WHO WE ARE

ABOUT US

The People and Pollinators Action Network’s staff and leaders bring deep knowledge of and experience with pollinator protection, community development, environmental policy, sustainable agriculture, and habitat management. Staff and Board members work closely to forge strategic wins for people, pollinators, and the state of Colorado.

VIEW OUR APPROACH

STAFF

JOYCE KENNEDY
PPAN Executive Director (8 years)

Joyce is the Executive Director of PPAN, and a non-voting member of the Board of Directors. In her multi-faceted role, Joyce directs organizational development and project implementation. She leads PPAN’s advocacy work, helps to build our grassroots constituency, and develops community outreach and municipally-based programs. She has worked as an environmental professional for more than 20 years for consulting firms, nonprofits, and the National Park Service. Prior to her work as a pollinator advocate, Joyce’s environmental work focused on rivers in New England, where she was also involved in establishing Connecticut’s statewide ban on pesticides on K-8 school grounds.

EMILY KENCAIRN

Director of Communications & Development

Emily is a Pollinator Advocate and is completing her Colorado Native Plant Master certification this year. She tends a pesticide-free home habitat with over 100 species of plants as well as a large school demonstration garden in her hometown of Boulder, CO. Emily has worked in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors for 25 years focused on fundraising, grantmaking, and movement-building. She is devoted to cultivating biodiversity as a critical component of successful nature-based climate solutions and brings her passion as an artist, writer, and mother to realizing PPAN's vision of a world where both humans and our more-than-human kin thrive in perpetuity.

ANNA-GRAY ANDERSON

Community Engagement Coordinator

Anna-Gray is a recent graduate from CU Boulder with her Masters of the Environment, specializing in sustainable food systems. Before moving to Boulder, she earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill, with minors in social and economic justice and global American studies. Anna-Gray is passionate about environmental justice, community resilience, and finding the power and joy in food. Her work with PPAN is focused around engaging with community members, collaborating with PPAN’s organizational partners, spearheading events, and supporting PPAN’s outreach and education programs.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Tim Plass, J.D., PPAN Board Chair (8 years)
Lawyer, former City of Boulder Council Member

Tim is a long-time Boulder resident, enthusiastic backyard gardener, advocate for a sustainable, local food system, and a community activist. He has served on the Boulder City Council, the City of Boulder Planning Board, and the Landmarks Board. A lawyer by training, Tim received his undergraduate education at Harvard University and his law degree from the University of Denver. His advocacy for sustainable, local food systems and pollinator conservation are invaluable to our community.

Rebecca Dickson, PhD, PPAN Board Co-Chair (10 years)
Instructor, University of CO & Co-Chair, Sierra Club, Indian Peaks Chapter

Rebecca has a doctorate in English literature and teaches in the University of Colorado’s largest undergraduate program: Writing and Rhetoric. She has published on many topics and served as editor of various Sierra Club publications. She has won regional awards for her work as an activist focused on climate change and the protection of pollinators including PLAN-Boulder County’s environmental award; the Sierra Club-Rocky Mountain Chapter’s Networking Award; and the Charlie Oriez Environmental Award for her political activism. Rebecca is a founding Board Member of PPAN and also serves as co-chair of the Sierra Club-Indian Peaks Group.

Sue Anderson, PPAN Board Treasurer (10 years)

Philanthropist & Non-Profit Executive/Board Member

Sue has served as executive staff and on boards for the non-profit sector for 30+ years, primarily in the areas of social justice, the environment, and civic engagement—both in the U.S. and abroad. A deeply engaged and strategic philanthropist, Sue is a founding member of People & Pollinators Action Network and is on the national advisory board of the Union of Concerned Scientists. She also brings her experience as a former regenerative farmer to PPAN’s habitat and policy work, and tends a diverse pollinator habitat at her home.

Bret Turner, PPAN Board Secretary (2 years)

Hazardous Materials Specialist, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center

Bret is a Hazardous Materials Specialist at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He holds a Master of Public Health degree from the Colorado School of Public Health with a concentration in Global Environmental and Occupational Health, and his undergraduate degree is in Environmental Resource Management from Penn State University in 2015. He provides expertise on environmental policy and toxins, native plant habitats for pollinators, and community health to PPAN’s programs.

BETH CONREY (10 years)

Owner, Bee Squared Apiaries

Beth previously served as president of the Western Apicultural Society—a one-year stint for the conference host—as well as a six-year term as President for both the Colorado State Beekeepers Association and the Northern Colorado Beekeepers Association. In addition to being a founding Board Member of People & Pollinators Action Network, Beth is Treasurer of the Pollinator Stewardship Council and operates Bee Squared Apiaries, a chemical-free 175-hive beekeeping business in Berthoud, CO. Bee Squared is a 4-time Good Food Award-winning honey producer. Bee Squared is also a Certified B Corp, a proud member of 1% for the Planet, plastic-neutral certified by RePurpose Global, and has received the Slow Food Snail of Approval.

