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About

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MIKE/FLICKR

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Sound research for a more sustainable, equitable, democratic, and prosperous Appalachia.

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What We Do

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The Ohio River Valley Institute is an independent, nonprofit research and communications center—a think tank—founded in 2020. We equip the region’s residents and decision-makers with the policy research and practical tools they need to advance long-term solutions to some of Appalachia’s most significant challenges. Our work includes in-depth research, commentary, and analysis, delivered online, by email, and in-person to policy champions, emerging leaders, and a range of community partners.

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What We Stand For

The Ohio River Valley Institute’s mission is to support communities in the region working to advance a more prosperous, sustainable, and equitable Appalachia. The Institute produces data-driven research and proposes policies to improve the economic performance and standards of living for the greater Ohio River Valley,  with a focus on shared prosperity, clean energy, and equitable democracy.
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Our Vision

The Ohio River Valley is a place where communities can thrive by investing in, rather than exploiting, local resources. By moving beyond an extractive economy toward shared prosperity, lasting job growth, clean energy, and civic engagement, the region can cultivate a stronger and more equitable economy that will set an example for similar regions throughout the world.
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Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

As an independent research center, we have an obligation to ensure that our work accurately incorporates learnings from, and contemplates the potential impact on, people with a broad range of backgrounds and experiences in the region. We recognize that where equity is absent, there are no strong communities, thriving economies, or healthy environments. 

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Our Team

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Staff

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Joanne Kilgour, Esq. is an environmental lawyer and nonprofit professional with a passion for justice and democracy. Informed by her work with the Center for Coalfield Justice and the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter, Joanne is committed to securing social, economic, and environmental policies that support communities while demanding long-term structural change.

Reach Joanne at joanne[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

Joanne Kilgour, Esq. is a Pennsylvania-based environmental lawyer and nonprofit professional with a passion for justice and democracy. Joanne most recently served as the Director of the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter, where she stewarded the organization’s statewide operations and managed its lobbying and political program. Before joining the Sierra Club, Joanne had the opportunity to combine her legal background and passion for community-based advocacy into a position as the first Legal Director at the Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ). At CCJ, she worked to infuse legal tools into grassroots organizing efforts, helping to support community members in the coalfields of southwestern Pennsylvania on matters related to underground mining, oil and gas development, and environmental justice.

Joanne received her undergraduate education at Carnegie Mellon University, where she served as a Fellow in Local Democracy through a partnership with the Coro Center for Civic Leadership and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Program for Deliberative Democracy. Earning her law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Joanne was awarded a Certificate in Environmental, Law, Science, and Policy and worked in the school’s Environmental Law Clinic, where she learned client-centered counseling methods and provided legal services to clients who otherwise could not afford representation. During law school, Joanne also received the Thornburgh Prize for Legal Service to recognize her public interest work with communities in the coal and gas fields.

In addition, Joanne serves on the Board of Directors for Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and as member of the Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Joanne is motivated by a commitment to secure social, economic, and environmental policies that support communities while demanding long-term structural change.

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Ted uses sound research and analysis to advance shared prosperity through people, projects, and policy. His current areas of work include oil and gas issues, fiscal policy, energy economics, and economic development. Prior to joining ORVI, he was the founding executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Over the last 20 years, Ted has authored numerous publications and commentaries, testified to various government bodies, and is frequently cited in the media on policy issues. Ted is an Honorary Labor Hall of Fame member of the Southwestern District Labor Council, AFL-CIO. He serves on the board of True Transition and Legal Aid West Virginia and on Reimagine Appalachia’s executive committee.

Reach Ted at ted[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

Ted uses sound research and analysis to advance shared prosperity through people, projects, and policy. His current areas of work include oil and gas issues, fiscal policy, energy economics, and economic development. Prior to joining ORVI, he was the founding executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Over the last 20 years, Ted has authored numerous publications and commentaries, testified to various government bodies, and is frequently cited in the media on policy issues. Ted is an Honorary Labor Hall of Fame member of the Southwestern District Labor Council, AFL-CIO. He serves on the board of True Transition and Legal Aid West Virginia and is on the executive committee of Reimagine Appalachia.

He has taught political science and public policy at West Virginia University, where he received his undergraduate degree, and received his master’s degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire. Ted is currently in graduate school (again) at Clarkson University in the business of energy program. Ted lives in Charleston, WV with his wife and two kids, and enjoys birding, running and whitewater paddling with friends, cooking, and coaching soccer.

