Cook Inletkeeper

Staff Profiles and Qualifications

Bob Shavelson, Executive Director/Cook Inletkeeper:

Bob is an attorney with backgrounds in biology, chemistry, and environmental sampling and compliance.  He was Editor-in-Chief of the University of Oregon’s Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation, and has considerable experience in toxics, the Clean Water Act, and Right-to-Know issues.  Prior to joining Inletkeeper in 1996, Bob worked in the United States Senate, Oregon’s Senate Majority Office, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium, and the University of Oregon’s Ocean & Coastal Law Center.  He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the National Alliance of Water Keepers, Cook Inlet Citizen’s Regional Advisory Council, and Alaska Conservation Alliance.  He holds a BA in Biology from Boston University and a JD from the University of Oregon.

Lois N. Epstein, P.E., Senior Engineer/Oil and Gas Industry Specialist:

Lois N. Epstein, P.E., has worked for Cook Inletkeeper as Senior Engineer and Oil & Gas Industry Specialist since 2001.  Previously she worked for Environmental Defense (formerly Environmental Defense Fund) in Washington, D.C. on pollution prevention and measuring industrial environmental performance.   Prior to these positions, Ms. Epstein worked for two private consulting firms and the U.S. EPA Region 9 Office of Water.  Currently she aims to improve the performance of the oil and natural gas infrastructure in Alaska’s Cook Inlet watershed, prevent new oil and gas development in the watershed’s sensitive areas, and promote pipeline safety nationwide. She has presented invited testimony before the U.S. Congress on over ten occasions including five times representing Cook Inletkeeper, and has appeared on CNN, CBS Evening News, and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.  Additionally, Ms. Epstein currently serves as a part-time consultant for the Pipeline Safety Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to improved fuel transportation safety, located in Bellingham, Washington.

Ms. Epstein is a licensed Professional Engineer in the States of Alaska and Maryland and a member of the federal Office of Pipeline Safety’s advisory committee on hazardous liquid pipelines.  She has a masters degree from Stanford University in Civil Engineering with a specialization in environmental engineering and science, and undergraduate degrees from both Amherst College (in English) and MIT (in mechanical engineering).  President Clinton nominated her in October 2000 to the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, however the U.S. Senate did not vote on her nomination before the end of the 106th Congress.

John Plaskett, Laboratory Manager:

John oversees the Cook Inlet Community-based Water Quality Laboratory. John graduated with honors from Southwest Missouri State University. He received a BS degree in Biology, with an aquatic emphasis, and a minor in chemistry.  His 24 years of water quality experience includes: watershed protection, lake & river nutrient issues, drinking water, groundwater, wastewater, biosolids, industrial pretreatment, and fisheries. Twenty years of that experience was managing laboratories to meet regulatory compliance for the El Dorado Irrigation District, CA; City of Westminster, CO; Kansas Water Pollution Control, KS and the University of Missouri research laboratory. He was selected to research water quality and fisheries issues for the Lake Mead Limnological Research Center, NV. John’s desire is to contribute many years of water quality lab experience to protect the environment, promote public health and enhance our quality of life.

Sue Mauger, Stream Ecologist:

Sue heads Inletkeeper’s efforts to study nonpoint source pollution impacts in wild salmon streams on the Kenai Peninsula.  Sue joined Inletkeeper in Summer 2000, and has considerable experience in water chemistry, water quality monitoring, and macroinvertebrate assessment.  Before joining Inletkeeper, Sue worked for the Xerces Society as Project Director for the Aquatic Invertebrate Monitoring Program and for Earthwatch, as Project Coordinator in the Life Sciences Department of Field Operations.  Sue holds a B.S. in Zoology from Duke University and an M.S. in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University.

Ingrid Harrald, Volunteer Monitoring Coordinator:

Ingrid coordinated Inletkeeper’s Citizens’ Environmental Monitoring Program.  She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Virginia Tech.  She worked as a Biology Technician studying seabirds for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 8 years on remote islands throughout Alaska and California.  She also spent time coordinating volunteer programs in California, working with the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary and the National Park Service to manage their citizen science and site stewardship programs.  More recently, Ingrid has worked for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge in Homer studying the breeding biology and diet of storm-petrels in Southeast Alaska.

Edan Badajos, Laboratory Analyst:

Edan’s background in forestry, conservation, and water quality make him a valuable asset to the Inletkeeper organization.  He has done stream restoration with the Student Conservation Association on the Plumas National Forest in California and served two years in AmeriCorps Serve Alaska Youth Core in Juneau.  Edan also worked for the U.S. Forest Service Chugach National Forest.  Prior to joining Inletkeeper, Edan worked for the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau doing water quality monitoring on the Mendenhall Valley Watershed Project.  Edan is currently seeking a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Alaska Southeast.

Will Schlein, GIS/Web Specialist:

Will received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Rochester, where he gained expertise in Geographic Information Systems.  He has volunteered for several nonprofits and serves on the Board of Directors of Vessels of Hope.  Working to implement clean, renewable energy technology, Will is active in the Alternative Energy Group in Homer.  Will is the owner of the Homer Hostel.  Prior to moving to Alaska he worked renovating and recycling old buildings in California. 

Michael Allen, Development Director:

Michael holds a B.S. in Management from the Illinois Institute of Technology, in Chicago, IL.  Michael joined Cook Inletkeeper in 2006 to oversee the membership program, grant writing, and fund development.  Michael’s background includes long range and strategic planning, budgeting, and program development with Kawerak, the Native non-profit for Alaska’s Bering Strait Region and Chugachmiut, the Native non-profit for Prince William Sound and the Lower Kenai Peninsula. His history also includes contract negotiation, business and financial management in the consulting industry for Advanced Programming Resources and AGS Information Services, and the telecommunications industry for AT&T Bell Labs and Motorola.  His business experience brings a unique management perspective to the non-profit sector.

Yvonne Prucha, Finance Officer:

Yvonne is a 15-year Homer resident who has been active in the area’s conservation community since the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, including as a participant in community meetings which led to the creation of Cook Inletkeeper.  Yvonne brings over 20 years of secretarial and accounting experience to the Inletkeeper, and has worked as financial manager of PAWS Publishing in Homer, operations manager of the Homer Council on the Arts, and as freelance writer, photographer, editorial assistant, and typesetter for Homer’s two newspapers.