Staff

Lisa Wozniak, Executive Director, lisa@michiganlcv.org

I love Michigan because people who have never been here don't believe that it could possibly be this beautiful or that that Lakes could be so vast. I love Michigan because once you've been here and experienced the sugar-sand beaches and sand dunes, the forests, the rocky shores of Lake Superior and the incredible beauty of the Keewenaw Peninsula, the endless and perfect expanse of Lake Michigan while the sun is setting, you wonder why you've ever been anywhere else. And, I love Michigan because I always believed, as a kid growing up in the Mediterranean, that all seas were salty. Not this one.

Lisa comes to the Michigan League of Conservation Voters with a long history in both the environmental and political worlds. Between 1996 and 2005, Lisa served as the Great Lakes Regional Director for the national League of Conservation Voters, overseeing programs and projects in Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin, with an enormous focus on keeping the Great Lakes Congressional caucus in check. Prior to that, Lisa cut her teeth on Lana Pollack's1994 heart-wrenching U.S. Senate campaign and on Alma Wheeler Smith's successful campaign for state Senate. Bitten by the political bug, Lisa was destined to deal with Michigan's current political challenges AKA fiasco, which includes the world of term limits, reapportionment, and a bi-partisan log-jam.

Lisa is adept at working with a broad array of people and organizations and brings a strategic vantage point to almost any discussion. Although she may deny her expertise (and the years behind her), Lisa  is thought of as a key leader within the conservation community in Michigan. With degrees in French and History of Art, Education and Social Work--all from the University of Michigan--Lisa's strong interdisciplinary background clearly influences Michigan LCV's approach to problem solving, collaborative campaigns, and political change.

Many may consider Lisa an extravert, but a deep, dark secret is that Lisa recharges by being alone!  Give her a good book, time to tend to the garden or do yoga, a run with her dog, and Lisa is good to go.... peaceful, calm, measured, attentive. And, meshed between the politics and the garden is Lisa's beautiful family: husband Kenny, hip young sons Zachariah and Benjamin, and lovely dog, Santosha.

Lisa serves on the board of a number of local, state and national organizations, including the Advisory Board of Growing Hope, the Normal Park Neighborhood Association , the Michigan Environmental Council, and the national League of Conservation Voters Education Fund .

Kerry Duggan, Deputy Director & Development Director, kerry@michiganlcv.org 

I love watching a sunset over a Great Lake; the smell of pine needles in the woods on a hike; counting barns while biking down a country road; and a great night out in Detroit. 

Kerry returned to Michigan in May 2009 following an intense, sleep-deprived, but rewarding couple of years in Washington, D.C., at the national League of Conservation Voters. As the Campaigns Project Manager and PAC coordinator for the LCV Action Fund, she worked directly with hundreds of candidates & campaigns from both parties, helping deliver a long-awaited, pro-environment White House with President Barack Obama, seven new U.S. Senators and 28 new U.S. Representatives (including Rep. Gary Peters and Rep. Mark Schauer, each of whom defeated a Dirty Dozen member).

An Oakland County, Michigan native, Kerry spent a year in New York City after graduating from Detroit Country Day School, where she and fellow Michigan LCV staff member Pam Bierzynski won two state championships in basketball and soccer. She played basketball for the Red Storm of St. John’s University and was selected as SJU’s representative from the Big East Conference to play for a European travel team. She moved on to the University of Vermont, where she received her B.S. in Environmental Studies from the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. While at UVM, she played basketball for the Catamounts, taught introductory environmental studies and served on a search committee for the Environmental Program.

After moving back to Michigan, Kerry spent three years contemplating attending law school but eventually came to her senses. She then worked on policy and campaigns with the Michigan Environmental Council, Michigan LCV and national LCV.

Dismissing one of her mentor’s advice, i.e., “grad school is for dummies,” she opted to get her M.S. degree in Natural Resource Policy & Behavior at the School of Natural Resources & Environment at the University of Michigan. While at U-M, she was elected to student government, helped frame the national Coping with Climate Change Summit for the Clinton Global Initiative, and facilitated the development of her master’s project, “Planning for the Strategic Redevelopment of Downtown Detroit” for the Downtown Detroit Partnership and Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. In her spare time, she taught three undergraduate Biology courses. The above mouthful was accomplished in an insane year and a half.

Kerry now serves on the Alumni Leadership Council of the University of Michigan Alumni Association and as an Alumni mentor at her high school.

She has a dual role at Michigan LCV, as Deputy Director and as Development Director (which syncs nicely with one of her better-known nicknames, “the human Rolodex”). In these positions, she has the opportunity to continually meet fantastic Michiganders: people who understand the genuine connection between electing the right people to office, foster policies that stimulate a clean-energy economy and protecting our state’s best assets, our natural resources.

When she is not at work, Kerry enjoys thinking strategically on how to improve work, drinking good coffee, sunrise and sunset walks, visiting friends and her Big Fat Irish family, playing name that tree, hiking, biking and swimming in the Great Lakes. She will also never turn down an invitation for dancing and an opportunity to “school” someone in hoops (as she’s only slightly competitive) and you can often catch her singing along to anything.  

Pam Bierzynski, Director of Operations, pam@michiganlcv.org

I love Michigan. It’s that simple. I can’t explain why, I just do.

