Heinz Center Staff Biographies

Deb Callahan became President of the Heinz Center in April 2009.  Previously she founded North Star Strategy, a firm that provided senior advisory and consulting services to both domestic and international foundations and non-profit conservation and health policy organizations.  Deb is the immediate past president of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), where she served as president from 1996-2006.  Under her leadership, LCV’s annual budget grew from $2 million to $24 million, and the LCV Education Fund directly strengthened the capacity of more than 500 environmental and conservation organizations in 30 states.  Prior to her work at LCV, Deb served as the founding executive director for the Brainerd Foundation and was a Program Officer for the W. Alton Jones Foundation.  She has served on numerous boards of directors including the World Resources Institute and the Earth Day Network.  Deb is an avid scuba diver and cyclist.  She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in Environmental Studies and Political Science.

Ralph Ashton is Senior Policy Fellow and Project Director, Terrestrial Carbon Group, which he convened in 2007 while Leader of the Climate Change Program at the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists in Sydney.  Previously he coordinated WWF's global response to the Indian Ocean earthquakes and tsunami and then co-founded its Humanitarian Partnerships Program, which he ran from Banda Aceh. He contributed to WWF-Indonesia's "Green Reconstruction Policy Guidelines for Aceh"; managed a regional partnership with American Red Cross; and sought and established a regional collaboration with World Vision. Ralph co-authored "A Blueprint for the Forest Industry and Vegetation Management in Tasmania" - a new policy for forest and grassland management in Tasmania, one of Australia's most controversial environmental issues. He is editor of and contributor to "Tarkine", a photographic book published in 2004 to raise awareness of the plight of this unique Tasmanian rainforest wilderness.  A native of Papua New Guinea, he studied in Australia and Germany. During 2008, he was a Visiting Fellow in the Climate and Energy Program at The Australian National University, and in 2009 is a Visiting Scholar in the Center for Environment, Economy, and Society at Columbia University.

Dr. Kit Batten is the Senior Science and Policy Fellow and Project Director at the Heinz Center.  She is leading the Heinz Center’s Institute for Science Communication and Policy Development.  This initiative brings together scientists, policy makers and members of the media to foster better communications about science which will in turn inform policy development at local, federal, and international scales.  Formerly Dr. Batten has served as the Science Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of the Interior; as Senior Fellow and Managing Director of the Center for American Progress' energy and climate change policy team; as a Legislative Assistant in the office of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA); and as a AAAS Fellow in the office of Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT). Dr. Batten has her masters and doctorate in Ecology.  A large component of her work at the Department of Interior was the communication of climate change impact science, as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, including helping lead the creation of the new Interior Climate Science Centers and Landscape Conservation Cooperatives.  Dr. Batten has strong working relationship with members of Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, Council on Environmental Quality, Office of Science and Technology Policy, federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, and other interested stakeholders. Dr. Batten is frequently a resource for television, radio, and print journalists.

Karen Boler is the Receptionist and Office Manager/Meeting Planner at The Heinz Center.  New to the D.C. area, Karen moved from her home in Columbus, Ohio.  There she was employed for 20 years as office manager for a security systems company.   Karen also enjoyed her role as the Business Development Specialist for a non-profit agency in Ohio. Always an active volunteer within her community, she has served as a commissioner, a board member, and secretary for numerous organizations that focus on the health and wellbeing of children and families.  She is most proud of completing a marathon in 2002 in affiliation with the American Stroke Association.  Karen is a graduate of Bliss Community College with an Associates Degree in Business Administration.

Amber Childress is a Program Analyst.  In 2007 Amber graduated from Austin College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a focus in Economics.  While attending Austin College, she was active in the Leadership Institute, through which she organized and led the first team to observe and interview finalists for the Greater Dallas Business Ethics Award.  Her previous work includes experience on Capitol Hill, both as a House Page and an Intern in the Speaker’s Office.  Prior to joining the Heinz Center, Amber was a Finance Project Assistant at Vinson & Elkins, LLP

Ashley Clark is Development and External Affairs Associate at the Heinz Center.  Ashley came to the Heinz Center after graduating cum laude from Middlebury College in 2007, receiving her Bachelor’s in Political Science with minors in German and African Studies.  She wrote her thesis on transitional justice in post-genocidal states in Africa, for which she received highest departmental honors.  An active member of the Middlebury Community, she helped set-up and orchestrate a symposium on Sex Trafficking in Vermont and around the world for Amnesty International.  Ashley has also worked for the Office of Congressman Andrews (NJ-1), where she conducted research on water quality assessment laws and handled constituency concerns.

