Keynote speaker: Debra Shore, regional administrator for U.S. EPA Region 5

We are thrilled to announce our keynote speaker, Debra Shore. She is the regional administrator for U.S. EPA Region 5. Her responsibilities include overseeing environmental protection efforts in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, as well as 35 federally recognized tribal nations. One of her roles is manager of EPA’s Great Lakes National Program, in which she leads restoration and protection of the largest freshwater system in the world. Prior to joining EPA, Shore was an elected member of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

Also an award-winning author, Shore founded Chicago Wilderness magazine, was a leader in the creation of the Chicago Wilderness Alliance, and founded Friends of the Forest Preserves. Shore has been an active habitat restoration volunteer in oak woods and savannas, prairies and wetlands of local forest preserves for more than 25 years.

Masters of Ceremony

The Chicago Wilderness Alliance's Congress mainstage is hosted by three dynamic Masters of Ceremonies. Not only are our MCs engaging on their own, they are each conservation professionals contributing to our region.

Mila K. Marshall works to mobilize and energize diverse networks across Illinois around clean water issues related to wastewater, agriculture and industry. She advocates for novel partnerships that protect the quality of streams, lakes, rivers, and Illinois tributaries for all. Furthermore she addresses the legacies of water infrastructure disinvestment by building bridges towards solutions through connecting and educating the scientific and legislative communities at the city, county and state levels.
@greenkels (Twitter)
@herbandplanning (Instagram) (Facebook)

Nathanael J. Pilla is a botanist for Orbis Environmental Consulting who previously worked with Save the Dunes and the Indiana Dunes National Park. He is well versed in the terrestrial and aquatic flora of the Chicago region bringing his knowledge and charisma with him in and outside the workplace. He has experience in botanical research and identification, hands-on resource management, project management and plant identification, and his written work has appeared in many peer-reviewed journals.
@botany_and_beer (Instagram)

Lucia Whalen is an environmental communications specialist currently working at Openlands and a Chicago-born and bred comedian, writer, and concerned citizen. Her clever, feminist perspective paired with a shameless storytelling style has made her a favorite to audiences all over the country. She has opened for Dave Attell, Chad Daniels, and SNL’s Sasheer Zamata, to name a few. Lucia has contributed to The New Yorker and is a cohost of the environmental comedy podcast What a Waste. Her biggest credit is that she once made Al Gore laugh.

Facilitated Discussion
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)represent once-in-a-generation opportunities to invest in transformational infrastructure and to do so in a way that protects our natural landscapes and water systems. These pieces of legislation unlock a magnitude of federal funding for conservation programs unseen in our lifetimes, offering our movement the rare opportunity to rewrite how we do the work of conservation; how we protect lands and water; and how we live, work, and recreate.

• Shalini Vajjhala, Founder and CEO of re:focus partners. Watch Shalini's presentation at Congress and the breakout discussion on federal funding. 

Shalini Vajjhala is a nationally recognized infrastructure expert with two decades of experience designing and financing community-centered resilient infrastructure solutions. She has testified before the US Senate on the costs of climate change and created national partnerships to leverage insurance for coastal protection, improve procurement of green infrastructure, and provide technical assistance to communities to reduce disaster risk through nature-based solutions. Before starting re:focus partners, Shalini served as Special Representative in the Office of Administrator Lisa Jackson at the US EPA. Previously, she served as Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Office of International & Tribal Affairs at EPA and as Deputy Associate Director for Energy and Climate at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. She joined the Obama Administration from Resources for the Future, where she was awarded a patent for her climate adaptation mapping work. Shalini received her PhD in Engineering & Public Policy and B.Arch in Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Moderated Panels

• Revitalized Green Region Initiatives: Dive into upcoming work to conserve our region
  Moderated by Amy Rosenthal, The Field Museum
  Panelists:
  • Dani Abboud, Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods
  • Tim Brennan, The Farm Foundation
  • Cathy Geraghty, The Forest Preserves of Cook County
  • Ted Haffner
  • Mark Johnston, The Field Museum
  • Sara Race, ComEd
  • Matthew Santagata, Openlands
  • Pati Vitt, Lake County Forest Preserves
    

• Mentoring New Leaders in Conservation Careers
  Moderated by Mila K. Marshall
  Panelists:
  • Cesar Almeida, Faith in Place
  • Katie Fleming, Openlands
  • Mike Glester, Magnolia Land Partners
  • Debby Moskovits, Field Museum
  • Arnold Randall, Forest Preserves of Cook County

Congress Program

We appreciate our 2022 Congress sponsors!