Jennifer Cornell Queen, President
Jennifer Queen is a public relations consultant who has handled media relations and marketing communications for ABN AMRO Mortgage Group, HealthMedia, University of Michigan, Hallmark, Ann Arbor SPARK, the Michigan Venture Capital Association, and the Ann Arbor Hands‐On Museum. She has served on the boards of the Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan, St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center, and Michigan Innovators.
Craig Hupp, Treasurer
Craig Hupp is a retired environmental attorney, who had advised clients on compliance with environmental law as a member of the Detroit-based law firm Bodman PLC, and represented them in a wide variety of environmental matters. He served as a mediator in environmental disputes, in an advisory role to the State of Michigan’s Climate Action Council, as a member of the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board, and in a number of other public roles. He has served on the Ecology Center’s Board of Directors for two full terms, and as Treasurer for the past year.
Sabrina Gross, Secretary
Ms. Gross is retired after a career as a software project manager, and is currently active as both a volunteer and on the board of ECCSCM, an environmental group that encourages the protection of water quality in streams and lakes. She has also represented Pittsfield Township on the Huron River Watershed Council. She currently serves on the board of the Ann Arbor Thrift Shop, which provides emergency social service aid to local agencies, and promotes the reuse of household goods.
Michael Garfield, Director
Mr. Garfield has served as Director of the Ecology Center since 1993. He has led advocacy campaigns that successfully raised over $200 million in public funds for land preservation, recycling, and public transit. He has testified before federal and state legislative committees, participated in various stakeholder committees, and served on public advisory boards.
Dr. Courtney Carignan
Dr. Carignan is an exposure scientist and environmental epidemiologist who conducts biomonitoring and health studies for a wide range of populations including workers and communities exposed to contaminated drinking water, couples undergoing infertility treatment, pregnant women, infants and children. She is particularly interested in emerging contaminants, understudied exposure pathways, and practical interventions that improve environmental public health. Her research has contributed to public health interventions aimed at reducing exposures to flame retardants, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and arsenic.
Michelle Deatrick
Michelle Deatrick is a national environmental leader, a battleground state organizer, and a champion for climate and workers. She is the Chair of both the Democratic National Committee’s Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis and the Washtenaw County Environmental Council, and serves on the National Advisory Boards for Climate Power and OnePointFive Climate Pledge. Michelle is the Michigan Chair of the National Writers Union, a delegate to her regional labor federation, and a Board Member of the Huron Workers’ Organizing and Research Center. Former Vice Chair of her County Commission, Michelle is a former Peace Corps Volunteer and an internationally recognized poet who lives on and cares for her family’s 80 acre farm and rewilded prairie in Superior Township, Michigan.
Komal Doshi
Komal Doshi has over a decade of experience working at the intersection of mobility, energy, and communities. She is currently the Director of Mobility at Walker-Miller Energy Services where she works to advance the installation & maintenance of EV chargers, advancing research & community engagement in equitable clean mobility and supports development of a diverse workforce in this growing space. In her career, she has worked extensively on supporting the launch of new programs, building tools, providing strategic consulting and advancing strategic public-private partnerships to further deployment of mobility and energy solutions in the public realm within Michigan and around the globe.
Marcus Jones
Mr. Marcus Jones is President of Legacy City Group a Design Build Real Estate Development Firm & MJ Construction Service; a Detroit Based Commercial / Residential Construction firm, that specializes in green building, carpentry, and structural steel. Jones is also very active in the Detroit Workforce Development Community, being a founding member and former President of the Detroit Training Center and Construction Instructor for SER Metro Detroit's Construction Pre-apprenticeship Program. He works with the local organizations to help train and recruit local residents for the skilled trade industries. Most recently, Jones opened the Detroit Pizza Bar restaurant located in Detroit's Live(6) Neighborhood. He's using the development as a way to spark economic redevelopment in a traditionally underserved community here in Detroit. Jones is passionate about sustainability, economic development, and in creating jobs for minority residents.
Riyaz Kanji, Immediate Past President
Mr. Kanji is a partner in Kanji & Katzen, PLLC, a law firm with offices in Seattle and Ann Arbor that represents Indian nations and tribes across the country on a wide variety of issues including sovereignty and governance, treaty fishing and hunting rights, Indian gaming, and environmental protection.
Madeline Walker Miller
Madeline Walker Miller is the Founder and CEO of NexTiles, a Detroit-based textile recycling company that converts textile waste into building insulation. Her professional background focuses on reducing textile waste and its harmful impacts to our natural environment. Her company specializes in creating secondary uses for textiles and engaging more Detroiters in creating circular economy solutions. She is an alumna of Spelman College and earned a master’s degree in Coastal Zone Management from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Madeline’s passion lies in empowering young Black people and people of color to embrace environmentally sustainable behaviors. She is a Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), studying in the Urban Energy Justice Lab. In her spare time, she enjoys family outings and playing with her boxer, Maximus.
Frank Parkinson
Frank Parkinson is a real estate attorney in private practice, who has previously worked as an entrepreneur, developer, green builder, real estate broker, and LEED-credentialed professional in Illinois and Michigan. He was one of the earliest volunteers trained in climate communications by The Climate Reality Project, an international nonprofit organization founded by Al Gore, and dedicated to raising awareness about the climate crisis. Frank served as the President of the Ecology Center Board of Directors from 2015-18.
Doug Selby
Doug Selby is a building science expert and Co-Founder of Meadowlark Design+Build. Doug graduated from MSU’s Chemistry program in 1992 and worked as a pharmaceutical chemist and then a cancer researcher before leaving the laboratory to become a builder. Passionate about carbon-positive and data-driven construction, Doug is an innovator in the building industry. Today Doug spearheads Meadowlark’s emphasis on healthy and sustainable construction while working on his startup company, Volta Homes, producing zero energy panelized and modular housing.
David Stead
Mr. Stead is principal and vice president of Resource Recycling Systems, a nationally recognized environmental consulting and engineering firm that works on projects to build a sustainable and waste-free future. He has consulted with communities and businesses across the United States.
Jackie Victor
Jackie Victor is the owner and co-founder of Avalon International Breads. Opened in Detroit’s Cass Corridor in 1997, Avalon International Breads has since expanded statewide while maintaining its roots in the community. Jackie, who began her career as a grassroots organizer, incorporated the spirit of the local food movement into Avalon’s business model, which is founded on the triple bottom line of Earth, community, and employees. A thought leader among small business owners, Jackie’s recent New York Times column on the federal Payroll Protection Program was circulated widely, and she’s a prominent voice in community affairs. Currently, Jackie serves on the advisory board of the Detroit Food Academy, a non-profit that works to inspire young Detroiters through culinary arts and food entrepreneurship.
Rhonda Conner Warren
Rhonda Conner Warren (PhD, RN, PNP-PCP) is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University College of Nursing, Health Practice. She currently practices as a nurse practitioner at Willow Community Health Center, Ingham County Health Department, and Focus Hope Detroit Michigan Pop Up Peds Clinic, Willow Community Health Center, and the Michigan State University College of Medicine Popoff Clinic in Detroit. She is the recipient of numerous awards, most recently the 2023 Billie Gamble Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award. She is a graduate of the Ecology Center’s Health Leaders Fellowship.