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Sean O’Leary, senior researcher, energy and petrochemicals, is a native of Wheeling, WV. He has written about coal, natural gas, and their role in the economies of Appalachia in a book, a newspaper column, and blog titled, “The State of My State”. Previously, Sean served as communications director at the NW Energy Coalition in Seattle, Washington.

Reach Sean at sean[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

Sean O’Leary, senior researcher, energy and petrochemicals, has studied and written about coal, natural gas, and their role in the economies of Appalachia since the beginning of the fracking boom. He is the author of “The State of My State” blog and newspaper column, which ran in the Martinsburg (WV) Journal between 2010 and 2014. Since 2016, Sean has served as communications director of the NW Energy Coalition in Seattle, Washington where he has helped develop and promote policies advancing the Northwest’s transition to an emissions-free electric system, just transitions for fossil fuel workers and communities, and the restoration of salmon and orca whales whose survival is threatened by hydropower dams on the lower Snake River.

Previously, Sean was the founder and president of MarketLab, Inc., a market modeling and promotional services firm that provided analytic and creative services to over 50 national consumer packaged goods brands. He also created the ZeroBase marketing optimization model, which was used by brands to analyze performance and optimally allocate promotional spending.

In his spare time, Sean is an accomplished playwright and author of six plays that have been professionally produced. They include “Pound”, about the poet Ezra Pound, which starred Christopher Lloyd in an off-Broadway production in 2018. Sean’s plays have been recognized by the National Endowment for The Arts, the National Arts Club, and the West Virginia Department of Arts and Culture. In 2005, he was named to the Literary Map of West Virginia.

Sean is a native of Wheeling, West Virginia and is a graduate of Warwood High School and Bethany College. He and his wife, Kat Elias, live in Indianola, Washington. Sean’s book, “The State of My State”, published in 2013, is available in bookstores and on Amazon. You can also visit “The State of My State” blog.

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Eric focuses on economic and environmental policy in Appalachia and beyond. Prior to joining ORVI, Eric was an organizer and policy advocate at Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, where he worked on issues such as black lung and damage from abandoned coal mines.

Reach Eric at dixon[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

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Tom Torres is an organizer and nonprofit professional with a strong commitment to popular education and movement building. Originally from Northeast Georgia, Tom’s work has spanned a number of rural communities, including the Deep South and Appalachia, and has focused on regional economic development, fighting climate change, and providing people with the tools and resources they need to build collective power in their communities.

Reach Tom at tom[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

[/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_button button_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/author/tom-torres/” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”All research by Tom Torres” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” button_text_size=”17px” button_font=”Overpass|700|||||||” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”10px|20px|10px|20px|false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Nick Messenger, Ph.D.” position=”Senior Researcher” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/nick-headshot-scaled.jpg” admin_label=”Eric Dixon” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Nick Messenger conducts applied microeconomic and econometric research into local economic development strategies, tax and industrial policy, and energy economics. He specializes in geographic and econometric modeling with large datasets to statistically evaluate the real impacts of policy changes on community prosperity. Nick earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics from The Ohio State University, and his research has been presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), the North American Regional Science Conference, and the Southern Regional Science Association Annual Conference. His work has also been featured in national media outlets, including NPR, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Hill.

Reach Nick at nick[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

Nick Messenger conducts applied microeconomic and econometric research into local economic development strategies, tax and industrial policy, and energy economics. He specializes in geographic and econometric modeling with large datasets to statistically evaluate the real impacts of policy changes on community prosperity. Nick earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics from The Ohio State University, and his research has been presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), the North American Regional Science Conference, and the Southern Regional Science Association Annual Conference. His work has also been featured in national media outlets, including NPR, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Hill.

