Annalise Blum, PhD, is a hydrologist with expertise in climate, water and national security policy. Most recently she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the US Department of the Interior, where she worked to advance science policy and helped oversee the U.S. Geological Survey. Previously, she led climate and environmental security policy at the U.S. Department of Defense, where she was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Annalise has over a decade of experience leading multi-disciplinary research focused on water security, extreme events, and climate change impacts. She has worked or served as a fellow at the National Academy of Sciences, the American Meteorological Society’s Policy Program, Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She holds a PhD in environmental and water resources engineering from Tufts University, MS from UNC-Chapel Hill, and BS from Stanford University.

Ruelaine Stokes is a writer, teacher and performance artist based in Lansing, Michigan. She is a gifted poet, spoken word artist, and arts organizer well-known for bringing innovative and creative poetry programming to the Greater Lansing Area.

Ruelaine has a remarkable ability to bring poetry to life and people to poetry—both on the stage and in classroom settings. Currently, she serves as Lansing Poet Laureate, with the mission of engaging people in the Tri-County Area (Ingham, Clinton and Eaton Counties) with the literary arts.

For decades, she taught English as a Second Language at Michigan State University and at Lansing Community College, as well as within community ESL programs. Since 2015, she has served as the president of the Lansing Poetry Club. Her most recent collection of poetry is Jar of Plenty (2021), and, along with former Lansing Poet Laureate Laura Apol, she co-edited My Secret Lansing (2023), a collection of poetry and prose about the Greater Lansing Area.

Zoë Johnson is a queer nonbinary writer born and living in mid-Michigan and an enrolled citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. They received their MFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Twice shortlisted for PRISM International's Jacob Zilber Prize for Short Fiction, their poetry and prose has been published in Eastern Iowa Review, beestung, bilingually in The Polyglot, and more, as well as been anthologized in Lascaux Prize Vol. 6, and the Second Edition of “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves" from Oxford University Press.

Ethan Theuerkauf is a coastal geomorphologist whose research focuses on how and why coastal landscapes, such as beaches, barrier islands, and wetlands, change across timescales ranging from storms to millennia.  He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University.  Theuerkauf held previous appointments at the Prairie Research Institute of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  He received a B.S. in Geology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

 Ronda Wuycheck has over 30 years of service with the State of Michigan and, since 2011, has served as the Michigan Coastal Management Program Manager for the Water Resources Division, Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). As the Coastal Manager, she promotes wise management of the cultural and natural resources of Michigan’s Great Lakes’ coastal areas through the development of environmentally, economically, and socially vibrant coastal communities and supports the Great Lakes as a resilient natural system. She sits on the Coastal States Organization Executive Committee and is engaged with several advisory committees related to the Great Lakes coastal resources. Ronda has worked in several key positions in the EGLE including Enforcement Specialist; Assistant to the Field Operations Chief; and as a District Compliance Coordinator for the Nonpoint Source Program and NPDES Municipal Storm Water Program. Ronda earned a Master’s in Public Administration, Western Michigan University, and a Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Planning, Resource Development, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University.

David Bunte as a graduate of Illinois State University with emphasis on marketing and advertising, has spent a majority of his career in the customer service industry. His early professional career began with PeoplExpress Airlines, working all aspects of the carrier’s operations. Sales and management in the hospitality field in Chicago began with the Park Hyatt and Swiss Grande Hotel, then management of the Colony Hotel and Boulevard properties in South Miami Beach. Upon his return to Chicago, David spent 19 years building Food For Thought Catering from a modest family-owned business into the largest catering and food service management firm in the Chicago market. Strong sales, marketing and operational experiences developed into leadership roles within the company until his departure in 2014. Independent consulting work within the special events industry prefaced his desire to work in the public sector in his home of Three Oaks, Michigan.

Elected as Chikaming Township Supervisor in 2016, re-elected in 2020 and 2024, David continues to manage and promote the region as a premier tourism area, with a strong focus on agriculture and a casual, resort lifestyle. A continuing focus on environmental protections, infrastructure improvements through asset management and enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors, are his focus for the region’s future.

