, Bella and Barney, take her on two walks every day. She was delighted to be hired in February 2020 to assist WMEAC in expanding its lakeshore focus, and will work on environmental education, water protection, and climate action.
Job Titles:
- Wealth Advisor, Sytsma Wealth Strategies