[/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_button button_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/author/n_messenger/” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”All research by Nick Messenger” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” button_text_size=”17px” button_font=”Overpass|700|||||||” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”10px|20px|10px|20px|false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Kathy Hipple” position=”Research Fellow” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/KathyHipple-1.jpg” admin_label=”Kathy” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Kathy is a professor of finance with Bard College’s MBA in Sustainability program and a former financial analyst with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

[/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_button button_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/author/guestpost1/” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”All research by Kathy Hipple” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” button_text_size=”17px” button_font=”Overpass|700|||||||” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”10px|20px|10px|20px|false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Kristina Marusic” position=”Communications and Campaign Manager” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Marusic_Kristina-20022CC-1-1-scaled-e1775134805940-1.jpg” image_url_tablet=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Marusic_Kristina-20022CC-1-1-scaled-e1775134805940-1.jpg” image_url_phone=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Marusic_Kristina-20022CC-1-1-scaled-e1775134805940-1.jpg” image_url_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Eric Dixon” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” image_url__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” image_url__hover=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Marusic_Kristina-20022CC-1-1-scaled-e1775134805940-1.jpg”]

Kristina Marusic has a background as an investigative journalist covering the intersection of pollution, public health, and policy. She reported on these issues in western Pennsylvania for a decade before joining ORVI, and she’s passionate about advancing solutions to the problems her journalism highlighted. Kristina is also the author of “A New War on Cancer,” an investigative nonfiction book on environmental health and cancer prevention. Her work has received awards or recognition from the Association of Health Care Journalists, the National Institute of Health Care Management, the Carnegie Science Center, and the Children’s Environmental Health Network, among others. Kristina lives in Pittsburgh.

Reach Kristina at kristina[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Deirdre Lally” position=”Community Outreach Coordinator” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-29-at-3.09.10-PM.png” admin_label=”Eric Dixon” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Deirdre Lally centers community empowerment as a means to healthier systems. She graduated from UMass Boston with a B.A. in Community Studies & Labor, and her work has focused on the impacts of fracking and mining in rural Pennsylvania – where she grew up. She recently worked with a regional food hub on local foods as economic alternatives, and brings a solutions approach to ORVI.

 

Reach Deirdre at deirdre[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

[/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_button button_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/author/d_lally/” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”All research by Deirdre Lally” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” button_text_size=”17px” button_font=”Overpass|700|||||||” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”10px|20px|10px|20px|false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Stacey Padilla” position=”Operations Manager” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IMG_5019-scaled.jpeg” admin_label=”Eric Dixon” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Stacey Padilla is a Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) and organizer with a B.A. in Sociology from Maryville College. She has a decade’s experience supporting survivors of intimate partner violence in rural and immigrant communities, as well as organizing and facilitating educational workshops. She offers her attention to the details that help keep ORVI running.

 

Reach Stacey at stacey[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Justine Hackimer” position=”Industrial Decarbonization Program Manager” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/IMG_0312-2-scaled.jpg” admin_label=”Eric Dixon” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Justine Hackimer (Coyne) has a background in journalism, spending 13 years covering metals markets and manufacturing. Before joining ORVI, Justine served as Head of Metals News, Americas at S&P Global Commodity Insights, focusing on the supply and demand of metals needed for the global energy transition. She began her career at the Pittsburgh Business Times covering manufacturing and education. A Pittsburgh native, Justine’s understanding of the region’s industrial landscape has informed her reporting and analysis.

 

Reach Justine at justine[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Virginia Alvino Young” position=”Senior Communications Strategist” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_3631-scaled-e1725388376681.jpeg” admin_label=”Eric Dixon” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Virginia Alvino Young, MBA is a communications strategist who has spent her career telling the types of stories that move hearts and minds. As a public radio reporter, she travelled the country covering race and equity for NPR and affiliate stations. As a media strategist, she supported progressive environmental and labor campaigns across Appalachia. She takes an empirical approach to shifting the public narrative on climate and the economy, and is committed to building a more sustainable and equitable Appalachia. Virginia lives in Pittsburgh.

 