David’s professional affiliations include being on the board of the Best Practices Committee of the Strategic Leadership Council of Southwest Michigan, the Leadership Committee of Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainable Business Forum, Chairman of the Board of the Galien River Sanitary District and an active member of the Harbor Country and Southwest Michigan Chambers of Commerce.

Married to his partner John for 38 years, they enjoy all travel destinations, outdoor activities, sports and the privilege of living in one of the most beautiful places in the country.

Richard K. Norton is a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. He also holds a joint appointment as a professor in the Program in the Environment through U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and School for Environment and Sustainability. Norton teaches and conducts research in the areas of planning law, sustainable development, land use and environmental planning, and coastal area management. Most of his research has focused on the challenges of managing coastal shorelands along the Laurentian Great Lakes. He also contributes actively to public service through community-engaged research and teaching, and by serving on the planning law committee of the Michigan Association of Planning (MAP). In that role, he has taken the lead in preparing draft legislation for the Michigan Legislature to reform the state’s planning and zoning enabling laws. He has also written friend-of-the-court appellate briefs to the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit on behalf of the American Planning Association and MAP regarding planning and zoning disputes in the state. Prior to completing his graduate studies, Norton worked in professional practice as a consulting environmental policy analyst and planner in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.

 He earned his Ph.D. in city and regional planning and his J.D. at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, along with master’s degrees in public policy studies and environmental management from Duke University

Josh Gunn serves as the Associate Director of the Community, Food & Environment Institute where he provides leadership and support to educators and specialists who conduct community, economic and natural resources programming.  He has worked with various Extension programs since 2010 and held leadership and management roles in both in a university setting and as a supervisor in the U.S. Coast Guard (2002-2010). Josh holds a B.A. in Public Affairs (Washington State University), a M.S. in Marine Resources Management and a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning (both from Texas A&M University).

Irene Xagoraraki is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her research focuses on microbial water quality emphasizing prevention of disease and protection of public health. She and her students have been studying: (1) environmental surveillance approaches for identification and prediction of viral outbreaks, (2) the fate of viruses and antibiotic- resistant bacteria in the built environment and in natural systems, (3) virus inactivation and removal with membrane bioreactors and other water treatment processes. She has authored multiple peer-reviewed scientific journal publications and book and encyclopedia chapters. Her research has been covered by news organizations such as the New York Times, BBC and others. In 2020 her wastewater surveillance work for early detection of viral outbreaks was featured in Women in Engineering and Science: Investigations by Prominent Female Engineers, Springer Nature, Switzerland. In 2022 she was featured in the Smithsonian: Stories of Women in STEM: Biotechnology. For her research related to viruses in environmental systems and prediction of outbreaks she received awards by the US Environmental Protection Agency (2018) and by the American Society of Civil Engineers (2021 and 2022). In 2023 she received the William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award at Michigan State University.

Russell Faust served as the Medical Director for Oakland County Health June of 2018 – January 2025. There, he administered clinical, community, and research programs designed to optimize public health through education, partnerships, pathogen surveillance, and treatment. As of 2022, he also served as the Lab Director for Oakland’s Michigan Regional Laboratory. Dr. Faust has held faculty appointments at Johns Hopkins, the Universities of Minnesota and Virginia, Wayne State University, and The Ohio State University.  He is currently active in Public Health Informatics at the School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago.Dr. Faust earned his Ph.D. at the University of Washington in Cellular and Molecular Biology / Experimental Pathology; he earned his M.D. from the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is trained in trauma surgery; he is board certified in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, specializing in endoscopic pediatric skull base repair and minimally-invasive surgery (robotic surgery). Dr. Faust is the Carls Foundation Endowed Chair Emeritus of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. He has long been an ‘early adopter’ (aka Geek) of technology applied to healthcare, helping develop the Robotic Surgery Program at Children’s Hospital, and having published the first textbook on robotic surgery. He has co-authored more than 60 articles in peer-reviewed literature, and multiple text chapters. Dr. Faust’s career in academic medicine includes leading research laboratories, teaching medical students, training other physicians, and performing surgery. Living at the intersection of science, technology and Public Health, Dr. Faust is a strong advocate for evidence-based public health

Mike Swain is a unit vice chair for UAW Local 889, Oakland County Unit, and a fourth-generation UAW member. Trained as an epidemiologist, Swain received graduate degrees from the University of Florida and The George Washington University. Prior to this, Mike received his bachelor's degree from Wayne State University. While at Wayne, courses taught by faculty in the Political Science department and Labor Studies program sparked lifelong interests in public health and labor rights. 

