Instagram Youtube Facebook
Menu
Menu
Instagram Youtube Facebook

Author: Allison Dodson

Categories
Faculty Advisor Staff

Laura Swessel

LAURA SWESSEL

Faculty Advisor

Laura holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT. She worked at Lockheed Martin as a Mechanical Test Engineer, building commercial satellites while earning an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from NJIT. She moved to Indiana in 1999 and started Lean Sigma, a consulting business for appliances, automotive, advertising, and healthcare industries and taught Physics at the local Purdue University campus. In 2012, she began as a long-term substitute Honors Physics teacher at Providence High School and found a love teaching high school. She now teaches Aviation, Physics, and Environmental Science at Mercy Academy in Louisville, KY. Laura has established STEM Clubs and Camps for elementary and middle school students in the area. She has been a volunteer with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources since 2008 as a docent at Falls of the Ohio and as a faculty member for the annual Family Paleontology Camp. She also serves on the county Native Habitat Restoration Team. She and her husband have four children, a dog and a cat.

Categories
Faculty Advisor Staff

Lillian Herring

LILLIAN HERRING

Faculty Advisor

Lillian Herring (she/her) works as a Wildlife Field Technician gathering research data for
conservation management projects. She is currently working on a grassland research in  Southern Illinois tracking Bobwhites and Black Racer snakes as well as conducting vegetation surveys and bird counts. Her past projects include trapping and tagging Bobwhites to study habitat use also located in Southern Illinois, and a small mammal mark and recapture project to study population distribution on GrandFather Mountain in North Carolina. Lillian graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelors of Science in Ecology, Evolution, & Environmental Biology. Lillian is a 2016 WYSE alumna and a former JFA. When not working Lillian enjoys cooking, hiking with her dog and cat, and hanging out at the rock climbing gym.

Categories
Junior Faculty Advisor Staff

Kwame Boakye

Junior Faculty Advisor

Kwame Boakye is a student at the University of Houston. He majors in Biotechnology and plans to pursue an MD degree after graduation. He takes pride in volunteering and helping out the community he lives in and as result he is a member of numerous organizations including MEDLIFE, UNICEF, NSCS and CSO all at the University of Houston. He possess leadership skills through his frequent works the CEC’s and their programs with children with disabilities. His interest in the environment derives from his upbringing in Ghana. A sports enthusiast, Kwame supports his favorite sports team wherever he goes. He is a proud alumnus of WYSE and hopes to share his past experiences with this year’s WYSE participants.

Categories
Faculty Advisor Staff

Brian Schwenk

Faculty Advisor

Brian Schwenk is currently a science teacher at Falls Church High School in Falls Church, VA. He has been teaching there for 3 years. He currently teaches Biology for English Learners and STEM Essentials for English Learners. He obtained his BS in Biology from James Madison University in 2013, and he obtained his MAT from James Madison University in 2015. He is excited for his first summer with WYSE!

Categories
Junior Faculty Advisor Staff

Tori McManus

Junior Faculty Advisor

Tori McManus is a junior at McNeese State University in Louisiana majoring in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. She has been a part of various extracurricular activities throughout her college career including Future Farmers of America, Pre-Veterinary Society and Phi Mu Fraternity. She is a WYSE 2014 Alum as well as a WYSE 2015 Intern Alum. After taking off from WYSE time to spend with her family and friends during the summer, Tori is ecstatic to be traveling back to George Mason University this summer to attain another life changing experience and leave a lasting impact on the students as their Junior Faculty Advisor for WYSE 2018.

Categories
Faculty Advisor Staff

Donna Downing

DONNA DOWNING

Faculty Advisor

Donna Downing is the Senior Legal Policy Advisor at the Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM).  Prior to coming to ASWM in December 2020, Donna was a policy analyst and attorney at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and served as Jurisdiction Team Leader in EPA’s Office of Water for fifteen years. Donna works on a variety of issues, with a focus in recent years on which waters are protected by the Clean Water Act (CWA) in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Donna previously worked for the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, and in private law practice. She has a BA from Harvard University magna cum laude, a MPP from the University of California at Berkeley, a JD from Georgetown University cum laude, and a LLM in Environmental Law summa cum laude from George Washington University. Donna teaches environmental law as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School, and was awarded the Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award in 2012. In what’s left of her time, Donna moonlights as a professional potter and an unprofessional horse trainer.

Categories
Junior Faculty Advisor Staff

Donnelle Bodnarchuk

DONNELLE BODNARCHUK

Junior Faculty Advisor

Donnelle Bodnarchuk is a rising junior at George Mason University majoring in History. Her goal is to pursue a career in the State Department working on international environmental policy and public outreach. Donnelle attended WYSE in 2016 and it was the best time of her high school career. In 2018 she returned to WYSE as a JFA for the Navy group and found the experience to be extraordinarily rewarding and amazing! She hopes to make this year’s WYSE as enjoyable and amazing as hers was and looks forward to meeting this year’s delegates!

Categories
Faculty Advisor Staff

Jim Poyser

Faculty Advisor

Jim Poyser left his 2-decade career in journalism because of his urgency regarding climate change, joining Earth Charter Indiana as its executive director in September, 2013, to engage Indiana young people in climate leadership. Poyser directs Youth Power Indiana, ECI’s youth program responsible for the passage of climate recovery resolutions in three Indiana cities. He was trained by the Climate Reality Project and has created the world’s first climate change game show, The Ain’t Too Late Show. He lives in Indianapolis on the White River.

Categories
Faculty Advisor Staff

Keni Rienks

KENI RIENKS

Faculty Advisor

Keni Rienks teaches AP Environmental Science, Coastal Engineering, and AP Seminar at an independent school in Wilmington, NC. She also leads the Cape Fear Surfrider Foundation and is on the board for the Duke University Superfund Research Center’s Community Engagement Core. When Keni is not working, she enjoys time on the boat and at the beach with her husband and two children. Keni holds a Masters of Environmental Management degree from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina – Wilmington.

Categories
Junior Faculty Advisor Staff

Sabit Nasir

Junior Faculty Advisor

Sabit Nasir is a rising senior studying Environmental Studies and Geography at the University of Connecticut. He is currently the President of the EcoHusky Student Group, the largest environmental organization on campus for those interested in advocacy and the environment. Believe it or not, his environmental passion came from the WYSE program! WYSE allowed him to grow a love for environmentalism, bringing him to where he is today. As an alumni of the WYSE program, Sabit is excited to be one of the Junior Faculty Advisors this summer!