Reach Virginia at virginia[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Mark Partridge, Ph.D.” position=”Senior Research Fellow” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MarkPartridge.jpg” admin_label=”Mark Partridge” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Mark Partridge is the Swank Chair of Rural-Urban Policy at Ohio State University and is affiliated with GSSI in Italy and Jinan University in China. He served twelve years as Co-Editor of the Journal of Regional Science, is Co-editor of Springer Briefs in Regional Science, and serves on a dozen other editorial boards. He has published nearly 150 academic journal papers and 60 other book chapters, briefs, and reports.
Mark Partridge is the Swank Chair of Rural-Urban Policy at Ohio State University and is affiliated with GSSI in Italy and Jinan University in China. He served twelve years as Co-Editor of the Journal of Regional Science, is Co-editor of Springer Briefs in Regional Science, and serves on a dozen other editorial boards. He has published nearly 150 academic journal papers and 60 other book chapters, briefs, and reports. He has published in leading journals such as the American Economic Review, Journal of Economic Geography, Journal of International Economics, Journal of Urban Economics, and Review of Economics and Statistics. He co-authored the book The Geography of American Poverty: Is there a Role for Place-Based Policy? Dr. Partridge frequently gives presentations and addresses to academic and practitioner groups around the world. Professor Partridge has received research funding from many sources including European Commission, U.S. National Science Foundation, and Canadian SSHRC. His research includes investigating poverty, inequality, and regional growth, and he is a leading rural policy expert. He is a Fellow and President of the Regional Science Association International and has received the prestigious NARSC Isard and Boyce Awards. He also served as NARSC Chair and NARSC President. Dr. Partridge is a Fellow and served as President of the Southern Regional Science Association.

[/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_button button_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/author/mark-partridge-and-nick-messenger/” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”All research by Mark Partridge” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” button_text_size=”17px” button_font=”Overpass|700|||||||” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”10px|20px|10px|20px|false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Ben Hunkler” position=”Communications Manager” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/0903-scaled-e1656685136380.jpg” admin_label=”Eric Dixon” _builder_version=”4.16″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Ben comes to ORVI from community advocacy work in the Ohio River Valley. He offers communications and design support for report releases, social media content, and the ORVI Insider.

Reach Ben at ben[at]ohiorivervalleyinstitute[dot]org.

[/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_button button_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/author/b_hunkler/” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”All research by Ben Hunkler” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” button_text_size=”17px” button_font=”Overpass|700|||||||” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”10px|20px|10px|20px|false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”person-popups” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#fffefb” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row module_id=”our-team” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Advisory Council” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_text_color=”#b71d2c” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Advisory Council

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Martina Angela Caretta, Ph.D.” position=”Lund University, Sweden” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Martina.jpg” admin_label=”Martina Angela Carretta” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Martina Angela Caretta is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Human Geography at Lund University, Sweden. She holds a PhD in Geography from Stockholm University, Sweden. Dr Caretta was an Assistant Professor in Geography at West Virginia University between 2016 and 2020.

