RICHARD TODD STAFFORD
Richard Todd Stafford is the Director of Communications in the Honors College at George Mason University. The Honors College gives the most motivated undergraduate students from all majors and backgrounds the support that inspires them to pursue their curiosity and undertake meaningful civic engagement and experiential learning opportunities. Dr. Stafford mentors and supervises the Honors College Communication team. Dr. Stafford has written, spoken, and taught extensively about cultural dimensions of climate change, energy, and the environment, including on the “Capitalism, Climate, and Culture” podcast, in the media, and at @richardtoddstafford on Instagram.
RICHARD TODD STAFFORD
Richard Todd Stafford is the Director of Communications in the Honors College at George Mason University. The Honors College gives the most motivated undergraduate students from all majors and backgrounds the support that inspires them to pursue their curiosity and undertake meaningful civic engagement and experiential learning opportunities. Dr. Stafford mentors and supervises the Honors College Communication team. Dr. Stafford has written, spoken, and taught extensively about cultural dimensions of climate change, energy, and the environment, including on the “Capitalism, Climate, and Culture” podcast, in the media, and at @richardtoddstafford on Instagram.
Talia Mekinulov is a young professional currently working in the water sector as part of Xylem’s Engineering Leadership Development Program. Originally from Buffalo, New York, she earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. With a lifelong passion for water, Talia is committed to enhancing its accessibility and cleanliness for all. She works with Xylem’s Innovation Labs team, scouting new technology and innovations in the water world.Currently living in Washington, DC, she remains dedicated to her professional growth and making a positive impact in the world.
Kevin has worked closely with multiple organizations to advance all-hazards resilience in the water sector for over 20 years. This includes guiding the development of several ANSI/AWWA standards that represent minimum best practice for water sector risk and resilience management, including cybersecurity. He has applied his expertise as a member of the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council, a Disaster Resilience Fellow with NIST, and the Water Sector Coordinating Council. At George Mason University his PhD research led to the creation of the Utility Resilience Index (URI). He holds a MS from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a BA from Syracuse University.
Amanda Taylor studied Environmental Science B.S. with a concentration in Ecological Sciences at George Mason University and graduated in 2020. Since then, she has worked in water reclamation, mosquito and tick control, and now on-site septic and water for the Fairfax County Health Department. Amanda has enjoyed applying her passion for protecting our environment in each of these unique fields, all of which have given her immense opportunities and connections. Being out in nature every day with the mission to protect human health, as well as the health of the environment, brings her joy!
Mark Patrick McGuire joined Edison Electric Institue (EEI) in 2020 as a senior attorney. He manages the association’s clean energy and infrastructure portfolio. Patrick holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and a B.S. in History from Northeastern University. He is an active member of the Rhode Island and Massachusetts bars and came to EEI after working at the Association of Clean Water Agencies on the Clean Water Act and before that as Associate Legal Counsel at the Narragansett Bay Commission in Providence, Rhode Island.
Kate recently joined the National Zoo after more than 15 years as a staff scientist in the Population Ecology and Genetics Lab at the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), in Caracas, Venezuela. She started at IVIC fresh out of graduate school at Cambridge and Princeton, and followed her time there with two years as an associate researcher at the Venezuelan conservation NGO Provita. Her PhD research focused on examining the effects of modern zoo population management on quantitative genetic variation in captivity and the wild, and her early work in Venezuela focused on helping zoos there develop an effective ex-situ conservation strategy for Andean bears, taking into account both wild and captive population pressures. In her new role as a National Zoo Secretary Scholar, Kate collaborates with colleagues across the Smithsonian and around the world to understand and manage the demographic and genetic challenges faced by NZP/SCBI’s huge diversity of ex situ populations, in order to ensure the integration and success of the Smithsonian’s in situ and ex situ conservation efforts.
Michelle is an Environmental Program Manager with Tetra Tech, Inc., a global firm providing consulting and engineering services in water, environment and sustainable infrastructure. She works with her colleagues to solve some of the most pressing issues relating to water, from coastal erosion challenges to safe drinking water delivery. After graduation from Franklin & Marshall College with a bachelors degree in economics and government, she started her environmental career working as a legal researcher working for a publishing company specializing in federal environmental statutes and regulations reviews. She earned a Masters degree in natural resources from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in envionmental science and policy from George Mason University where she has also taught both undergraduate and graduate students in the environmental sciences. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys recreational running and spending time in the great outdoors.
Charles Scaife is a scientist at the US Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office. He found his way to Washington, DC through NOAA’s Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship – a year-long program meant to expose early career scientists to policy making. Charles has a love for the outdoors that he turned into a research career focused on ecology and hydrology. Prior to DOE, he conducted extensive climate change research across Appalachia in partnership with the US Forest Service and earned his PhD in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia. Now, he works to understand climate change impacts on water resources and renewable energy across the US. In his free time, you’ll find Charles trail running, cycling around town, or reading in the park.
Colin Sasthav is a hydropower engineer at the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office. Since middle school, Colin has been passionate about sustainable energy and the environment. He first studied biological engineering before going to graduate school to earn his PhD in Energy Science and Engineering from the University of Tennessee where he learned about the interdisciplinary challenges of hydropower. Outside of work, Colin plays almost any sport with a ball (tennis being his main sport) and he enjoys playing video games and reading sci-fi/fantasy novels.
E. Lynn Porta is a water resources policy analyst working at the intersections of communities and governments. She received a Master of Science in Water Resources Policy and Management and a Certificate in Water Conflict Management and Transformation from Oregon State University, and published her MS research on international water politics and changing values of water. During the day, Lynn is currently an Energy & Climate Analyst at Concurrent Technologies Corporation supporting the Department of the Air Force to have water-resilient, mission-supportive systems amid rapidly changing climate and energy policies. In her second “evening” career, Lynn is one of the Co-Founders and current USA Co-President of the North American Youth Parliament for Water, which she helped establish when at Oregon State University. NAYPW works to support the visibility and inclusion of youth and young professionals (ages 18-35) in water resource decision-making spaces across North America/Turtle Island in support of the continent’s progress to achieving SDG 6. Her work with NAYPW led to her speaking at the recent United Nations Water Conference as an expert stakeholder on water and youth. community values, particularly from youth and young professionals, in water management spaces across North America and in the Middle East. If she is not working on one such project, she is reading a book about dragons and elves at the top of a nearby mountain overlook or a tucked-away waterfall.