Matt Grason joined The Heinz Center in June 2010 as Fundraising Coordinator.  Prior to coming to the Center, Matt worked for the Food Research and Action Center, primarily writing proposals to foundations and corporations to support its D.C. Hunger Solutions program.  Matt has also provided fundraising or programmatic support to the League of American Bicyclists, Green America, and the CommonGoods Network.  He holds degrees in music performance from Manhattan School of Music and James Madison University and is a professional musician, bandleader, and composer in his free time.

Schneka Hines joined the Center as an administrative assistant in March 2010.  The newest member of our team, Schneka plays a central role working with all of the projects in support of our wide range of environmental initiatives. She has completed coursework at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and eventually hopes to pursue a career in child psychology. A native of Durham, North Carolina, Schneka loves all things "Tarheels!"

Anne E. Hummer is the Heinz Center’s Vice President for Development and External Relations.  Previously she served at the Center as Communications and Development Director. Before joining the Center in 2003, Ms. Hummer served as communications and fundraising consultant for several nonprofit organizations in Washington D.C., and Maryland. Ms. Hummer has previously worked as Development Director for WAMU Radio, the Reproduction Research Institute, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest. At World Wildlife Fund, Ms. Hummer served as Special Assistant to the President, Membership Director and Editor of FOCUS, a quarterly membership publication. Ms. Hummer received her B.A. in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and serves on the development advisory boards of several organizations.

Anne Kalmer is the Executive Assistant to the President and Board Liaison.  Ms. Kalmer came to the Center from the African Wildlife Foundation, where she managed the legacy gifts program and served as a major gifts officer.  Previously, she worked for the American Red Cross as an investigative analyst for the Hurricane Katrina Investigative Unit in the Office of Investigations, Compliance and Ethics.  Ms. Kalmer holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and African American Studies from Marquette University.  She enjoys triathlon training and also volunteers as a tutor for Horton’s Kids, a non-profit that provides services to children of Washington, D.C.’s Ward 8.

Insu Kuak is the Heinz Center's Accountant.  Insu’s background includes several years of accounting, human resource management and benefit administration.  Prior to joining the Center, he served as a Senior Accountant at the Brookings Institution, where he assisted in their year-end audit.  Previously, he served as Assistant Controller at the Park Hyatt in Washington D.C.  He started his career in accounting as an intern at KPMG, Seoul in 1999.  He received his B.S in Accounting from the State University of New York in Binghamton. 

Thomas E. Lovejoy became the first recipient of the newly created Heinz Center Biodiversity Chair in August 2008.  Previously he served as President of the Heinz Center since May 2002. Before coming to The Heinz Center, he was the World Bank’s Chief Biodiversity Advisor and Lead Specialist for Environment for Latin America and the Caribbean and Senior Advisor to the President of the United Nations Foundation. Dr. Lovejoy has been Assistant Secretary and Counselor to the Secretary at the Smithsonian Institution, Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Interior, and Executive Vice President of the World Wildlife Fund–U.S. He conceived the idea for the Minimum Critical Size of Ecosystems project (a joint project between the Smithsonian and Brazil's INPA), originated the concept of debt-for-nature swaps, and is the founder of the public television series Nature. In 2001 he was awarded the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. Dr. Lovejoy served on science and environmental councils or committees under the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. He received his B. S. and Ph.D. (biology) degrees from Yale University.

Anne S. Marsh, Project Director, leads the Center’s efforts to design indicators,  support the technical development of monitoring programs, and promote increased integration of data and institutionalization of indicators. From 2004 to 2008, she worked as a staff scientist for the Center’s Environmental Reporting Group. Before joining the Center, Anne was a visiting scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. She has also worked as a consultant to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and served as a research associate and editor of the National Wetlands Newsletter at the Environmental Law Institute. Anne received her B.A. from Williams College (Environmental Studies), and her M.F.S (Forest Science) and Ph.D. (Ecosystems Ecology/Plant Physiology) from Yale.

