Prairie Rivers Network is governed by a board of directors that sets the mission and purpose for the organization, provides financial oversight that includes approving the annual budget, and hires and oversees the work of its executive director. Members are elected by the board and serve one, two, or three-year terms with the option of reappointment. Present members of the board are as follows:
JON MCNUSSEN, PRESIDENT
Joined Board: 1991 and elected president in 2006
Illinois Location: Villa Grove
Profession: Environmental, Health, and Safety Coordinator for an agricultural and industrial equipment manufacturer
Background: Jon is 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.
ROB KANTER, Secretary
Joined Board: 2014
Illinois Location: Champaign
Profession: Academic adviser and lecturer with the University of Illinois School of Earth, Society & Environment, where he teaches courses in environmental communications and issues.
Background: Rob prefers to be outdoors whenever possible–taking pictures, birding, hunting, fishing, walking and/or just being. He writes about these pursuits, along with the scientific and political efforts to maintain a world in which they are possible, in “Environmental Almanac,” which runs as a column in the Champaign News-Gazette, as a radio commentary on WILL-AM 580 and other Public Radio affiliates around the state, and lives online at environmentalalmanac.blogspot.com
Favorite River: The nearest one
Jean Flemma, Treasurer
Joined Board: 2015
Location: Oregon
Profession: Ocean Climate Diplomacy Director, Oceans 5.
Background: Jean was the Executive Director of PRN from 2002-2006. She currently works for Oceans 5 to advance ocean climate policy solutions around the globe. She has also worked as a consultant for foundations and nonprofits and spent more than twenty years working for the House of Representatives, advising Members of Congress on natural resource policy issues. Jean brings more than 25 years of experience in international, national and state policy development and implementation to the board as well as her hands-on understanding of the organization’s operations.
CLARK BULLARD
Joined Board: 2000
Illinois Location: Urbana
Profession: Engineer and U of I Professor
Background: Clark is a long-time environmental activist and leader of many campaigns, notably the 22-year effort to develop alternatives to an ill-conceived dam project and secure National Scenic River status for the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. 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 Renewable Energy Policy, and served as policy analyst for the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and 12 years on the board of directors of the National Wildlife Federation. Bullard brings to the board not only his professional expertise but also well-honed skills in organizing to achieve environmental goals. He and his wife Irene are the parents of three grown children.
Favorite River: Middle Fork of the Vermilion
Abigail Derby Lewis
Joined Board: 2025
Illinois Location: Glenview
Profession: Community-Centered Conservation and Climate Action Leader
Background: Dr. Abigail Derby Lewis is a conservation leader with 20 years of experience in landscape planning and climate action. In 2025, she became the first Executive Director of Citizens for Conservation, a nonprofit land trust focused on preserving and restoring the natural environment of northeastern Illinois.
Previously, Abigail led interdisciplinary teams at the Field Museum’s Keller Science Action Center, working with universities, non-profits, government agencies and Indigenous communities to translate research into tangible conservation outcomes. She has a strong focus on biodiversity, community well-being, and equitable climate action, notably through her work with the Chicago Wilderness Alliance. For over a decade, Abigail served on the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, including as Chair from 2022 to 2024, advancing policies to protect the state’s most ecologically significant lands. She is dedicated to fostering a sustainable future through science-based, inclusive conservation practices that connect people to nature.
Tracy Meints Fox
Joined Board: 2025
Illinois Location: Rural Peoria County
Profession: Retired technical writer
Background: Tracy is a long-time environmental activist who spends her free time birding and enjoying nature up and down the Illinois River valley from Emiquon Refuge near Havana to the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin. She has worked to fight road projects, save Plum Island, create Peoria Park District’s newest park at Rocky Glen and end the decades of coal pollution at the Edwards coal plant. She is an Audubon Christmas Bird Count Coordinator and active with numerous local environmental groups.
Favorite River: Illinois, especially its tributaries Senachwine and Kickapoo Creeks
MICHAEL ROSENTHAL
Joined Board: 1996
Illinois Location: Glencoe
Profession: Engineer with his family firm, Rosenthal Manufacturing in Chicago
Background: 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 and expertise concerning environmental issues and industries.
