BOARD
Carol Kauffman, Board President
Mike Shelton, Chairman
Mary Duffey
Daniel Gray
Krista Magaw
Brewster Rhoads
Mark Shanahan
Kyle Strickland
Heather Taylor-Miesle
Andrew Watterson
Nan Whaley
STAFF
Spencer Dirrig, Director
Pete Bucher, Chief of Staff
Riley Dean, Political Affairs Manager
BOARD
Carol Kauffman, Board President
Kauffman brings more than two decades of nonprofit and corporate experience advocating for environmental, community, and social justice issues as well as directing sustainability programs and strategies. From 2013 to 2017, Kauffman worked in the nonprofit sector in Cambodia where she designed development projects, helped businesses develop more responsible practices, and responded to natural disasters in the region. Since 2017, Kauffman led environmental and social responsibility efforts within the corporate sector at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, and most recently, at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Within these positions, she devised sustainability strategies, led philanthropic efforts, and engaged with a diverse array of stakeholders — including a nationwide network of environmental partners.
Kauffman earned her B.A. in English from Taylor University (1999) and Masters of International Development from Eastern University (2012).
Mike Shelton, Chairman
Mike Shelton is Associate Director for the Sustainability Institute, leading the development of a tracking and reporting system for the university’s sustainability goals; managing the Ohio State Sustainability Fund; helping to manage the work of the President and Provost’s Council on Sustainability; and serving as a project manager for a number of sustainability related projects on campus. Prior to joining Ohio State, Mike was at ScottsMiracle-Gro where he was the manager for Corporate Social Responsibility. He has worked in state government, at the Ohio Legislature, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Governor’s Office, as well as at The Nature Conservancy’s Ohio Chapter, as Assistant Director of Government Relations.
Mary Duffey
Mary Duffey is a Columbus native who graduated from That School Up North, sometimes called the University of Michigan, with a degree in Economics and in Political Science. After a few years’ work at the Ohio Statehouse, and law school at The Ohio State University (J.D with honors, 1987), she clerked for U.S. Sixth Circuit Appellate Judge Alan Norris, and was an associate with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. Mary joined Peck, Shaffer & Williams LLP in 1992, and became a partner with a practice in public finance - a national transactional practice to help fund public and nonprofit projects like hospitals, public infrastructure, and universities. Mary joined Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, as a partner in 2014 upon its merger with Peck Shaffer, and became “of Counsel” and all-but-retired in 2021.
Mary continues her involvement with nonprofit and public boards, including as a member of the Franklin County Infrastructure Bank Loan Advisory Board, and the Franklin County Democratic Party Central Committee. She is involved in political campaigns and especially in promoting voting rights and access. She continues her interest in arts organizations, especially BalletMet, where she served on the Board for approximately 12 years, chairing it for two years. Her interests include travel, the family farm in northeastern Trumbull County, gardening, hiking, and the emerging field of agrivoltaics.
Daniel Gray, Director of Regional Strategies for Citizens Utility Board
Daniel M. Gray serves as Director of Regional Strategies for Citizens Utility Board, a nationally recognized pro-clean energy consumer advocacy non-profit. In that role, he manages the Consumer Advocacy HUB for CUB’s Consumer Education and Research Fund, leading the strategic development of HUB, managing the budget, and building and maintaining relationships with HUB partners and funders. Prior to joining CUB, Mr. Gray co-founded and served as COO of EmpowerSaves a digitally-driven energy efficiency marketing and sales company and helped lead a team that grew the company to over $1,000,000 in sales. In addition, he ran and consulted on over two dozen grassroots political campaigns including working at the Democratic National Committee. Mr. Gray is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and received his MBA from The Ohio State University.
Krista Magaw, Tecumseh Land Trust Director
Krista Magaw has been the director of Tecumseh Land Trust for more than 10 years. Her twenty-five years of non-profit organization and government experience complement the preservation project experience of the 25 year old Southwestern Ohio land trust.
Krista’s time with the land trust has been packed with local government and land owner contacts on the Clean Ohio program and the federal Farm and Ranchland Protection program. Through Clean Ohio, Tecumseh Land Trust (TLT) has brought over $20 million to Clark and Greene Counties for conservations easement purchase.
Historic preservation and restoration has long been an avocation for Krista and her husband, who is a history professor at Capital. Art, photography, gardening, and cooking are also interests of Magaw, interests that she shares with her husband and daughter.
Krista has a master’s degree in Public Policy from Duke University.
Brewster Rhoads, Principal Brewster Rhoads & Associates
Brewster Rhoads is consults on political campaigns, ballot issues, and advocacy projects. He has managed or provided strategic advice on more than 150 candidate and issue campaigns in Southwest Ohio.
He is the former Executive Director of Green Umbrella, the sustainability alliance for the region around Cincinnati. Prior to his position with Green Umbrella, Brewster served as the Southwest Ohio regional director for Governor Ted Strickland.
Brewster participated in the first Earth Day celebration in 1970 and has been an environmental advocate and political strategist ever since. A graduate of Williams College, he worked as a community organizer in Western Massachusetts, the director of the Coalition for a New Foreign Policy in Washington, DC, and the director of the Cincinnati Office of Ohio Citizen Action.
Brewster lives in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Cincinnati with his wife Ann, an attorney specializing in whistleblower law. Brewster is the founder and chair of the Ohio River Paddlefest and an avid kayaker.
