Board of Directors

2013 Officers

John Clancy, President

Dave Cieslewicz, Vice-President

Jennifer (Jeff) Rothstein, Secretary

Jean Wells, Treasurer

Brynn Bemis, a Wisconsin native, works as a hydrogeologist for the City of Madison managing a range of environmental issues. She coordinates the remediation of contamination on City-owned land and supervises environmental monitoring networks throughout the City. Most recently, with the award of several state and federal grants, she jumpstarted the City of Madison’s brownfields program, focused on promoting sustainable redevelopment along Madison’s urban corridors. She lives in Madison with her husband and is an avid community gardener and bicycle commuter. Madison, WI

Steve Born is Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Urban and Regional Planning Department at the University of Wisconsin. Steve brings experience from service on many boards, including the River Alliance of Wisconsin and Trout Unlimited, where he served as chairman of the National Resources Board. He is passionate about fly fishing and is co-author of “Exploring Wisconsin Trout Streams” (UW Press) and occasionally writes for conservation/angling periodicals. He is the former State Planning Director and former State Energy Director. Madison, WI

Dave Cieslewicz is an adjunct professor at the UW-Madison, a community and organizational development consultant and a writer. His Citizen Dave blog is the most read in Madison. From 2003 to 2011 he served as mayor of Madison.  In 1996 he founded 1000 Friends of Wisconsin and served as its first executive director until becoming mayor. He has served on the Dane County Regional Planning Commission and the Dane County Zoning and Natural Resources Committee and on the Governor’s Strategic Growth Task Force.  Madison, WI

John Clancy is a shareholder and member of the environmental and energy law practice group in the Milwaukee office of Godfrey & Kahn and he is a leader of the team’s climate change, renewable energy and sustainable development practice. John provides environmental and energy-related services to a wide variety of entities, including industrial, commercial, tribal, municipal and trade association clients. Milwaukee, WI

Sheila Cohen taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in the Madison Metropolitan School District for 20 years. Upon retirement, she has devoted her time to freelance writing and has had two books published by the Wisconsin State Historical Society. Her first book deals with Hmong resettlement in Wisconsin. This past year her children’s book on Gaylord Nelson was published and released on Earth Day. She served on the Board of Directors of United Refugee Services until 2006. Madison, WI

Franc Fennessy is founder and principal of Fennessey & Associates, LLC.   Formerly he was Director of Land Management and Stakeholder Affairs for American Transmission Company which included the local relations, real estate and environmental departments. He joined ATC in 2003 after serving for fifteen years in Wisconsin state government. From 1987 to 2003, he held a wide range of senior policy and management positions at the Department of Administration and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), including two years as DNR Deputy Secretary where he oversaw the agency’s environmental policy initiatives and major permitting and remediation cases. Madison, WI

Stan Gruszynski is State Director for Rural Development in Wisconsin. Rural Development administers and manages over 40 housing, business, and community infrastructure and facility programs as laid out by Congress through a network of 6,100 employees located in 500 national, state and local offices. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America. Prior to this appointment Stan was director of the Global Environmental Management (GEM) Education Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP). He was 71st Assembly District representative from 1984 to 1994. Stan also was director of public affairs for the USDA Rural Development program in Wisconsin and has been a consultant to private sector business and not-for-profit organizations. Porterfield, WI

Steve Hiniker is Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin and a founding board member of the organization. Madison, WI

Lynn Hobbie is a Senior Vice President at Madison Gas and Electric Company. She oversees the company’s energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, as well as new products and services, corporate communications, economic development and marketing. She is currently on the board of the Wisconsin Public Utilities Institute and was previously on the board of the Energy Center of Wisconsin, as well as the Mayor’s Energy Task Force and the Madison Energy Committee for the City of Madison.  Madison, WI

Karen Sands is the Manager of Sustainability for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District where she manages and collaborates on a number of green infrastructure, energy, and climate change projects and programs that benefit water resources throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. Besides sustainability, Karen has also led a number of high-profile planning, public involvement and watercourse programs for nearly 10 years at MMSD. With over 20 years of professional planning experience altogether, she has a master’s degree in Regional Planning and a bachelor’s degree in Geography, both from the State University of New York at Albany. She is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners and also has a certificate from the International Association for Public Participation. She serves on the boards of the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail and Clean Wisconsin. Milwaukee, WI

Jennifer (Jeff) Rothstein is a member of the Ozaukee County Board of Supervisors. She serves on the Natural Resources Committee and is Vice Chair of Ozaukee County’s Land Preservation Board. She has served on the Hmong-American Friendship Association Board and currently serves on the Friends of Cedarburg Blog. From 1993 to 2003, Jeff was involved with the Thiensville-Mequon chapter of AFS, which included hosting students from Finland and China for one year cultural exchanges. Jeff has been an educator at Schlitz Audobon Nature Center for the past 15 years. Mequon, WI

Kine Icks Torinus grew up in Green Bay, now living in the Town of West Bend, is past President of the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust (OWLT). She served on the City of West Bend 2020 Comprehensive Plan Technical Advisory Committee, is a Trustee of Northland College (an environmental liberal arts college) and served on the City of West Bend Urban Design Committee. West Bend, WI

Jean Wells grew up on a dairy farm in south central Wisconsin. She has been a licensed CPA since December of 1995. She has over 15 years’ experience working in public and private accounting organizations in Dane and Jefferson Counties. Middleton, WI

Carla Wright consults on environmental sustainability and community outreach, and previously worked with the WI Dept of Natural Resources Green Tier program. She is president of the Natural Heritage Land Trust and is also on the board of MOSES – Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Services; she is past President of the Midwest Organic Services Association – MOSA. Carla makes her home on 76 acres in the Town of Berry (NW Dane County), part of which she permanently protected with a conservation easement. Cross Plains, WI