Dr Martina Angela Caretta is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Human Geography at Lund University, Sweden. She holds a PhD in Geography from Stockholm University, Sweden. Dr Caretta was an Assistant Professor in Geography at West Virginia University between 2016 and 2020. While at WVU, Dr Caretta investigated the social, economic and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing and pipelines development in Appalachia. Her research agenda revolves around the human dimensions of water and climate change adaptation. Dr Caretta is a Coordinating Lead Author of the United National Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Tony Ingraffea, Ph.D.” position=”Cornell University” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Dr-Ingraffea_ithaca-falls.jpg” admin_label=”Tony Ingraffea” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Tony Ingraffea is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Emeritus, and a Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow at Cornell University where he has been since 1977. He holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado. Dr. Ingraffea’s research concentrates on computer simulation and physical testing of complex fracturing processes. He has authored with his students and research associates over 250 papers in these areas.
Dr. Ingraffea is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Emeritus, and a Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow at Cornell University where he has been since 1977. He holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado. Dr. Ingraffea’s research concentrates on computer simulation and physical testing of complex fracturing processes. He has authored with his students and research associates over 250 papers in these areas. Since 1977, he has been a principal or co-principal investigator on over $37M in R&D projects from the NSF, EXXON, Shell, Amoco, NASA Langley, Nichols Research, NASA Glenn, AFOSR, FAA, Kodak, U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, IBM, Schlumberger, Gas Technology Institute, Sandia National Laboratories, the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers, General Dynamics, Boeing, Caterpillar Tractor, DARPA, and Northrop Grumman. Professor Ingraffea was a member of the first group of Presidential Young Investigators named by the National Science Foundation in 1984. For his research achievements in hydraulic fracturing he won the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics “1994 Significant Paper Award”, and he twice won the National Research Council/U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics Award for Research in Rock Mechanics (1978, 1991). He was named the Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering at Cornell in 1992. He became a Fellow in 1991 and a Distinguished Member in 2019 of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He became Co-Editor-in-Chief of Engineering Fracture Mechanics in 2005. In 2006, he won ASTM’s George Irwin Medal for outstanding research in fracture mechanics, and in 2009 was named a Fellow of the International Congress on Fracture. TIME Magazine named him one of its “People Who Mattered” in 2011, and he became the first president of Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for Healthy Energy, Inc. (www.psehealthyenergy.org) in that same year. He is a co-author of papers on methane emissions (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016), wellbore integrity in Pennsylvania (2014, 2019), and on conversion of New York (2012) and California (2014) to wind/sun/water power for all energy uses in the next few decades.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Jill Kriesky, Ph.D.” position=”Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project (formerly)” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Jill-Kriesky.png” admin_label=”Jill Kriesky” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Jill Kriesky (retired) was the Associate Director of the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project and Senior Project Coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health’s Center for Healthy Environments and Communities. She has spent more than twenty years in university-based community outreach on issues including labor relations, economic development and community health issues.
Dr. Kriesky (retired) was the Associate Director of the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project and Senior Project Coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health’s Center for Healthy Environments and Communities. She has spent more than twenty years in university-based community outreach on issues including labor relations, economic development and community health issues.  As the director of West Virginia Campus Compact, the West Virginia University Office of Service Learning Programs, and Wheeling Jesuit University’s Service for Social Action Center and Clifford M. Lewis, SJ, Appalachian Institute, Kriesky developed and managed a series of community/academic partnerships with community-based organizations in West Virginia. Kriesky received her MS in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her PhD in Economics from the University of New Hampshire.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Leslie Marshall, Ph.D.” position=”Society of Fire Prevention Engineers” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Leslie-e1605581841456.png” admin_label=”Leslie Marshall” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Leslie Marshall serves as the Director for the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, a global non-profit organization that supports research and education to improve our understanding of fire and its interaction with the natural and built environment. Previously, she served as the Associate Director of the Center for Sustainable Business in the Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh, overseeing all aspects of the center’s programming. Her research focuses on how socio-economic class, ethnicity, and gender intersect to influence cooperation in groups and the implications for policymaking. Most recently, she served as Co-Principal Investigator, Project Manager, and Lead Author for the Marshall Plan for Middle America (MP4MA) Roadmap, a non-partisan, multi-sectoral research effort to envision a more equitable and sustainable regional economic future for the Ohio River Valley and Upper Appalachia.
Dr. Leslie Marshall serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Sustainable Business in the Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh, overseeing all aspects of the center’s programming. Her research focuses on how socio-economic class, ethnicity, and gender intersect to influence cooperation in groups and the implications for policymaking. Most recently, she served as Co-Principal Investigator, Project Manager, and Lead Author for the Marshall Plan for Middle America (MP4MA) Roadmap, a non-partisan, multi-sectoral research effort to envision a more equitable and sustainable regional economic future for the Ohio River Valley and Upper Appalachia. Her academic work has been published in top academic journals, including the Journal of Experimental Political Science, The Journal of Politics, and the Quarterly Journal of Political Science. She has extensive field experience coordinating large-scale data collection efforts in Lebanon, Uganda, and the United States. As an independent consultant, she has worked with the United Nations Development Programme and Innovations for Poverty Action. She is an affiliate of the Economic and Social Rights Research Group of the University of Connecticut’s Human Rights Institute and previously collaborated with the Centre for Women in Governance (Uganda) and with the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies. She also co-owns a small consulting firm, the Research Group for Sustainable Impacts, based in Pittsburgh, PA and Munich, Germany, that assists organizations in developing more inclusive and sustainable practices for measuring and evaluating the impact of their programs. She holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Denison University.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Lou Martin, Ph.D.” position=”Chatham University” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Martin.-Lou.jpg” admin_label=”Lou Martin” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Lou Martin is an associate professor of history at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, a board member of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, and an honorary member of UMWA Local 1440. His research focuses on rural-industrial workers in Appalachia. He has published articles in LABOR: Working-Class Histories of the Americas, Labor History, Pennsylvania History, West Virginia History, and Jacobin.
Lou Martin is an associate professor of history at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, a board member of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, and an honorary member of UMWA Local 1440. His research focuses on rural-industrial workers in Appalachia. He has published articles in LABOR: Working-Class Histories of the Americas, Labor History, Pennsylvania History, West Virginia History, and Jacobin.  His 2015 book Smokestacks in the Hills: Rural-Industrial Workers in West Virginia examined the culture and politics of steel and pottery workers in his home state’s northern panhandle during the 20th century.  Martin received honorable mention from the Organization of American Historians–David Montgomery Book Award Committee. He earned his PhD in history from West Virginia University, was awarded the Buhl Professorship at Chatham University in 2016, and was awarded the WVU History Department’s Outstanding Alumni Award in 2018. Currently, he is writing a brief history of social movements in Appalachia for WVU Press.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Matt Mehalik, Ph.D.” position=”Breathe Project” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Mehalik_Matthew_headshot-scaled.jpg” admin_label=”Matt Mehalik” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Matt Mehalik is Executive Director of the Breathe Project, a coalition of local residents, environmental advocates, public health professionals and academics advocating for healthier air for the Pittsburgh region. From 2007 – 2016, he served as Program Director for Sustainable Pittsburgh where he created Champions for Sustainability. Matt teaches environmental policy and community resiliency courses at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University.

