E-Team members are seasoned environmental and protected area professionals who work with people of other nations to address common problems related to pollution and development on parks, other natural areas, endangered species, and protected habits.

Several team members have built careers setting up successful regional environmental partnerships, implementing federal and state mandated public involvement programs and interacting with local and municipal authorities.  Members who participate on a short-term basis in the actual programs are volunteers who expect no compensation except for transportation, lodging, meals and incidental expenses. 

The following are brief biographies of the 36 current members of the E-Team.  Space does not allow for the listing of all their professional achievements or the major awards and other forms of recognition that all have received during their distinguished careers with government, international organizations and the private sector.

Robert L. Burke is the E-Team’s Program and Planning Director.  He has headed public relations, citizen involvement and technical assistance programs for federal, state and local governments on several highly contentious environmental program and regulatory issues.  He has also organized international exchange programs on environmental and municipal issues at Boston’s Irish Institute involving government business, tourism and professional leaders from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and North America. He was the principle technical writer for the Logan Airport Master Plan, and has also authored several landmark environmental publications including a layman’s guide to EPA’s Trends in the Quality of the Nation’s Air report, widely recognized as one of the federal government’s most popular environmental publications.  He is also a member of public commissions and committees with the Irish Immigration Center in Boston and with his hometown of Newton, Massachusetts dealing with municipal composting, solid waste reduction and sustainable development.  Mr. Burke holds a BA degree from Tufts University, an MPA from American University, and an MA in International Affairs from the University of Virginia.

Erik Hauge is the founder and President of the E-Team.  Over a 10- year period, with the National Park Service, he developed park master and resource management plans and reviewed various environmental impact statements. His major work with the NPS involved organizing several regional clean air partnerships throughout North America. He has also advised South Africa and other nations in establishing such partnerships. (The concept of “partnership” is one of the central features of the E-Team’s proposed “Emerald Necklace” project in Ireland’s Northwest and is discussed in some detail in another section of this website.)  Mr. Hauge began his environmental career in Washington, D.C. where he served as a legislative specialist at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), preparing testimony for the EPA Administrator to Congressional committees, wrote draft legislation, providing comments on proposed Congressional legislation and responding to inquiries from Representatives and Senators. At EPA-s western regional office, he served as liaison with non-governmental organizations including the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth, and assisted the State of California in enacting America’s first motor vehicle safety and emissions program.  Mr. Hauge holds a BA in Political Science and an MPA from Syracuse University. 

James P. Bennett is Research Ecologist and Adjunct Professor with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin.  He is one of the foremost authorities on the effects of air pollution on vegetation and biota on commercial crops and national parks, and other protected areas.  Dr. Bennett holds a PhD in Plant Science from the University of British Columbia, an MA in Botany and Conservation from the University of Michigan, and a BA in Botany from Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Clif Benoit has 20 years of experience with the U.S. Forest Service as a land manager and district ranger at protected areas in the western United States.  His work has involved a broad array of professional activities in areas such as watershed management and restoration, air quality monitoring, fire and smoke management, large river basin planning, studies of wilderness areas, and ski and tourist use partnerships.  He has also provided training to the Philippines Government on measures to restore watersheds from clear cutting by the international timber industry.  He has completed graduate studies in hydrology, air and water management, conflict management and team building. 

Thomas E. Braidech has over thirty years of professional environmental experience with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and with several companies in the private sector.  He has managed projects related to aquatic biology, water quality assessment, drinking water, limnology, lake eutrophication, waste water, hazardous materials and the remediation of waste sites.  He has also performed water quality assessments on a wide variety of industry types, including steel manufacturing, the pulp and paper industry, chemical formulation, pesticide manufacturing, and mining.  Mr. Braidech holds a BS degree in Zoology from the Ohio State University. 

Thomas A. Cahill is a leading international expert on global warming and the effects of aerosol air pollution on visibility.  He recently retired as co-Director of the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory at the University of California.  He is a consultant to the UN Global Atmospheric Watch Program, and assessed aerosol related problems from Iraq’s burning of Kuwait’s oil well fields during the 1990-91 Gulf War.  Dr. Cahill holds a PhD in Physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a BA in Physics from Holy Cross College. 

David L. Calkins is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on programs and policies for controlling air pollution from transportation and industrial development.  He is an advisor in China and other parts of Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, and for several international organizations including the United National Environmental Development Program, the World Health Organization and the World Bank.  Mr. Calkins holds as MS in City and Regional Planning from the University of Southern California, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkley.  He is currently a Principal with the Sierra Nevada Air Quality Group, with headquarters in Reno, Nevada.

Judith C. Chow is Research Professor at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada.  She has been the principal investigator or a major collaborator on more than 40 large air quality studies and many smaller ones that range from the acid deposition and ozone effects on conifer forests in the San Bernardino Mountains to chronic forms of urban pollution in Mexico City.  Dr. Chow holds an Dsc. in Environmental Science and an MS in Air Pollution Control from Harvard University, and a BS in Biology from Catholic University in Taiwan.

Ruark L. Cleary is a Land Acquisition Coordinator and Trust Fund Administrator for the Save Our Rivers conservation program at Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection.  He oversees natural resource analyses for statewide land acquisition planning, and reviews state and federal activities affecting public conservation land.  He also provides technical assistance to other government entities on land conservation planning and procedures, and is involved with Florida’s wetlands permitting program.  Mr. Cleary holds an MS in Biology and a BS in Zoology from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Johann Engelbrecht is a senior research scientist at the Desert Research Institute in Randburg, South Africa, where he manages large air pollution projects for various government departments and industries, and oversees the Institute’s Environmental and Health Risk Analysis Program.  He has also established a National Facility for air pollution studies at Mintek.  Dr. Engelbrecht holds a PhD, an MS and BS in Geology from the University of Pretoria, and a BS in Physics from the University of Pretoria.

Gloria Flora is a landscape architect working with interdisciplinary teams to lessen the visual impact of resource management activities.  Most recently, she founded “Sustainable Obtainable Solutions” (SOS), a non-profit organization that was established in 2001 to ensure the sustainability of all public lands and the plant, animal and human communities that depend on them.  She has also served as supervisor of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, the largest national forest in the continental United States, and as Forest Supervisor of the Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana where she was instrumental in bringing to fruition the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center. She has received numerous awards and her career has been highlighted in numerous magazines including Audubon, Mother Jones, Forest and Public Integrity.   Ms. Flora holds a BS in Landscape Architecture from Pennsylvania State University.   

David P. Howekamp is now a private consultant.  He managed a staff of 120 engineers, scientists and planners as Director of the Air Division in EPA’s Region IX that includes California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii.  He also provided EPA with advice on broader, cross-media issues involving water pollution, toxic chemicals and hazardous waste.  Among other responsibilities, he managed State Air Quality Management Plans and reviewed project proposals for major industrial sources in the region.  He was also responsible for negotiating and implementing the international air quality border agreements between the United States and Mexico.  Mr. Howekamp holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, both from the University of California at Berkeley. 

Werner K. Illenberger heads Illenberger & Associates, a private environmental consulting company in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.  He is also a founder and chair of the East Cape Province Clean Air Initiative.  As a private consultant, Dr. Illenberger has been involved in several major environmental projects in South Africa involving groundwater, coastal dune management, beach erosion and the geology of the Port Elizabeth area.  He has also conducted private research into the use of electric vehicle and solar energy.  Dr. Illenberger holds a PhD and MS in Geology and a BS in Geology and Mathematics from the University of Port Elizabeth. 

