Board
EVAN HANSEN
Evan Hansen founded Downstream Strategies, an environmental consulting firm in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1997. He has more than 25 years of experience as an environmental consultant for nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, attorneys, private businesses, and individuals. He has developed and applied computer models; provided testimony and training on issues related to environmental laws, policies, and permits; and led multi-disciplinary research teams that integrate science and policy. Mr. Hansen received a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from M.I.T. and an M.S. in Energy and Resources from U.C.-Berkeley.
DR. MARGARET PALMER
Margaret is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and director of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center. Her research has focused on coastal and freshwater ecosystems with an emphasis on restoration of rivers, streams, and wetlands. She is an international leader in restoration ecology, with more than 150 publications. She spear-headed the National River Restoration Science Synthesis, the first comprehensive national database on river and stream restoration. Her research has been supported primarily by the National Science Foundation with additional funding from other federal agencies, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the C.S. Mott Foundation, and CALFED. Dr. Palmer serves on numerous scientific advisory boards including American Rivers; Conservation International and the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology. Her awards include AAAS Fellow, Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, Ecological Society of America Fellow, Lilly Fellow, and the Society of Freshwater Science Award of Excellence. She has been an invited speaker in numerous and diverse settings including regional and international forums, science-diplomacy venues (e.g., in North Korea), and popular outlets such as the Steven Colbert show.
DR. RICK FELL
Dr. Fell is a professor emeritus of entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. Throughout his career, Rick has contributed significantly to the understanding of entomology through his research and extension work in apiculture. He has spent significant time conducting training workshops for beekeepers focused on colony management, queen production, and the pests and diseases affecting honey bees. He has advised numerous students on master’s degree and doctoral dissertations and helped them to develop successful careers in both academic and industrial settings. He taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses ranging across the full entomology curriculum.
LEW FREEMAN
Lewis Freeman was a co-founder and former Executive Director of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance, a coalition of organizations and individuals formed in 2014 to oppose the now-cancelled Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Lew previously was deputy assistant to the Governor of Ohio, a lobbyist in Washington and an executive with several trade associations and non-profits. Currently, Lew is public policy consultant and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Chamber Music Festival. He resides in Highland County, Virginia.
BEN BARCZEWSKI
Ben Barczewski is a Legislative Attorney with the Congressional Research Service where he advises members of Congress and their staff on environmental, administrative, and constitutional law. Before joining CRS, Ben was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law where he taught civil procedure and legal writing. Ben began his legal career as a staff attorney with Appalachian Mountain Advocates where he focused on challenging the permitting and construction of natural gas pipelines and coal-fired power plants. Ben received a B.A. magna cum laude from Columbia University and a J.D. cum laude from New York University School of Law.
JOE LOVETT
Joe is the founder and Executive Director of Appalachian Headwaters. He is a native West Virginian who has been a catalyst for focusing local and national attention on the devastating ecological impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining and of burning coal for nearly twenty-five years. As the Executive Director and co-founder of the environmental public interest law firm Appalachian Mountain Advocates, Joe has litigated many precedent-setting cases to protect the region. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1995.