Robin Michigiizhigookwe Clark
Megwayaak, LLC
Robin Michigiizhigookwe Clark
Robin Michigiizhigookwe Clark is an Ojibwe researcher and practitioner from Baawiting. She works with Anishinaabe and Western knowledge systems to advance community-driven ecological stewardship and health equity. Robin earned a Master’s from Michigan State University and a doctorate in Forest Science from Michigan Technological University. She is the founding owner of Megwayaak, LLC, an Ojibwe ecology research and restoration firm.
Patrick Doran
The Nature Conservancy
Patrick Doran
Dr. Patrick Doran joined The Nature Conservancy in 2005 and currently serves as the Director of Strategy, Measures and Science for TNC’s five-state Midwest Division. In this role, Patrick leads a team that demonstrates excellence in the areas of a) Strategic Planning, b) Measures, Evaluation and Learning, and c) Evidence-Based Science and promotes a consistent approach to implementing the tenets of The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation by Design approach. Throughout his career at TNC, Patrick has designed and implemented conservation strategies in Michigan, throughout the Great Lakes region, North American and globally, including the African Great Lakes. He takes a cross-disciplinary approach and has worked in fields that address protected areas establishment and management, sustainable forestry, sustainable agriculture, coastal management, invasive species, fisheries and aquatic connectivity restoration, urban conservation, climate change adaptation, and underlying measures of success, monitoring and information management. Additionally, he focuses on communicating about the wonders of the natural world. Patrick earned his Ph.D. in ecology from Dartmouth College, where he studied forest bird populations at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Patrick also holds degrees from Indiana University (M.S./M.A.) and Villanova University (B.A.). He has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers on a wide variety of conservation topics.
Manja Holland-Smith
U-M Water Center
Manja Holland-Smith
Manja Holland-Smith, Ph.D., is the Research & Engagement Director at the University of Michigan Water Center at the Graham Sustainability Institute, where she applies her ecological background and deep community engagement experience to leading the Great Lakes Horizon Initiative. The main goal of the Horizon Initiative is to help the region shift from reacting to crises and opportunities to anticipating them. Central to this work is designing and implementing collaborative processes that bring together scientists, policymakers, nonprofits, and community leaders to detect early signals of change and translate them into actionable insights. More »
Mike Shriberg
U-M Water Center
Mike Shriberg
Mike Shriberg, Ph.D., is director of the University of Michigan Water Center at the Graham Sustainability Institute, where he provides strategic and programmatic leadership to advance collaborative research that informs policy and management decisions affecting the Great Lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters. He is also a Professor of Practice & Engagement at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment & Sustainability (SEAS). Mike works across sectors—government, academia, NGOs, and the private sector—to elevate regional priorities and align the Water Center’s research and practice agenda with the needs of decision-makers. He also partners with faculty and students to build multidisciplinary teams that deliver practical, community-based impact. More »
Ian Stone
U-M Water Center
Ian Stone
I have previously worked on several Great Lakes and water topics, including research on harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in Muskegon Lake, Great Lakes Marine Protected Areas, and forward-looking Great Lakes planning initiatives. With the U-M Water Center, I will be contributing to the Great Lakes Horizons Initiative, Western Lake Erie Basin project, Clean Water Act gap assessment, and Great Lakes Governance project. More »