Matt serves as Executive Director of the Breathe Project, a coalition of local residents, environmental advocates, public health professionals and academics advocating for healthier air for the Pittsburgh region.  From 2007 – 2016, he served as Program Director, Sustainable Pittsburgh, where he created, Champions for Sustainability.  Matt teaches environmental policy and community resiliency courses at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University since 2008.  He has written multiple peer-reviewed publications in sustainability, design, and education and has co-authored Ethical and Environmental Challenges to Engineering with Michael E. Gorman and Patricia Werhane.  Matt’s Ph.D. is in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia.  He serves on the boards of Phipps Conservatory, and Pine Richland School District.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Nick Muller, Ph.D.” position=”Carnegie Mellon University” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/nick-muller.jpg” admin_label=”Nick Muller” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Nick Muller is the Lester and Judith Lave Associate Professor of Economics, Engineering, and Public Policy in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. Previously, he was on the faculty at Middlebury College. Dr. Muller is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He teaches microeconomics, benefit-cost analysis, environmental and natural resource economics, and energy policy.
In July, 2017 Nick Muller joined the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University as the Lester and Judith Lave Associate Professor of Economics, Engineering, and Public Policy. Prior to Carnegie Mellon, he was on the faculty at Middlebury College since the fall of 2007. Nick  joined the National Bureau of Economic Research as a Faculty research Fellow in 2012 and was promoted to Research Associate in the fall of 2013.  He teaches microeconomics, benefit-cost analysis, environmental and natural resource economics, and energy policy. Broadly, his research focuses on measuring air pollution damage and market-based policy design. Nick’s current work focuses on: renewable energy systems, estimating air pollution and greenhouse gas damage from economic activity in 2017, air pollution policy and municipal finance systems, and inequality in both market and augmented measures of income. Nick has published papers in the American Economic Review (3), Science (2), Proceedings of the National Academies of Science (2), Nature Sustainability, Nature Climate Change, Explorations in Economic History, Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Environmental and Resource Economics, Resource and Energy Economics, The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, The Energy Journal, Environment and Development Economics, Environmental Science & Technology, The Berkeley Electronic Press’ Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy (2), Water Resources Research, Environment International, and Environmetrics.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Mark Partridge, Ph.D.” position=”Ohio State University” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MarkPartridge.jpg” admin_label=”Mark Partridge” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Mark Partridge is the Swank Chair of Rural-Urban Policy at Ohio State University and is affiliated with GSSI in Italy and Jinan University in China. He served twelve years as Co-Editor of the Journal of Regional Science, is Co-editor of Springer Briefs in Regional Science, and serves on a dozen other editorial boards. He has published nearly 150 academic journal papers and 60 other book chapters, briefs, and reports.
Mark Partridge is the Swank Chair of Rural-Urban Policy at Ohio State University and is affiliated with GSSI in Italy and Jinan University in China. He served twelve years as Co-Editor of the Journal of Regional Science, is Co-editor of Springer Briefs in Regional Science, and serves on a dozen other editorial boards. He has published nearly 150 academic journal papers and 60 other book chapters, briefs, and reports. He has published in leading journals such as the American Economic Review, Journal of Economic Geography, Journal of International Economics, Journal of Urban Economics, and Review of Economics and Statistics. He co-authored the book The Geography of American Poverty: Is there a Role for Place-Based Policy? Dr. Partridge frequently gives presentations and addresses to academic and practitioner groups around the world. Professor Partridge has received research funding from many sources including European Commission, U.S. National Science Foundation, and Canadian SSHRC. His research includes investigating poverty, inequality, and regional growth, and he is a leading rural policy expert. He is a Fellow and President of the Regional Science Association International and has received the prestigious NARSC Isard and Boyce Awards. He also served as NARSC Chair and NARSC President. Dr. Partridge is a Fellow and served as President of the Southern Regional Science Association.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Mark Paul, Ph.D.” position=”Rutgers University” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Jamie-Van-Nostrand.jpg” admin_label=”Mark Paul” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Mark Paul joined Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy as an assistant professor in September 2022. He is also a member of the Rutgers Climate Institute. His research interests include understanding the causes and consequences of inequality and assessing and designing remedies to address inequality. He also writes extensively on the climate crisis, focusing on economic pathways toward deep decarbonization that center on economic and environmental justice. He works extensively with policymakers across scales of government and has worked with numerous Congressional offices to draft and inform legislation based on his scholarly work. 
