PEC Recognizes 40 Under 40 Environmentalists In Pennsylvania

In celebration of its 40th Anniversary, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council has selected 40 Pennsylvanians under the age of 40 as recipients of its 40 Under 40 Awards. Recipients will be honored at PEC's 40th Anniversary Celebration at the Civic Club of Harrisburg on September 22.
Nearly 100 environmental professionals and volunteers were nominated for this statewide honor. Nominees included volunteers and professionals in a diverse range of environmental fields throughout the entire Commonwealth including planning, research, education and advocacy.
"PEC has reflected much on our past successes during our 40th Anniversary, and recognizing this next generation of environmental leaders is our way of looking to the future with a great deal of excitement," said Don Welsh, President and CEO of PEC.
"We learned that these young leaders stand poised to tackle our state's most important upcoming challenges including Marcellus Shale development, renewable energy, and stormwater, among others," he said.
The 40 Under 40 Recipients are:
1. Sherry Acevedo, 36. Resource Conservation Specialist, Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Easton
2. Phyllis Barber, 38, Sustainanbility Coordinator- Environmental Management, Highmark, Inc., Pittsburgh
3. Thomas Baxter, 31, Executive Director, Friends of the Riverfront, Pittsburgh
4. Lindsay Baxter, 27, Sustainability Coordinator, Office of the Mayor, City of Pittsburgh
5. Heather Blakeskee, 36, Programs & Advocacy Director, Delaware Valley Green Building Council, Philadelphia
6. April Claus, 37, Director of Environmental Education, Sewickley Heights Borough/Fern Hollow, Nature Center, Sewickley
7. Maureen Copeland, 27, Community Programs Manager, GTECH Strategies, Inc., Pittsburgh
8. Danielle Crumrine, 32, Executive Director, Friends of Pittsburgh Urban Forest, Pittsburgh
9. Timothy Dugan, 29, Assitant District Forester, PA-DCNR- Bureau of Forestry, Elverson
10. Katherine Gajewski, 30, Director, Mayor's Office of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia
11. Marijke Hecht, 39, Director of Education, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Pittsburgh
12. Tara Hemmer, 37, Special Projects Manager, Waste Management of Pennsylvania, Fairless Hills
13. Robert Hughes, 38, Executive Director, Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Ashley
14. Stacey Kennealy, 29, Certification Program and Sustainability Director, GreenFaith, New Brunswick
15. Christine Knapp, 31, Director of Outreach, Citizen's for Pennsylvania's Future, Philadelphia
16. Christopher Kocher, 37, President, Wildlands Conservancy, Emmaus
17. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, 33, Executive Director, Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia
18. Emily Landsburg, 32, CEO, BlackGold BioFuels, Philadelphia
19. Lauren Lazzari, 29, Vice President, Investar, Inc., Johnstown
20. Megan Lehman, 29, Environmental Planner, Lycoming County, Williamsport
21. Brian Linton, 23, Founder, United By Blue, Philadelphia
22. David Masur, 38, Director, PennEnvironment, Philadelphia
23. Maura McCarthy, 36, Executive Director, Friends of the Wissahickon, Philadelphia
24. Deborah Nardone, 36, Coldwater Resource Specialist, Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, Pleasant Gap
25. Joel Perkovich, 31, Principal, Tsuga Studios and Allegheny GreenRoofs. Cheswick
26. Daniel Reilly, 36, Attorney/Associate, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Philadelphia
27. Jenn Rezeli, 37, Principal, Re:Vision Architecture, Philadelphia
28. Ann Roda, 30, Market Based Programs Coordinator, Office of Water Planning, PA Dept. of Environmental Protection, Harrisburg
29. Jake Romig, 37, President/Founder, Ecostruction LLC, York
30. Todd Sampsell, 38, Deputy State Director, The Nature Conservancy, Harrisburg
31. Kristin Sewak, 35, Executive Director, Natural Biodiversity, Windber
32. Aurora Sharrard, PhD, 30, Director of Innovation, Green Building Alliance, Pittsburgh
33. Brian Shema, 34, Director of Conservation, Audubon Society of Western PA, Pittsburgh
34. Jennifer Shuey, 39, Executive Director, ClearWater Conservancy, State College
35. James Sloss, 35, Energy & Utilities Manager, City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh
36. Amy Jo Smith, 28, Grant Manager, Economic Development Corporation of Erie County
37. Sarah Thorp, 38, Master Planning Manager, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, Philadelphia
38. Susan Turcmanovich, 38, External Affairs Manager, Pennsylvania American Water, Wilkes-Barre
39. Brad Waldron, 34, Vice President, Novel Geo-Environmental, LLC, Moon Township
40. Nathan Wildfire, 28, Sustainable Policy Coordinator, East Liberty Development, Inc., Pittsburgh
For more information, visit PEC's 40th Anniversary Celebration webpage.