Eric Lash is a professional archeologist at TRC Solutions in Durham, North Carolina where he utilizes GIS analysis and a range of cartographic methods to support anthropological and fieldwork pertaining to artifacts from Samoa, Palau, Pohnapei, and Easter Island.  Before that, he worked for 3 year at the University of Oregon’s Department of Anthropology Pacific Archeological Laboratory on a detailed study of archeological collections from Samoa and Easter Island.  Mr. Lash has also been involved in archeological field and survey work at military bases in North Carolina and in the British West Indies.   Mr. Lash holds a BA in Anthropology with a Cultural Resource Management Specialty and a Minor in Geography from the University of Oregon.

Patrick G. Mangan has an extensive professional and technical background with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and other agencies of the U.S. Government as a project manager and supervisor for several diverse environmental-related specialties and disciplines that involve marine mammals, endangered species, coastal wetlands and marine parks. He has also promoted environmental tourism in America’s western states, environmental education programs with the Brazilian Government, and fish and wildlife research for the Government of Kenya.  He has directed environmental services for NATO and Eastern Europe related to habitat restoration, strategic land acquisitions, and water resources management.  Mr. Mangan holds a BS and MS from the University of Wisconsin and has completed post graduate studies at the Brookings Institution.

Rob Milne is one of the international community’s most prominent and accomplished protected areas professional.  He has seen service in projects in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and North America, and at many acedemic institutions, international organizations and international forums.  His specialties have ranged from the development of training programs and publications for park managers to sensitive negotiations pertaining to the expansion and preservation of protected areas.  Among other accomplishments, Mr. Milne has been Chief of Mission to UNESCO’s rapid assessment team at Pittvice World Heritage Site in Croatia.  His high profile projects have included the Taj Mahal National Cultural Park in India, Lake Baikal in Russia, the Panama Canal Watershed & Park System, the Jordan Rift Valley Peace Park, Everglades National Park, Sri Lankan & Thai Park Systems, Kenya’s National Park Service, and China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region.  Mr. Milne holds s BS in Zoology from Duke University and an MS in Ecology from North Carolina State University. 

Jean Muenchrath is currently the Supervisory Interpretive Ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado where she oversees the planning and development of interpretive walks, talks, slide programs and community outreach programs on the Park’s natural and cultural history.  She has planned and managed several training programs for the interpretive staff she supervises and related training programs for other park professionals on matters pertaining to wildlife protection, traffic/crowd control and visitor problems. Ms. Muenchraft has also served as an international tour leader and trekking guide in Nepal, Thailand and China. Most recently, she was a volunteer interpreter for the World Wildlife Fund at Thrumshingla National Park in Bhutan.  She holds a BA in Resource and Environmental Geography from San Diego State University. 

Lars O. Nordberg recently retired as Deputy Director of the Environmental and Human Settlements Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.  He headed the Division’s Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and its Air and Water Team. He also initiated awareness-raising events worldwide with governments, non-governmental organizations, industry, public interest groups, scientific institutes and institutions.  Previously he was involved in establishing air pollution control programs and a national groundwater monitoring network in Sweden.  Mr. Nordberg holds advanced degrees in geology, natural geography and meteorology from Lund University in Sweden. 

John Douglas Peine is senior biologist with the U.S. Department of Interior’s Southern Appalachian Field Laboratory at the University of Tennessee and one of the nation’s leading authorities on the impacts of air pollution on recreational planning and sustainable development in developing nations.  He is also the coordinator for the Southern Appalachian International Biosphere Reserve.  Dr. Peine holds a PhD from the University of Arizona in Water Management and Outdoor Recreation, an MS from the University of Arizona and a BS in Forestry from Purdue University. 

Charles D. Rafkind is currently the Natural Resource Manager with the U.S. National Park Service at Colonial Heritage Park in Yorktown, Virginia.  He is responsible for the Park’s natural resource management and science program dealing with endangered species, species of concern, invasive vegetation management, wetlands and water resources management, integrated pest management, public outreach information programs, along with environmental planning, compliance and long-term monitoring.  Mr. Rafkind has developed several award winning park based geographical information systems.  He has extensive experience developing partnership based science and natural resource management programs.  He serves on the NPS Northeast Coastal and Barrier Vital Signs Network science advisory board.  He was the co-author of the first National Park Service air quality and GIS management plans.  Mr. Rafkind holds a BA in Science from the University of California at Riverside and is a graduate of the National Park Service’s 18-month Natural Resource Management Training Program. He has developed several websites related to natural resource management and science, and has extensive experience in photography. 