Mark Paul is an assistant professor of economics and environmental studies at New College of Florida, a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, and a senior fellow at Data for Progress. He’s a political economist, and spends most of his time thinking about inequality and the climate crisis. Currently, Dr. Paul is working on a book project entitled Freedom Is Not Enough: Economic Rights for an Unequal World, under contract with Chicago University Press. His research and writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Economist, Washington Post, The Financial Times, The Atlantic, Vox, The American Prospect, The Nation, The Hill, CNN, and Jacobin, among other publications.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”John Russo, Ph.D.” position=”Youngstown State University” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/russo.jpg” admin_label=”John Russo” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. John Russo is the former coordinator of the Labor Studies Program at Williamson College of Business Administration and co-director of the Center for Working-Class Studies at Youngstown State University. He has published widely on labor and social issues. In recent years, he has published three books with Sherry Linkon, Steeltown USA: Work and Memory in Youngstown (University Press of Kansas, 2002), Reading Work: An Online Resource on Critical Reading and the Meaning of Work (2011), and an edited volume entitled New Working-Class Studies (ILR Press, 2005).
John Russo is a visiting scholar at Georgetown’s Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. He is professor emeritus at Youngstown State University where he served as the Coordinator of the Labor Studies Program in the Warren P. Williamson College of Business Administration and co-director of the Center for Working-Class Studies. He has written widely on labor, class, and community issues.  At YSU, John was one of just two professors ever to have won distinguished professor awards in all four categories: scholarship, teaching, university service, and community service. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative and was a recipient of the Working-Class Studies Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Heather M. Stephens, Ph.D.” position=”West Virginia University” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Heather-Stephens-website-scaled-e1597872575976.jpg” admin_label=”Heather M. Stephens” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Heather M. Stephens is an Associate Professor in Resource Economics and Management and Director of the Regional Research Institute (RRI) at West Virginia University. Her research is focused on examining issues related to regional economic development and the differences in the impact of policies across regions. Her current and past research has examined questions related to energy, environmental quality, entrepreneurship, health, and regional growth.
Heather M. Stephens is an Associate Professor in Resource Economics and Management and a Faculty Research Affiliate at the Regional Research Institute (RRI) at  West Virginia University. Her research is focused on examining issues related to regional economic development and the differences in the impact of policies across regions. Her current and past research has examined questions related to energy, environmental quality, entrepreneurship, health, and regional growth. Her prior work has been published in journals that include the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics, Growth and Change, Journal of Regional Science, Resource and Energy Economics, and Small Business Economics. She received her Ph.D. and an M.B.A. from The Ohio State University and has a B.A. in Economics and Public Policy Studies from Duke University. Previously, Dr. Stephens was an Assistant Professor of Economics and the Director of Economic Research at California State University, Long Beach, and also has prior experience working for a U.S. Congressman, on strategic partnership development for a Fortune 100 company, as a local economic development director, and on regional economic development and energy-related issues at a university- based applied research institute.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Monica Unseld, Ph.D., M.P.H.” position=”Until Justice Data Partners” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Monica.jpeg” admin_label=”Monica Unseld” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Monica E. Unseld received her doctorate in biology from the University of Louisville in 2008 and her Master’s in public health from Benedictine University in 2018. She has over a decade of experience working in the environmental justice space. She believes that data can be a powerful tool for justice and serves as the Founder and Executive Director of Until Justice Data Partners. She lives and works in Louisville, KY.
Monica E. Unseld, Ph.D, MPH received her doctorate in biology from the University of Louisville in 2008 and her Master’s in public health from Benedictine University in 2018. She has over a decade of experience working in the environmental justice space. She believes that data can be a powerful tool for justice and recently founded the group Data for Justice. She lives and works in Louisville, KY.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Shanti Gamper-Rabindran, Ph.D.” position=”University of Pittsburgh” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Shanti-150×150.jpg” admin_label=”Jaimie Worker” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Shanti Gamper-Rabindran analyzes public utility commissions, community-centered strategies, and the economic, legal, and political aspects of the renewable energy transition, as well as the economic diversification of fossil-fuel-reliant communities nationally and globally. She serves as a Professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public & International Affairs.

