– OTHER VOICES –
Meet the
EDWARD VERHAMME
Edward is an experienced project engineer within the environmental services industry. He is the former President of the International Association of Great Lakes Researchers. Skilled in environmental modeling, real-time data collection/monitoring, environmental consulting, water resource management, and hydrology. He holds a Master of Science (M.S.) focused in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University.
RAJESH BEJANKIWAR
Rajesh is a Physical Scientist and Advisor at the International Joint Commission (ICJ), a US and Canada body through which the two nations cooperate to manage and protect the bodies of water that they share.
HOWARD LERNER
Howard is President and Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. He served as Vice-Chair of the U.S. EPA’s National Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technologies; and is an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University Law School and the University of Michigan Law School, teaching advanced seminars in energy law and climate change policy.
LAURA JOHNSON, PHD
Laura is the Director, National Center for Water Quality Research, Heidelberg University, in Tiflin, Ohio. She is best known for research examining the linkages between agricultural runoff and harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. Laura received her Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 2008
SANDY BIHN
Sandy serves as the Executive Director of Lake Erie Waterkeeper Inc., one of 195 waterkeeper programs around the world, which is helping to initiate a voice for the water from those that have an economic dependency on Lake Erie via the Lake Erie Improvement Association. Sandy is a member of the Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition, and is the Conservation Chair for the Western Lake Erie Sierra Club. She has a Master's degree in Finance from the University of Toledo.
GREGORY DICK, PHD
Gregory is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) at the University of Michigan. He is the Director of the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR), a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), universities, non-governmental organizations, and businesses.
MAYOR WADE KAPSZUKIEWICZ
He has served as the Mayor of Toledo, Ohio, since 2017, where he has put water security and other water issues at the forefront of his platform. He is the former Treasurer of Lucas County, Ohio and holds a masters degree in public policy from the University of Michigan.
JEFFREY REUTTER, PHD
Dr. Reutter is an aquatic biologist and limnologist. He is the author of over 150 technical reports and journal articles, and a frequent lecturer on issues related to the changing Lake Erie ecosystem. He is the former director of four programs at The Ohio State University, including the Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab.