Dianne Akabli, Director of Finance

Dianne joined Clean Water Action's national finance office in Clinton Township, MI in November 1999 as a staff accountant. Over the years, Dianne has performed accounts payable functions, bank deposits, payment of payroll taxes, state registrations, as well as other financial staff duties. Dianne's major duties currently consist of grants management, bank reconciliations, banking, general ledger maintenance, and the Internal Management Reports processing and production. Dianne lives in Warren, Michigan with her husband, Redouane, and son, Adam. Dianne has an Associate Degree in Science, majoring in Veterinary Technology; a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Organizational Administration; and a Masters of Science, majoring in Public Accountancy.

Tanya Carter, Payroll/Benefits Administrator

Tanya joined the Clean Water Action financial staff in the Clinton Township office in August 2005. Tanya's major duties consist of payroll, personnel, unemployment, benefit time, and 401(k) and flexible spending administration. Tanya lives in Port Huron, Michigan with her husband, Jude, and son, Dakota. Tanya has an Associate Degree in Business, a Bachelor of Business Administration and is currently working toward a Master of Science with a concentration in Human Resources.

Becky Jo Farrington, Community Organizer

Becky Jo began working with Clean Water Action as a Field Canvasser in August of 2001 while she finished her degree in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University. After canvassing with Clean Water Action for just a week, she knew she found a job for after graduation! Since then, Becky Jo has held several positions with Clean Water Action. She helped to re-open the South Florida office and was the Canvass Director there for a year and a half. She also worked as regional organizer for the Healthy Michigan Campaign, which was a Clean Water Fund project in Genesee County. Since returning to the East Lansing, MI office in 2006, she has worked as a Senior Field Manager, Office Manager, Program Coordinator, and now as a Community Organizer.

Steve Gutterman, Michigan 1Sky Organizer

Before joining Clean Water Action as the 1Sky Michigan Organizer, Steve spent several years as policy director and advocate for TRU, a transit advocacy organization in Detroit. He is responsible for field organizing the 1Sky national climate action campaign in the state, and particularly in the key region of southeast Michigan. Steve received his masters degree at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, and has researched and written extensively on energy, transportation and land use issues. He used to run his own carpentry business and is a partner in the Mercury Coffee Bar in Detroit.

Susan E. Harley, J.D., Policy Associate, East Lansing

Susan was born and raised in Lansing and had the opportunity to start participating in the legislative process as early as high school when she interned for a State Senator. She also served as a Page for the State Senate her first year at Michigan State University. Susan spent her Junior year abroad in Rennes, France. After graduating with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science- Community Relations, Susan lived in Washington, D.C. for several years and worked in the non-profit sector. Susan moved back to Michigan to attend the MSU College of Law and received her Juris Doctor, cum laude in Public Law & Regulation in May of 2007 and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. Susan is working on energy policy and is looking forward to moving Michigan towards a clean energy future.

Marta Johnson, Grand Rapids Organizer

Marta graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2007 with a degree in International Relations and a passion for progressive political change. She has worked in fund development with a variety of organizations including two in Nazareth, Israel. She has published a paper with Professor Pedneker-Magal on news media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of identity politics. Prior to that she worked extensively to get students involved in service-learning, established GVSU's first AIDS Awareness Week and a helped create a domestic violence service-learning organization. Marta has a long history of respect for our environment, beginning at the age of 3 when her mom formed the "Hug-a-Tree" club. Her organizing roots span back to the 2nd grade when upon learning that girls weren't allowed to play soccer she canvassed her elementary school, met with the principle and successfully reversed the sexist policy.

Chris Johnston, Macomb County Community Organizer

Chris has spent his entire life in Macomb County, MI; he was raised in Eastpointe and currently lives in Mount Clemens. Chris started work with Clean Water Action as a canvasser in September of 2001 working out of the Clinton Township office where he canvassed for three years. During 2004 Chris worked as program assistant for Clean Water Action's efforts in St. Clair Shores. Following that Chris worked for two years as the Canvass Director of the Clinton Township office. Chris took a brief hiatus from Clean Water Action to work as a home health care worker, but returned to Clean Water Action in April 2008 as the Macomb Community Organizer. He works to involve Clean Water Action members in our clean energy and water quality campaigns, and is looking forward to holding elected officials accountable for their environmental voting records during election cycles. Chris spends his limited free time playing guitar and poker.

Lynna Kaucheck, Oakland Community Organizer

Lynna first joined Clean Water Action as a field canvasser in Clean Water Action's East Lansing, MI office during the summer of 2002. Since that time she has earned a Master's Degree and served in a variety of roles with Clean Water Action. She volunteered in East Lansing, worked as a Campaign Coordinator and Program Associate in Clean Water Action's Grand Rapids office in 2004-2005. Then Lynna did a two-month stint with Clean Water Action's Garden State Chapter, the New Jersey Environmental Federation. Lynna worked as Southeast Michigan Community Organizer and Policy Specialist in Clean Water Action's Ann Arbor office from 2005-2007 and in 2007 Lynna opened Clean Water Actions's Royal Oak office where she currently serves as a community organizer for Oakland County. Lynna coordinates grassroots campaigns, activates volunteers and works to get pro-environment candidates elected to office. Lynna has a BS in Resource Development from Michigan State University and an MS in Environmental Education from Florida Institute of Technology. Lynna enjoys voting, music, reading, dancing, whale watching, snorkeling, biking, offsetting her carbon footprint and volunteering.