Professor Gamper-Rabindran analyzes public utility commissions, community-centered strategies, and the economic, legal, and political aspects of the renewable energy transition, as well as the economic diversification of fossil-fuel-reliant communities nationally and globally.

Her book America’s Energy Gamble: People, Economy and Planet details how political, financial, and legal institutions entrench fossil fuel dependency, but how efforts to shift to cost-competitive renewable energy have gained traction.

Her edited volume The Shale Dilemma: A Global Perspective on Fracking and Shale Development covers countries’ diverging decisions to pursue or eschew shale extraction and describes the impact of the shale gas industry on local communities.

[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_team_member name=”Amanda Weinstein, Ph.D.” position=”Center on Rural Innovation” image_url=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/amanda_weinstein_bio.jpg” admin_label=”Amanda Weinstien” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ child_filter_saturate=”0%” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dr. Amanda Weinstein is Director of Research, Knowledge, and Evaluation at the Center on Rural Innovation. Prior, she was Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Akron. Weinstein studies the factors that lead to the economic success (or economic decline) of places focusing on rural areas and small towns. Her work centers attracting and keeping a highly skilled workforce, growing 21st century jobs, and the importance of enhancing the quality of life in communities. She also co-hosts The Suburban Women Problem Podcast.

Dr. Amanda Weinstein is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Akron. She graduated with a PhD in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics from The Ohio State University. As the C. William Swank Program in Rural-Urban Policy Graduate Research Associate, she conducted research on regional economic growth and policy issues including conducting one of the first studies to examine the economic impact of shale development on drilling communities. She has consulted for various organizations including the OECD, advising on the economic impacts of alternative energy development on rural communities, and the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, advising on the economic impact of energy policy in Ohio. Her current research areas include examining the impact of specific workforce skills on the resilience of economies and the impact of women in the workforce on economic growth and other economic trends related to quality of life and local amenities. Her research has been featured in various media including the Atlantic’s CityLab and the Harvard Business Review. She recently received grant funding through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research, “Charting a More Prosperous Future for America’s Micropolitan Regions” to develop a data-driven approach to economic development policy for small towns. Before starting her PhD at OSU, she was a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy.

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Jaimie K. Worker is Director of Public Policy at Caring Across Generations. She was formerly the senior state policy coordinator for the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) at EPI. Worker is committed to ensuring that racial and gender equity is a public policy priority and that the leaders of communities impacted by structural racism and oppression are key collaborators in developing public policy.

Jaimie K. Worker is the senior state policy coordinator for the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) at EPI. She is committed to ensuring that racial and gender equity is a public policy priority and that the leaders of communities impacted by structural racism and oppression are key collaborators in developing public policy.

Prior to joining EPI, Worker was a senior policy analyst at Community Change, where for more than six years she worked on racial and economic justice campaigns focused on jobs and public investment in partnership with grassroots organizations. Previously, she worked with the New Organizing Institute, as well as the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan, supporting workplace organizing and policy campaigns to win improved working conditions in the restaurant industry.

Worker is the proud daughter of immigrants and hails from Detroit, Michigan.

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Lafe Metz is a real estate development and transactional attorney focused on large-scale industrial development. Metz holds broad experience in all aspects of commercial real estate development, transactions, zoning and land use, government incentives, financing, leasing and property tax matters including tax increment financing and abatements.

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