Pam’s official title is Director of Operations, but we’ve been thinking about changing it. So far, we’ve come up with “point guard,” “master juggler,” “production director,” “life manager,” “IT specialist,” or “Pam of all trades.” If it weren’t for Pam, we’d need a larger office to host more staff. It’s safe to say while you are reading this, she is probably busy trying to find a way to help our organization run more efficiently and effectively. Her duties include managing the Michigan LCV newsletter and assisting in all facets of our programs, development, and administration.

Since childhood, Pam has always loved the outdoors, whether playing soccer or camping with her family. Eventually, her deep appreciation for nature –combined with her skills on the soccer field – led her to Aquinas College (a school known for its beautiful forested campus). There she earned degrees in Geography and Sociology, and was awarded Geographer of the Year and Academic All-American honors on the soccer field. Upon completing her studies, Pam worked as a City Year Detroit Americorps member and as an Associate Financial Representative with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network before being recruited to join the Michigan LCV team. We’re happy to say, she’s ours now.

A hard-core vegetarian, Pam lives in Ypsilanti with her husband, Tim, an environmental consultant with AKT Peerless Environmental & Energy Services ,and her two cats, Harley and Tanqueray (currently both cats are unemployed). When she’s not daydreaming about riding motorcycles, Pam enjoys spending time outdoors experiencing nature through the lens of her camera. In her free time, she also assists KMS Photography LLC in Dearborn.

Bill Kirk, Communications Director, bill@michiganlcv.org

I love living in the middle of the largest, most beautiful source of freshwater on the planet, and I love watching the sun sink into Lake Michigan.

Bill was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and attended Michigan State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Advertising. During his studies at MSU he interned in Washington, D.C., with Edelman, an international public relations firm, where he worked primarily in the area of public affairs. Bill has worked on various campaigns in Michigan, both local and statewide, always with a focus on supporting candidates who place a high priority on environmental values.

Bill currently serves as the Communications Director for Michigan LCV, handling all matters that relate to the press, the media, traditional marketing and networking. He works with the entire staff to develop organizational materials and to spread the word about the great work done by Michigan LCV and countless other environmental and conservation advocates around the state. During election cycles, Bill is the primary coordinator for Michigan LCV’s campaigning and field work, and he works in limited capacities related to policy development and direct lobbying.

Bill lives in the Heartside neighborhood of Grand Rapids, which has undergone tremendous revitalization over the past few years thanks to a community focus on the arts. An active member of the neighborhood association there, he works to promote sustainability practices and advocates for local exposure for Grand Rapids artists and musicians. He enjoys surfing the Great Lakes, Michigan beer, practicing yoga, and subjecting his friends to his guitar playing and other musical pursuits.

Mark Neisler, Global Climate Change Specialist, mark@michiganlcv.org

I love Michigan because I learned to ski here, went to college here, learned to brew beer here, and met my wife in Michigan.

Although born in Texas and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Mark has always felt like more of a Michigander than a Buckeye. One could say it’s because Toledo is so close to the border, but we here at Michigan LCV know it’s because Michigan is just that cool.

During Mark’s childhood, his family spent their summers with relatives, either at high altitudes in the Colorado Rockies or in the Odenwald of Southern Germany, which spurred his love of outdoor recreation and his taste for wild mushrooms. Boletus edulus and Cantharellus cibarius, to be precise. And if you’re willing to share your knowledge of any good places to forage morels, please contact him!

It was in high school at Maumee Valley Country Day School that Mark was first schooled in environmental education by an admittedly ex-hippy teaching faculty member and passionately took up the “cause.” His earliest recollection of environmental activism can be traced back to a can collection drive he was forced to run as punishment for not following the rules. Later, he attended the Model United Nations in The Hague, where he was the representative for policy on ozone layer depletion for the delegation from Barbados. After graduation, Mark spent a year in the wilds of woolly Wales, foregoing his scholarship studies at Llandovery College to play rugby, backpack the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia, and sample the local ales.

Upon returning home, he confirmed his appreciation for the Mitten State and attended Albion College, where he majored in political science and pre-medical studies. His fondest memory of college was when he put Nature Conservancy stickers on his dorm room door, to which one of his hall mates retorted: “My mother has a toothbrush made out of whale bone.”

Having tasted the fine beverages in Europe, and finding none comparable – with the notable exception of Kalamazoo-based Bell’s Solsun Ale – Mark began brewing his own. He briefly considered the brewing industry as a career, but instead he chose to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y., where as an extern he had the pleasure of cooking for Princess Diana at The Connaught Hotel in London.

But, after successfully surviving a decade as a dedicated ski bum/professional chef in Colorado, Mark’s career goals shifted to focus on environmental law, policy and administration, which led him back to Michigan. After working in the state Senate as a policy intern, he joined Michigan LCV in July 2008. He currently manages the national League of Conservation Voter’s federal global warming project, The Heat Is On, in Michigan, which seeks to enact comprehensive climate and energy legislation.

Mark is engaged to marry his fiancée, Gretchen, in November 2009, and meanwhile dotes on her two cats, Charlie and Cloudy. In his spare time, Mark is pursuing a Master of Public Administration at Eastern Michigan University and serves on the East Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals and the Glencairn Neighborhood Association. He also finds time to still brew his own beer, which the Michigan LCV staff is always ready to test!