Anna Mehrotra is a seasoned wastewater expert with over 20 years of diverse experience spanning engineering, research, policy analysis, and education. She currently serves as the Director of the Wastewater Surveillance Program at the Water Environment Federation, where she leads initiatives aimed at fostering collaboration between wastewater utilities and public health organizations. In her role, Dr. Mehrotra manages training programs, pilot testing, and other activities designed to advance the field of wastewater surveillance. A licensed professional engineer, Dr. Mehrotra earned a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley. 

John Norton is the Director of Energy, Research, and Innovation for the Great Lakes Water Authority, one of the largest combined utilities in North America. GLWA treats more than 40% of the drinking water for the state of Michigan, including Flint, and roughly 30% of the wastewater for the state of Michigan at the world's second largest wastewater treatment plant (1.7 BGD). John leads and directs research efforts ranging from source water monitoring, water quality and quantity within distribution systems, wastewater and stormwater collection optimization, and wastewater treatment, disinfection, and biosolids handling. He is vice president of the newly formed Midwest Biosolids Association, co-PI of one of the four US EPA-funded “Pollutants in Biosolids” research programs, is the incoming Chair of the AWWA Joint Section Research Committee and is Vice-Chair of the AWWA Utility Collaboration Subcommittee. John is chapter lead on two chapters in the forthcoming AWWA book on innovation “M82 Water Utility Innovation” and is currently under contract with WEF to develop the “Resource Recovery Handbook”, combining WEF’s previous books “The Nutrient Roadmap”, “The Energy Roadmap”, and “The Water Reuse Handbook.” One of his main day to day tasks is trying to improve the alignment between academics and technology development firms and the realities of engineering, operating, and maintaining water and wastewater treatment operations. 

George Smith is the AgBioResearch director and is responsible for strategic direction and administrative oversight for the organization, whose university-wide research mission is linked directly to promoting dynamic solutions for food systems and the environment in Michigan and beyond. AgBioResearch directly supports approximately 300 scientists from seven MSU colleges engaged in research, 15 outlying centers throughout Michigan reflective of the diversity of its research portfolio in agriculture and natural resources, as well as numerous on-campus facilities and key research infrastructure.

Smith obtained his doctoral and master’s degrees in animal science from the University of Missouri-Columbia in the area of reproductive physiology, and his bachelor of science in animal science from the University of Idaho. He joined the faculty at MSU in 1997. His research efforts at MSU focused primarily on dairy cattle reproduction. During his career, Smith published 143 journal articles and 17 book chapters, and his research was continuously funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the National Institutes of Health from 1998 until his transition to full-time research administration efforts in 2020.

Doug Craven  has served as the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians natural resource Department director since 2002, where he has been committed to preserving natural resources. Doug feels that effective management of natural resources involves understanding human dynamics as much as the natural systems. His commitment to the natural resource community of Michigan includes having served on various boards and committees, such as the Great Lakes Leadership Academy Board, MSU Environmental, Natural Resources Governance Fellow, Getting Kids Outdoors in Emmet County and many others. He has over 20 years of private and public experience in Natural Resources. He has a dual degree in natural resource management and environmental studies from Western Michigan University. He's a father, a dedicated community member and an avid outdoorsman who appreciates exercising tribal treaty rights and continuing tribal traditions with his children and family. 

Claire Chase is a Senior Water Economist in the Global Director’s Office of the World Bank’s Water Practice where she supports strategic engagement with high-level partners to set the global water agenda, internal advocacy efforts, and manages corporate knowledge flows and reporting. She has over 15 years of experience in the water and sanitation sector, supporting governments to design and finance investments, facilitate sector reforms, and strengthen capacity to reduce poverty and boost equity. Claire is also the World Bank focal point for Water and Health. Prior to joining the World Bank, she was a visiting researcher with the Barcelona Center for International Health Research in Mozambique. She holds a master’s degree in Population and International Health Economics from Harvard University School of Public Health and has authored peer-reviewed publications on a range of health and development topics.