Jonathan Mawdsley, Project Director, co-directs the Center’s efforts to promote sustainable responses to the challenges posed by global climate change. He is the lead author of the Center’s newly released reports, “Strategies for Managing the Effects of Climate Change on Wildlife and Ecosystems” and “Measuring the Results of Wildlife Conservation Activities,” which was funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation through the Wildlife Habitat Policy Research Program of the National Council for Science and the Environment.  Before joining the Center, Dr. Mawdsley worked for five years at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, where he served most recently as a Program Director administering national and regional grant programs on topics that included native plant conservation, invasive species management, endangered salmonid restoration, and the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.  Prior to working at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Entomology of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.  In addition to his work at the Center, he maintains an active research program at the National Museum of Natural History that focuses on insect and pollinator conservation in the United States and southern Africa.  He received his B. A. from Harvard University (Biology) and his Ph.D. from Cornell University (Entomology).

Christine Negra, Project Director, provides leadership for Heinz Center programs by working collaboratively with individuals in government, academia, industry, and NGOs to bring technical analyses and consensus-based solutions into key global change policy dialogues. Dr. Negra has served as Science Director for the Terrestrial Carbon Group and as Principal Investigator for the EPA-funded Ecological Effects of Air Quality project and has engaged with a national coalition to establish comprehensive mercury monitoring in the US. She currently leads an FAO-funded effort to design options for an integrated global information system to support terrestrial carbon mitigation. Dr. Negra came to the Center in 2005 to guide the development of indicators of carbon storage and environmental contamination for The State of the Nation’s Ecosystems 2008.  Previously, Dr. Negra worked on state-level environmental policy as a Public Policy Fellow with The Snelling Center for Government.  Her doctoral research on the behavior of trace metals in soil systems was conducted at the University of Vermont and the National Synchrotron Light Source.  From 1994 to 1998, she worked with farmers, local and state officials, and environmental advocates on sustainable agriculture, water quality, forestry and community leadership projects.  She received her M. S. (Natural Resource Planning) from the University of Vermont and her B.A. (Government Studies) from Wesleyan University.

Dennis Ojima is a Senior Scholar at the Heinz Center. He is also a Senior Research Scientist of the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL) at Colorado State University where he was Interim Director from 2005 to 2006. Dr. Ojima received his BA and Masters Degree in Botany from Pomona College (1975) and the University of Florida (1978), and his PhD from the Rangeland Ecosystem Science Department at Colorado State University in 1987.  His current US research contributes to the North American Carbon Project. His research areas include global change effects on ecosystem dynamics and regional climate change assessment for the Central Great Plains, as well as international efforts in Central Asia, Mongolia, and China. His research with the Chinese Academy of Sciences includes development of Regional Carbon Management. Dr. Ojima is also member on the U.S. National SCOPE Committee and member-at-large on the Governing Board of the Ecological Society of America (2005-2007).

Carmen R. Thorndike is the Executive Assistant to the Biodiversity Chair of the Heinz Center.  Ms. Thorndike has been with Dr. Lovejoy since 1987, when he was Vice President for Science at the World Wildlife Fund. Since that time, she has served with him at the Smithsonian Institution, the World Bank, and the United Nations Foundation. Before joining the World Wildlife Fund, Ms. Thorndike had been a Project Associate for the Latin American Manufacturers Association (LAMA). She received a business administration degree from Cenecape Andrés Bello, Peru.

Tim Tourbin joined the Heinz Center as Director of Finance in November 2009 after working here as a consultant since March 2009. He brings over 20 years of experience in accounting, finance, administration, and human resources. Prior to joining the Center he served as director of finance for the Public Education Network. He also worked in public accounting with Raffa, P.C. in their outsourcing department, where his clients included numerous local and national non-profits. Tim has a passion for the arts and has performed on many stages in the D.C. area, including the Kennedy Center and Signature Theatre.