Mark Shanahan, Principal, New Morning Energy LLC
Dr. Shanahan provides clients strategic guidance on clean energy technology policy and deployment through New Morning Energy LLC.
As Governor Ted Strickland’s Energy Advisor, he played a key role in designing, negotiating and implementing SB 221 that created Ohio’s first advanced energy and efficiency portfolio standards.
During his tenure serving four Governors as Executive Director, the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority issued $5.8 billion in bonds, supporting investments in air pollution control and prevention, energy efficiency and clean energy technologies.
After getting his undergraduate degree from Boston College, Shanahan received his Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, Pari Sabety.
Kyle Strickland, Deputy Director of Race and Democracy, Roosevelt Institute
As the Deputy Director of Race and Democracy, Kyle Strickland supports Roosevelt’s work to ensure that racial equity and inclusion are part of all of the Institute’s programmatic areas. Currently, he is leading a multi-year race landscape project that will provide an overview and analysis of the latest research, policy ideas, and political movement-building on race, economics, and politics. In addition, Strickland is the Senior Legal Analyst at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity and the Director of My Brother’s Keeper Ohio, a statewide network that provides educational and community opportunities for youth of color. Prior to joining Kirwan, Kyle earned his law degree from Harvard Law School, where he served as Student Body President. Kyle, a native of Columbus, earned his B.A. in Political Science from The Ohio State University.
Heather Taylor-Miesle
Heather Taylor-Miesle has more than 20 years of experience advocating for greater environmental and public health protections, and working with our nation’s top decision-makers to bring environmental issues into the political spotlight.
Prior to joining the OEC and OEC Action Fund, Heather was the leader of the NRDC Action Fund, where she grew the organization from a mere concept into an environmental powerhouse in national politics. She also served as the NRDC’s deputy legislative director, worked with Fortune 500 companies to strengthen their sustainability practices, and held key aide positions on Capitol Hill working on energy and natural resources issues.
Heather studied political science and government at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, and earned her master’s of public administration from the University of Southern California.
Andrew Watterson, President and Founder, Blue CSR Strategies
Andrew is President and Founder of Blue CSR Strategies, a corporate responsibility consulting firm located in Cleveland, Ohio. Andrew is an experienced sustainability and corporate responsibility practitioner who leverages his expertise in corporate responsibility and organizational development to guide organizations toward creating a positive impact on society, people, and the planet, while creating positive financial returns. Previously Andrew served as Sustainable Value VP at GOJO Industries, Senior Vice President and Head of Sustainability for KeyBank, Senior Consultant at BrownFlynn, and the First Chief of Sustainability for the City of Cleveland.
Nan Whaley
Nan Whaley is a seasoned public servant with over two decades of experience in local government. Her strong leadership, relationship and organizational skills have helped achieve better outcomes not only across her community, but across the state and country.
Ms. Whaley served as the Mayor of Dayton, Ohio from 2014 to 2022, where she led the city through several major challenges, including the devastating tornadoes of 2019, a senseless mass shooting and the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also a founder of the Ohio Mayor’s Alliance, an advocacy group for Ohio’s thirty largest cities. Ms. Whaley was elected by her peers across the country to serve as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2021-22; successfully advocating for passage of the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, both of which brought billions in resources to local communities. Prior to her tenure as Mayor, Ms. Whaley served on the Dayton City Commission where she was the youngest woman to hold that post. During her time in office, she focused on improving the city's infrastructure, promoting economic development, and strengthening the city's sense of community.
In 2022, she was the Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio; making Ohio history as the first woman from any major political party to be nominated.
In addition to her work in government, Ms. Whaley is actively involved in her community and has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations. She holds a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Dayton and a master's degree in Public Administration from Wright State University. She lives in her beloved Five Oaks neighborhood in Dayton with her husband Sam, their dog Louis and cat Paris.
STAFF
Pete Bucher, Chief of Staff
Pete has a B.S. in Environmental Policy from the Ohio State University with a focus on water quality. Prior to joining the OEC Action Fund, Pete served as a Legislative Aide in the Ohio House of Representatives and as a consultant for various agricultural associations, labor coalitions and political campaigns. In his role, Pete sits on the Concentrated Animal Feeding Facility Advisory Committee and serves as Vice-Chair of the Ohio Agricultural Conservation Initiative. Pete serves on Worthington City Council.
Spencer Dirrig, Director
A native Ohioan and second-generation American, Spencer Dirrig was born and raised in Delaware County, just north of Columbus. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Economics in 2019. An experienced political organizer, Spencer founded Breakthrough Advising LLC in 2019 and managed numerous campaigns throughout Central Ohio on the local, state, and federal level. Spencer joined the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund in 2021 to help build the political power of the environment movement in Ohio. In his free time, Spencer serves as the 3rd Vice President of the Young Democrats of America, President of Workers United Local 2843, and a Member of the Board of Directors for the Legacy Fund of The Columbus Foundation. Outside of politics, Spencer is a USSF Soccer Referee and enjoys hiking with his rescue dog, Saoirse.
Riley Dean, Political Associate
Riley was born and raised in Waterville, Ohio, and recently graduated from the Ohio State University with degrees in Economics and Public Policy Analysis. During her time at Ohio State, Riley was the political director of OSU’s College Democrat chapter and completed internships with Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Nucor Public Affairs, and Columbus City Councilmember Rob Dorans. She is excited to join the OEC to increase the power of the environment in Ohio politics. Outside of work, Riley enjoys spending time outdoors and exploring different restaurants around Columbus.