Jennifer Boehme spent 11 years as an environmental scientist at the International Joint Commission (IJC). She served on the GLOS board starting in 2015, as the chair since 2017, and now as CEO since 2023. She has also served on the board of the International Association for Great Lakes Research and is the co-chair of the association’s IDEA+ Committee. 

Jennifer worked at the IJC over the past decade to address Great Lakes water quality and pollution issues to protect human health, collaborating across borders, organizations, and agencies. Drawing on her education in oceanography, Jennifer is dedicated to interfacing between policy and research to safeguard human health and the health of the ecosystem. 

 Rayburn said that the committee was focused on finding someone who could forge new paths forward for GLOS, across the region. He said that the committee was looking for a person who would leverage staff talents, ensure GLOS products reach as many people as possible, and who would excel at working with a diversity of partners and organizations. Jennifer has helped guide GLOS through some of the most eventful years in the organization’s history, from the tripling of the staff size, to the initiation of the Smart Great Lakes Initiative, to the launch of Seagull last year. 

Sam Passmore is Director of the Mott Foundation Environment Team, He supervises all environmental grantmaking and oversees the related work on program development and evaluation. Prior to joining Mott in November 2001, Passmore was the land use program director of the Coastal Conservation League in South Carolina. He has worked for a number of other environmental organizations in a staff or consulting capacity, including: Save The Bay; Environment Liaison Centre International; Trust for Public Land; Humane Society of the United States; and Environmental Protection Agency, Region III. Passmore has a bachelor’s degree in English and environmental studies from Oberlin College and a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School. While Passmore describes himself as “pretty outdoorsy,” he credits two books for setting him off on his career path: “Soft Energy Paths” by Amory Lovins and “The Unsettling of America” by Wendell Berry. 

Cyndi Roper is a part of NRDC’s Safe Water Initiative and works to ensure all Michigan residents have access to safe, sufficient, and affordable water from source to tap. Through her work with NRDC’s Climate & Clean Energy program, she assists with efforts addressing the impacts of climate change and supports the development of a clean energy economy. Prior to joining NRDC, Roper spent 22 years working for Clean Water Action and 15 years as its Michigan director. She has extensive policy, advocacy, community engagement, and coalition experience working on drinking water, stormwater, wastewater, energy, and recycling/reuse. Roper served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC), and the NDWAC’s Arsenic in Drinking Water Cost Review Panel, Source Water Assessment Workgroup, and Consumer Confidence Report Workgroup. She has also served on state drinking water advisory boards and was appointed to Michigan’s Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund Advisory Committee. She was a Water Resource fellow with Dr. Joan Rose at Michigan State University. Roper received her graduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her undergraduate degree from Drury University. She is based in Michigan.

Doug Buhler is Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation, Buhler supports the research and innovation activities at Michigan State University. His work focuses on the food, environment and international research portfolios of the university.

 Buhler is a native of Wisconsin and received his B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Nebraska. He started his career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1984 to 1989 and the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service from 1989 to 2000. He then joined Michigan State University as Professor and Chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and served in that position from 2000 to 2005. From 2005 to 2010 he was Associate Director of AgBioResearch and Associate Dean for Research for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR).  Buhler served as interim Dean of the CANR from 2011 to 2013 and again in 2016. Most recently he was Director of MSU AgBioResearch from 2013 to 2021 with additional duties as Senior Associate Dean of CANR from 2013 to 2015 and an Assistant Vice President for Research and Innovation from 2015 to 2021.

 Buhler's professional activities have generated over 330 publications including 130 refereed journal and review articles. Buhler has been an author or editor of three books and presented over 100 invited seminars, symposia, and workshops. He has made presentations or represented MSU in over 20 countries around the world. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Weed Science Society of America, and North Central Weed Science Society and is a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Buhler serves on numerous boards, including the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (Vice-Chair of the Board), University of Wisconsin-Platteville Foundation, Center for Food Integrity, and Michigan Crop Improvement Association.