David W. Reynolds directs a program for the National Park Service’s Philadelphia Support Office that provides planning research assistance to national parks in the northeastern United States and support for their natural resource protection and management needs.  As a Peace Corps official he provided extensive technical assistance for natural resource management training in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.  Mr. Reynolds holds an MS in International Environmental Systems Management from The American University and a BS in Wildlife biology from the University of Massachusetts.

Diane Riley has served as an environmental scientist and manager for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.  She was the co-founder and organizing chairperson of the Sierra Federal Clean Air Partnership, the first of North America’s regional clean air partnerships.  She supervised several multi-agency smoke management and regional haze planning programs, working with the National Park Service and several regional and national agencies.  Ms. Riley holds an MS in Ecology and a BS in Renewable Natural Resources from the University of California at Davis. 

Judith E. Rocchio manages the air resources program for all of the National Park Service units in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.  She was also a co-founder of the Sierra Federal Clean Air Partnership.  Her work involves efforts with many different constituency groups to find collaborative solutions to park related air quality problems.  Ms. Rocchio holds an MS in Air Resources from Colorado State University and a BS in Geology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Abigail Rome is one of the world’s foremost ecotourism consultants who specializes in the planning, promotion and implementation of those programs in Latin America and other parts of the developing world.  Her work stresses conservation, biodiversity, and sustainable tourism at protected areas.  Ms. Rome holds an MS in Plant Ecology from Duke University, a BS in Biology from Colby College, and a certificate in Marine Biology from the University of North Wales in the United Kingdom. 

Sabine Schmidt is a protected area manager and environmental advisor at two of Mongolia’s major national parks.  Her work involves strategies to preserve steppes and desert ecosystems, protect rare and endangered animal species and save an important part of Mongolia’s historical, cultural and paleontological heritage.  She has also been involved in several environmental education programs at protected areas in the Sultanate of Oman, Germany, Antarctica, and in many other parts of the developing world.  Dr. Schmidt holds a PhD equivalent in natural Sciences from the University of Tubingen and an MSc equivalent from the University of Heidelberg.

Richard B. Smith is a specialist in protected area management with an emphasis on international activity, mostly in Latin America.  He has been a consultant to several American and international organizations including the Peace Corps, USIA, USAID, UNESCO, the Dominican Republic Park Service, World Bank, Inter American Development Bank and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.  Earlier, Mr. Smith was a Peace Corps volunteer and a park ranger, regional director, lead instructor and legislative affairs specialist with the U.S. National Park Service. Mr. Smith holds an MA in English Language and Literature from Michigan State University and a BA in History and Education from Albion College in Albion, Michigan. 

Dennis D. Sohocki is a national expert on environmental assessment and compliance issues with over 20 years experience. His expertise includes project management, public involvement, policy development, negotiations, economics, recycling and water and energy resource issues.   Mr. Sohocki has also advised nations on regional planning and developed national training programs on community involvement and environmental justice.  His best know work involved initiatives that lead to the veto of the proposed Two Forks Dam in Colorado.  Mr. Sohocki is also an internationally renowned sculptor. He holds an MS in Resource Economics from Cornell University and a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan.  He also serves as an adjunct professor at Denver University, University of Colorado at Boulder and Wayne State University in Detroit.  