Katie Kelly, Environmental Health Organizer

Katie has worked with Clean Water Action for over four years. After field managing with the canvass staff and office managing in Ann Arbor, Katie has been Michigan's Environmental Health Organizer since April 2008. In conjunction with the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health, she works to educate the public on environmental health issues and change current chemical policies. Her work is dedicated to a safe and less toxic world for Michigan's children. Katie is a Michigan native and has a degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Oberlin College.

Heather Major, Canvass Director (Clinton Township)

Heather is a native Michigander who grew up near the increasingly polluted beaches in Macomb County. She started canvassing for Clean Water Action in the fall of 2001 to turn her concerns into action, and has been managing the campaign staff since summer 2007. Previously, Heather earned valuable campaign experience volunteering for political candidates, but she much prefers working on Clean Water Acton's issue-based, citizen-driven campaigns, and enjoys working with a staff of thoughtful, committed, professional activists every day. Heather's competitive spirit drew her to campaign work and in her spare time she enjoys playing cards and board games.

Christy McGillivray, Michigan Campaigns Director

Christy McGillivray began working as a canvasser and field manager with Clean Water Action's Clinton Township office after graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in June of 2004. After field managing through the fall of 2005, she began working as the Lake St. Clair Community Organizer-building on the grassroots support generated by canvassers for Clean Water Action's campaigns. In the spring of 2008, Christy started working as the Michigan Campaigns Director. She supervises the organizing staff in Michigan and works with Michigan State Director Cyndi Roper to manage Clean Water Action's campaigns. Christy works to apply the skills she learned canvassing to her current responsibilities and spends her free time in Bikram Yoga classes, local music venues and libraries.

Curt Moultine, Regional Canvass Director

Curt was born and raised in Bay City, Michigan. He earned his B.A. from Alma College in 1989, majoring in Political Science and History. Curt started with the Michigan Citizen's Lobby as a field canvasser in August 1989. In March 1991, Curt worked as Field Canvass Director for Georgia Citizen Action. He began his career with Clean Water Action in October of 1993 as the Field Canvass director, a position he held until May 2001. Curt has since served as a Regional Canvass Director and currently supervises five field canvass projects for Clean Water Action in Michigan, New Jersey and Florida.

Dan Owen, Administrative Coordinator

Dan is an East Lansing, MI native and feels lucky to have been raised by environmentally conscience parents. Growing up, Dan naively thought every house had a compost pile! Pursuing his interest in the environmental field, Dan graduated from Michigan State University in 2007 with a degree in Zoology and a concentration in Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology. Throughout college, Dan worked as an assistant to the Annual Giving department for public television and radio in East Lansing. While working there, he gained knowledge about non-profit organizations, but his interests were more environmentally focused. Dan joined Clean Water Action in March 2008 and serves as the lead person for several administrative and outreach areas.

Cyndi Roper, Michigan State Director

A resident of East Lansing, Michigan, Cyndi has been affiliated with Clean Water Action since 1990. She has played a leadership role in a in numerous successful water policy, environmental health, and waste issues in Michigan (1995 – present) and Rhode Island (1990-1994). Cyndi has also spearheaded Clean Water Action’s electoral programs working on behalf of pro-environment candidates at the local, state and federal levels. She served on the USEPA’s National Drinking Water Advisory Council and on several of the Council’s advisory committees guiding that agency in its implementation of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Cyndi has a bachelor’s degree from Drury University and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Jill Siladke, Financial Representative

Jill joined the Clean Water Action national finance office in Clinton Township, MI in January 2006 as a financial representative. Her duties include managing vehicle transactions and inventory, bank deposits/logs, workers compensation claim processing, health insurance enrollment, as well as other financial staff duties. Jill currently resides in New Baltimore, MI across from beautiful Lake St. Clair. She is a 2000 graduate from Dakota High School in Macomb Township, MI and earned an accounting certificate in 2007. In her free time she enjoys watching and attending Tiger and Piston games, bowling, camping and spending quality time with her boyfriend Steve, as well as family and friends.

Greg Sobczynski, Ann Arbor Field Canvass Director

Greg started with Clean Water Action in 1999 as part of the Denver field staff. Prior to that he worked with Defenders of Wildlife in upstate New York. A Michigan native, Greg grew up swimming, fishing and boating on the Great Lakes and has a strong desire to protect all things related to water. Before returning to the "mitten state" in 2003 to open and direct Clean Water Action's Ann Arbor field office, Greg spent several years traveling and gaining experience working with progressive groups including: Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, Texas Campaign for the Environment, and the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program in Denver, CO. One of his favorite sayings is, "Those who say it is impossible should not interrupt those who are doing it."

Emily Woodcock, East Lansing Canvass Director

Emily began at Clean Water Action in September 2004 in Ann Arbor where she filled several roles, including Office Manager and Senior Field Manager, before moving to East Lansing. In her current role as Canvass Director, Emily supervises a canvass staff of over 30 people, overseeing all daily aspects of canvass work such as hiring new staff and organizing maps for the day. She also canvasses two days a week, and immensely values her time spent training staff and organizing in the community. Emily grew up near Philadelphia, raised by parents who taught her early on the importance of working to better the community in which she lived. Before working for Clean Water Action, Emily spent a year as a Field Manager at the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program in Denver. She also has a degree in Classical Languages from Kenyon College. In her spare time, you'll generally find Emily somewhere outside, be it biking, playing disc golf or camping out.