Prairie Rivers Network is governed by a board of directors that sets policy for the organization, determines its annual working budget, and hires and oversees the work of its executive director. Members are elected by the board and serve three-year terms with the option of reappointment. Present members of the board are as follows:
Jon McNussen, President
Jon McNussen joined the Board in 199o1 and was elected president in 2006. He is the Environmental, Health, and Safety Coordinator for an agricultural and industrial equipment manufacturer in Villa Grove, and is also a leader of Citizens for a Safe Environment, a grassroots group which successfully opposed construction of a landfill and a toxic waste incinerator. Like other members of the board, McNussen provides leadership based on his firsthand experiences as a grassroots organizer. His knowledge of OSHA and EPA regulations and a perspective on the environmental issues facing industry are also valuable to our board.
Charles Goodall, Treasurer
Charles Goodall of Sidell, Illinois, joined the Board in 2000 and was elected treasurer in 2006. He is a fifth-generation grain farmer and a long-time environmental activist. As a member of the Committee on the Middle Fork, Goodall helped gain national scenic river status for this east-central Illinois stream. Goodall brings the board critical expertise on agricultural issues and an important link to the farm community.
Eric Freyfogle, Secretary
Dr. Eric Freyfogle of Urbana, Illinois, joined the Board in 1998 and elected Secretary in 2009. He is a Max L. Rowe Professor of Law at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and is a long-time environmental activist who brings to the board both hands-on experience and legal expertise about environmental issues. His teaching and scholarly work focus on issues of property ownership, natural resources law, and environmental law and policy. He is co-author of the leading work on wildlife law and a recognized scholar on the thought of Aldo Leopold and Wendell Berry. His books include Why Conservation Is Failing and How It Can Regain Ground (Yale University Press 2006) and On Private Property: Finding Common Ground on the Ownership of Land (Beacon Press 2007).
Brian Anderson
Dr. Brian Anderson joined the Board in 2004 and is the Director of the Illinois Natural History Survey. He previously served as Assistant to the President for Planning and Institutional Improvement and Chair of the Department of Biology and Physical Sciences at Lincoln Land Community College. Before that he worked for many years at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, most recently as the Director of the Office of Resource Conservation. His long, respected career and extensive experience in natural resource conservation in Illinois is invaluable to Prairie Rivers Network and to our river conservation efforts around the state.
Maggie Bruns
Maggie Bruns joined the Board in early 2010 and is the Legal and Operations Associate at the League of Conservation Voters in Washington, D.C. She currently manages operations, outreach and LCV’s President’s Office, while acting as the liaison for their Board of Directors. Bruns has been a long time supporter and volunteer of Prairie Rivers Network. She began volunteering while attending UIUC. Shortly thereafter she began organizing various PRN events such as the Salt Fork River Clean-ups and our Annual Dinners. After graduation, Bruns worked for the Student Conservation Association in Northwest Montana and interned with World Wildlife Fund, before landing at the League. She brings a fresh (yet familiar) voice and her experience working with a national grassroots organization to help guide the future direction of Prairie Rivers Network.
Clark Bullard
Clark Bullard of Urbana, Illinois, joined the Board in 2000 and is an engineer and long-time environmental activist. He has served as a professor, consultant, member and Chair of the Central Midwest Low-Level Radioactive Waste Interstate Commission, directed the US Dept. of Energy’s Office of Conservation and Renewables Policy, and served as policy analyst for the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. He currently serves on the board of directors of the National Wildlife Federation and the Committee on the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. Bullard brings to the board not only his professional expertise but also well-honed skills in organizing to achieve environmental goals.
Dan Deeb
Dan Deeb joined the Board in 2006 and is an attorney and partner with Schiff Hardin LLP in Chicago where he represents corporate and municipal clients in diverse environmental cases. He received his law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Prior to his legal career, Deeb was a senior chemist and group leader for Earth Tech, assisting clients to comply with federal and state environment statutes. Deeb bring a comprehensive knowledge of environmental law to Prairie Rives Network.
Jean Flemma
Jean Flemma joined the Board in 2008 and is a professional staff member for the Committee on Natural Resources in the US House of Representatives and the staff director of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, and is responsible for advising and representing the committee’s chairman on issues relating to ocean resource conservation, fisheries management, wetlands protection, coastal management, endangered species and illegal wildlife trade, and natural resources adaptation issues in the face of climate change. Jean also served as Executive Director of PRN from December 2002 – January 2007. Her years on Capitol Hill and with Prairie Rivers Network taught her the power and importance of grassroots activism and the influence of citizens who take the time to learn the issues and get involved to shape policy makers’ decisions.
Jason Lindsey
Jason Lindsey joined the Board in 2005 and is one of the premier travel and advertising photographers in the Midwest. His award winning work has been published in books, magazines, posters, annual reports, advertising, cards, and calendars. Chicago Review Press published his book Windy City Wild: Chicago’s Natural Wonders. This fine art book explores the natural areas and wildlife of the Chicago region. Jason’s photographs are also used around the world by advertising, corporate and editorial clients. He shoots in locations from the Ice Hotel in Sweden to the Manhattan Bridge in New York, and from glaciers in Alaska to farm fields in the Midwest. His talents provide Prairie Rivers Network with beautiful photos of Illinois rivers and streams. Visit www.jasonlindsey.com to view his photos.
Chad McKenzie
Chad McKenzie joined the Board in early 2010 and is the Executive Vice President and Creative Director at Royse-Wagner, Inc. In addition to expertise in marketing and design, McKenzie brings a genuine interest in and understanding of environmental issues to the board. Because of his personal commitment to promoting sound environmental practices, McKenzie has created beautiful and compelling campaigns and designs for environmentally focused clients such as the Salt Lake City Olympics Environmental Committee, the University of Illinois Environmental Council, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, and of course PRN. As a citizen and a dad to Hadley and Haden, McKenzie’s vision is of a wold where clean air and water, lush forests and healthy populations of indigenous wildlife are a realty for his cildren and future generations.
Michael Rosenthal
Michael Rosenthal of Glencoe, Illinois, joined the Board in 1996 and is an engineer with his family firm, Rosenthal Manufacturing in Chicago. While a student at the University of Illinois, Rosenthal led the campus Model Community waste reduction program, recruiting and training volunteers from sororities and fraternities to reduce the wastes produced at their campus houses, recycle everything possible, and use recycled products. Rosenthal brings to the board the energy of youth and expertise concerning environmental issues and industries. His dog, Piper, loves to swim in Illinois’ clean rivers and streams.