David R. Souten is a leading authority on the complexities of state air pollution control programs and is currently a principal at ENVIRON Corporation in Novato, California where he directs engineering and air sciences programs related to transportation related issues and air toxics/hazardous waste.  He has also worked extensively with state agencies, local air pollution control districts, and local officials to develop effective long-range air quality plans consistent with the Clean Air Act.  Mr. Souten holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Science from Oregon State University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Timothy D. Steele has a long professional career in North America and 11 foreign counties dealing with water quality, hydrology and regional assessments of water resources.  As a consultant, he has managed many multidisciplinary projects and has directed hydrologic baseline and modeling studies for water-resources planning and management studies as well as coal, mining, oil-and-gas properties, molybdenum mining, phosphate mining, uranium mining, a copper-leach system, and several oil-shale projects.  He has consulted on numerous projects dealing with ground-water contamination, aquifer and lake restoration, hazardous waste and statistical analysis of hydrologic data, stream and subsurface water-quality modeling, regional ground-water planning, and international water resources management.  He has also prepared numerous NEPA-related permit documents for local, State and Federal regulatory agencies. He has also conducted courses dealing with concepts of integrated watershed approaches at two German universities.  Dr. Steele holds PhD and MS degrees from Stanford University in Hydrology and a BA in Chemistry from Wabash College.

Julia E. Thomas is the US National Park Service’s air quality specialist.  She attends Congressional hearings and keeps the NPS leadership apprised of any legislative actions which may impact national parks and their resources. Prior to that assignment, Ms. Thomas served as Air Quality Program Manager at Shenendoah National Park. She coordinated the negotiations of air permits between the National Park Service and the Commonwealth of Virginia, managed the research on air pollution effects, and conducted public outreach and drafted the Park’s Air Quality Management Plan.  Ms. Thomas holds an MA in Teaching from the University of North Carolina and a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Tennessee.

Moya B. Thompson is currently a Communications Advisor to the US EPA’s Aging Initiative. This caps a more than 30 year career with diverse federal programs impacting older Americans, families with disabilities and a range of social, domestic and international issues including peace and justice in Ireland.  She has served as Co-staff director of the Ad Hoc Congressional Committee for Irish Affairs, Director of Congressional and Public Affairs for the U.S. Administration on Aging and Research Director of the House Subcommittee on Human Services. 

John T. Turk is President of Water Dipper, Inc. in Lakewood, Colorado and an international expert on the effects of air pollution and acid precipitation on aquatic ecosystems.  Before this he was Senior Research Hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey where he coordinated research programs in the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascade Range including a coordinated, regional-scale program of alpine watershed research and monitoring encompassing the entire Rocky Mountains.  Dr. Turk holds a PhD in Oceanography from the Scripps Institute, University of California at San Diego, and a BS in Chemistry from the University of Tennessee.

Harry R. Tyler, Jr. has more than thirty years experience working on the protection of natural areas in the State of Maine with a special interest in botanical and marine protected areas.  He was director of Maine’s Critical Areas Program that identified and helped preserve the State’s most significant natural areas by placing them on a Register of Critical Areas.  He also worked with private landowners on measures to protect significant natural areas under their ownership.  Finally, he been involved in projects to save endangered plants, and policy and management issues associated with Maine’s 2,500 great ponds.  Mr. Tyler is also an internationally known sculptor of birds in wood.  He holds a BA in Science from the University of New Hampshire and an MS from Oregon State University. 

David M. Welch is currently the Head of Environmental Quality for Parks Canada.  In this capacity he guides the provision of advice and coordination in major soil, water and air quality issues.  Dr. Welch also serves as Parks Canada principal advisor on climate change.  Earlier, he assisted Erik Hauge in organizing the transboundary regional clean air partnerships between the United States and Canada.  Dr. Welch holds a PhD from Western Ontario University, an MSc from the University of Alberta, a BSc from the University of London and an Associate Degree from King’s College London. 

CJ Hausman Zehnder is the owner and President of Organizational Services, Inc. that serves several of America’s most prestigious non-profit associations in all aspects of planning, organizing and conducting meetings and conferences. Her international clients include the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s International Fellows Program in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and projects by the Chrysler Corporation in Mexico and South Africa.  Ms. Hausman Zehnder holds a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan and a Secondary Teaching Certificate in Arts from the State of Michigan.