Expert Sources for Media

Journalists on deadline: The following experts from the Institute on the Environment and its research programs and projects may be available for interviews. This list includes just a few potential sources who can address today’s most pressing environmental topics in a clear and engaging way.

To set up an interview with anyone mentioned here, contact Todd Reubold or Eve Daniels.

Energy and Climate Change

  • Jonathan Foley, Director, IonE
    Expertise: Global environmental systems, water resources, ecosystem processes and sustainability; land use, agriculture and food security; tropical deforestation
  • Dick Hemmingsen, Director, Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment
    Expertise: Challenges and opportunities in renewable energy research and demonstration
  • Rod Larkins, Associate Director, Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment
    Expertise: Technology commercialization, industry partnership development and securing government R&D funding in renewable energy

Food, Land and Ecosystems

  • Jonathan Foley, Director, IonE
    Expertise: Global environmental systems, water resources, ecosystem processes and sustainability; land use, agriculture and food security; tropical deforestation
  • Jason Hill, Program Coordinator and Resident Fellow, IonE
    Expertise: Sustainable bioenergy production from current and next-generation feedstocks
  • Craig Packer, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior / IonE project: Whole Village Project
    Expertise: Rural livelihoods, land use practices, agriculture and food security in sub-Saharan Africa
  • Stephen Polasky, Applied Economics / IonE project: Accounting for Nature
    Expertise: Integrating economics and ecology, with a focus on how to assess the value of ecosystem goods and services
  • Peter Reich, Forest Resources / IonE project: Reinventing the Boreal Forest
    Expertise: Boreal forests in Minnesota and spanning North America, and how they interact with humans in the face of climate, economic and social change
  • John Sheehan, Program Coordinator, IonE
    Expertise: Direct and indirect consequences of biofuels production on land use around the world
  • David Tilman, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
    Expertise: Issues posed by human domination of global ecosystems, especially those due to expansions in agriculture, land use and energy consumption

Water Resources

  • Steve Colman, Duluth Large Lakes Observatory / IonE project: Global Great Lakes
    Expertise: Great lakes across North America, East Africa and Eurasia and their response to climate change and other environmental issues
  • Robert Hecky, Duluth Large Lakes Observatory / IonE project: Global Great Lakes
    Expertise: Great lakes across North America, East Africa and Eurasia and their response to climate change and other environmental issues
  • Pat Nunnally, Coordinator, River Life
    Expertise: Mississippi River history and revitalization efforts; interactions between rivers and human communities

Leadership, Education and Partnerships

  • Sherry Enzler, Executive Director, NorthStar Consortium
    Expertise: Environmental law; non-regulatory tools to enhance environmental performance
  • Patrick Hamilton, Science Museum of Minnesota / IonE project: Science-on-a-Sphere
    Expertise: Using interactive exhibits and education technologies to illustrate global environmental issues to people of all ages
  • Beth Mercer-Taylor, Education Coordinator, Sustainability Minor
    Expertise: Sustainability programs and efforts at the University of Minnesota
  • Todd Reubold, Communications Director, IonE
    Expertise: Environmental communications and marketing; translating research for the public
  • Tim Smith, Director, NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise; Resident Fellow, IonE
    Expertise: Organizational adoption of energy efficiency, renewable energy and other environmental performance enhancing technologies