Louise Turner Chawla, Ph.D. (10 years)

Professor Emerita, Environmental Design, College of Architecture & Planning, University of CO

Louise is a Professor Emerita in the Environmental Design Program at the University of Colorado. Her work focuses on the benefits of access to nature for children, the development of active care for the natural world, and participatory methods for engaging youth in design and planning. She serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Children and Nature Network.

AMY LEWIS (8 years)
Chief Executive Officer, The WILD Foundation

Amy is an award-winning nonprofit leader and scholar of environmental policy. Her research as a social movement scholar explores the relationship between democratic decision-making and policies that benefit the environment. She is currently Chief Executive Officer of the WILD Foundation, where she is committed to building global support for the protection of ‘Half of Earth’s lands and seas’ while also strengthening and expanding the land tenure of Indigenous Peoples, nature’s best guardians.

LIANA STREET (7 years)
Owner, Bees & Trees Inc.

Liana and Chad own and operate Bees & Trees, Inc., a family-run business that provides native bee/wasp identification, structural honey bee hive removal and relocation, bumble bee nest relocation, and full service tree services including plant health care for trees that is safe for pollinators and other beneficial insects. Liana spends a lot of her time tabling at community events, attending local farm events and doing school presentations about the importance of pollinators. Through her business and her work with PPAN, Liana educates our community about native bees, honey bees, wasps, and other invertebrates; how to create safe, non-toxic habitats for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife; and the importance of adding native plants and trees to our landscapes. She has been involved with PPAN since 2017 and with Don Murray, co-leads PPAN’s Boulder County chapter.

Julie Morris, Ph.D. (4 years)

Full Teaching Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver

Julie is a Full Teaching Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Denver. Her work focuses on biology education and outreach, especially environmental education and strategies to improve engagement and learning effectiveness in large introductory and non-major’s biology courses. She is passionate about preserving biodiversity and is actively involved in several sustainability initiatives on campus and in the surrounding community including managing DU’s community garden.

Robert Greer, J.D. (2 years)

Tenant-Defense Attorney & Native Plant Enthusiast

Rob is a tenant-defense nonprofit attorney by day and a native-plant advocate by night. His favorite native plants include western sand cherry, bee balm, and prickly pear, and he grows thousands of native plants each year for our local plant swap and for Indigenous groups. Rob takes a special interest in the public health benefits of urban native plants: shade, water conservation, local food, storm runoff, and temperature moderation. He also values their benefits for native fauna, as well as for their sheer beauty. Rob is an alum of U.C.L.A. and the University of Chicago Law School, and lives in Denver with his wife and two young children.

Don Murray (1 year)

NOAA Meteorologist & Beekeeper

Don is a meteorologist working at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on issues related to climate change and renewable energy. He stopped using pesticides in his yard and started planting flowers for pollinators in 2007, started keeping honeybees in 2013, and became a leader in local pollinator protection in 2014. Don worked with the Boulder County PPAN chapter to encourage the City of Longmont to reduce/eliminate the use of pesticides on city property and frequently works outreach events and teaches kids about pollinators at a summer Yoga Arts Camp, because he believes children to be the future in the fight to save pollinators and planet. Don and his wife, Diana, operate Buddha And The Bees, producing pure beeswax candles, all-natural personal care products, and honey from their chemical-free hives and gardens.

Lorraine Dixon-Jones (1 year)

Policy Advisor, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Lorraine has served as a policy advisor for over 25 years at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, where she was involved with the regulation of healthcare facilities. Before that, she worked as a policy analyst at the Colorado State Legislature as well as at the National Conference of State Legislatures. She has a B.A. in International Studies from Allegheny College and a Masters in Sociology from UC Denver.

WEBSITE DESIGNER

IDELLE FISHER

Website Designer, Graphic Designer, & Gardener

Idelle is an avid gardener and runs an organic community garden in Denver where she's worked with the members to create pollinator habitat featuring many native plants. Idelle also has a large organic landscape and garden at home and recently replaced her front lawn with a native plant bed. She volunteers with PPAN and Front Range Wild Ones at native plant swaps and in Denver Parks to help take care of the city's pollinator beds.

Idelle grew up in Thornton, Colorado and is a DU Alumni. In addition to gardening, she paints watercolors, sketches, and loves taking photos of gardens, homegrown veggies and pollinators. She runs her own business offering Website Design and Graphic Design, and loves working with green clients that are helping to change the world for the better. Check out her website at: picklewix.com