BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ms. Bergan is the former executive director of the Great Plains Institute, a regional, non-partisan nonprofit corporation serving 12 Midwestern states and the province of Manitoba. The Institute convenes leaders from diverse sectors to accelerate the transition to a renewable & low-carbon energy system through consensus policy, technology deployment, education and research. Ms. Bergan is currently pursuing her law degree at the University of Minnesota.

Brooks is a Planning Director with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency currently responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of strategies to reduce mercury releases in Minnesota. He has also acted as an advisor to the United Nations Environment Programme’s mercury efforts in Africa and Latin America including recent work in Mexico and Costa Rica. Brooks was the driving force behind the establishment of the Living Green Expo, a two day event that features environmental consumer choices and actions, now in its sixth year. Brooks also served on the board of the NEC during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. He holds degrees in Environmental Studies and Economics from Hamline University.

Jon is principal of Donjek, Incorporated, consulting with planners, developers and policy makers on issues related to land use and placemaking. Jon also writes the Cents of Place blog, a forum for discussion of what makes some places successful in an economic, social and environmental sense. He is also a regular contributor to the Star Tribune's online editorial forum, Your Voices. In addition to his work with Donjek, Jon is a member of the Planning Commission for the City of St. Paul, Minnesota. He has served as a Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute Policy Forum, and as an Adjunct Professor of Economics at the College of Saint Catherine. Jon holds an MBA (University of Saint Thomas, St. Paul, MN) and a BA in History and Political Economy (Carleton College, Northfield, MN). He lives in St. Paul with his family.

As Assistant Program Director of the State and Local Policy Program at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Douma manages transportation policy research projects, identifies new research opportunities, carries out strategic planning, and supervises program administrative staff. As a Research Fellow in the same department, Douma managed transportation policy research projects related to telecommunications, Global Positioning Systems, wireless technology travel behavior, corridor planning, and sustainability. Douma has a master’s degree in public affairs and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota. Of his interest in the NEC board, Douma states, "I have known about the NEC since I first moved to St. Paul and learned about their recycling efforts. As my vocational interest is in transportation, I took even greater interest in them upon participating in the St. Paul Classic Bike Tour. This event encapsulates the organization’s efficiency, dedication and effectiveness in promoting environmental stewardship. Finally, I have become much more involved in learning how the organization operates as the NEC launched the HOURCAR car-sharing program. It takes a significant amount of work to implement a new innovation, but the NEC brought it to fruition through dedication and hard work. Watching the NEC implement these programs shows they have had a positive impact on the environment, and have the tools to continue this impact long into the future. I believe my expertise in transportation and interest in the environment put me in a good position to help the NEC continue its long track of success."

Harr is a marketing communications manager at HealthEast Clinics and Physician Services, providing full service marketing communications for 11 primary care clinics and a variety of health education and specialty clinic initiatives. Harr has a master’s degree in healthcare administration, and was honored with six undergraduate and post-graduate scholarships, including a National Merit Scholarship. Harr has served on the NEC Board since 2000, including co-chairing the development committee and serving on the executive committee. She volunteers as a homework center mentor and in the elementary pen pal program in Dayton’s Bluff. Her areas of expertise are in communications, marketing, and governance. Harr brings a strong connection to local communities. She is interested in helping the NEC evolve into a strong, positive, local force that facilitates and encourages energy conservation on a very local level.

Linda McBrayer is a Management Analyst with the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission, a state agency responsible for creating uniform, determinate sentencing policy for felony-level offenders. Her primary responsibility is to train all practitioners of the guidelines, including prosecutors, defense attorneys, and probation agents statewide. Linda is also a volunteer teacher with the Minnesota Literacy Council, working with English-as-a-second-language adult learners, as well as teaching Citizenship and tutoring adult offenders for their GED. Linda is a 2008 graduate of St. Paul College. She is looking forward to the opportunity to bring her experiences as a user of the Hour Car program, as well as her viewpoint as a lifelong, very devoted, renter to the board. Linda and her husband Michael moved to St. Paul from Tucson, Arizona, in 2000, partly to create a better life for their son Damon and partly to cool off a bit. They live in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of St. Paul.

Michael Jon Olson is Executive Director of the Hamline Midway Coalition - District Council 11. As one of Saint Paul's 17 District Councils, HMC provides citizen participation, community building, and neighborhood improvement services to the Hamline Midway neighborhood. Michael Jon has particular interests in organizational development, citizen leadership, and community-based sustainability initiatives. He lives in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis with his wife, Julie, and son, Jake.

Reynolds is the Director of Human Resources at Brown College/Career Education Corp., providing Human Resources support in all HR functional areas to two local campus locations and as a consulting professional within the Career Education Corp. Human Resources Team. Reynolds has a B.A. in human resources administration, and 25 years of progressive human resources experience servicing professional organizations. He has been selected to serve on a number of national and international initiatives on behalf of his employers who needed someone with exceptional people and techincal skills. In addtion, Reynolds has served on several boards, including the Minnesota Affirmative Action Association District 8 Council in St. Paul, Kelix Soccer Club, and Table Tennis Minnesota. Areas of expertise are in communications, performance management, employee relations, compensation/benefits, human resources information systems, federal and state regulations in employment and use of the internet in delivery of services. Reynolds brings a strong connection to local communities. He is interested in helping the NEC continue in its delivery of services while providing valuable leadership within the Twin Cities area facilitating and encouraging energy conservation and the development of proactive approaches to solving associated issues.

Ross leads his own firm, CR Planning, Inc., in sustainable development, energy policy research and program implementation, ‘smart growth’ land use planning, and public participation processes. He worked with the city of Minneapolis to create a density incentive (floor to area ratio, or FAR) for high performance energy efficiency for large downtown developments. He is currently assisting local governments with regulatory, educational, and programmatic efforts to install solar rooftop technology as part of the Million Solar Roofs Partnership. Ross worked on behalf of several nonprofit energy advocacy organizations by providing policy, technical, and programmatic comments on long-range utility plans for renewable energy and energy efficiency. He was the director of energy programs at the Urban Coalition Housing Group in New York, NY; and the director of policy and programs at the nonprofit Citizens Utility Board, Chicago, IL. Ross has a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Iowa.

Stites is a founding member of the law firm Bonnabeau, Salyers, Stites & Doe. He works exclusively in the areas of information technology law and privacy law, servicing both healthcare and financial service clients. He has extensive experience preparing, reviewing, and negotiating software development, licensing, consulting, maintenance, Web hosting, and other IT contracts for large and mid-sized clients. Stites has been a member of the NEC Board since 2000 and has provided significant pro-bono assistance to the organization in trademark and contract review and preparation. He has a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School along with a master’s degree in public affairs from the University’s Humphrey Institute.