Gulf Restoration Network

 

Robert W. Hastings, Prattville, Alabama

Board Chair

Robert Hastings moved to Alabama in January 2002 to become the Director of the Alabama Natural Heritage Program in Montgomery. He is now semi-retired, but working part-time with the Heritage Program on projects involving red-cockaded woodpeckers, indigo snakes, and aquatic surveys. He recently completed a manuscript for a book entitled "The Lakes of Pontchartrain: Their Natural History and Environments."

Dr. Hastings is a professional marine biologist and received the Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida and the Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University. He spent twelve years as a professor of zoology at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey where he also chaired the Biology Department for two years. He then became director of the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station, a facility of Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) located near Manchac, Louisiana, in the upper Lake Pontchartrain estuary.

Dr. Hastings is a dedicated environmentalist and has been active in numerous environmental organizations, including the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation as well as being a Sierra Club member for over 20 years. He has received many awards for environmental education, including the National Wetlands Award in Education/Outreach by the Environmental Law Institute in 2002.

Henry Caddell, Mobile, Alabama

Hank Caddell is currently an attorney with Thiry & Caddell in Mobile, Alabama. From 1971-1978, he served as the Chief of the Environmental Protection Division of the Alabama Attorney General's office, and was recognized in 1978 as Alabama Air Conservationist of the Year by the National Wildlife Federation. From 1979-1985, he worked for Legal Services Corporation of Alabama, providing pro bono legal services to low income clients.

In 1983, he founded Save Our Dunes Inc., and served as chairman until 1986. In 1993, Mr. Caddell founded the Alabama Coastal Heritage Trust, an organization that purchases, preserves, and protects Alabama's remaining natural coastal habitats. He continues to serve as a member of their board of trustees.

Teresa Carrillo, Corpus Christi, Texas

Teresa Carrillo, a former federal wildlife and fisheries biologist, is treasurer of the Coastal Bend Sierra Club and sits on the executive committee of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. She was a founder of both the Coastal Bend Land Trust and Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest, and served for many years as Director of the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of freshwater and coastal natural resources through communication, advocacy, research, and education. As Director, Ms. Carrillo was instrumental in organizing the Foundation's Earth Day-Bay Day event and creating their conservation awards. In November 2008, the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation awarded Ms. Carrillo a Conservation Award to acknowledge her work as immediate past director of the Foundation.

Ms. Carrillo's current volunteer efforts include holding the environmental seat on the Texas Water Advisory Committee, representing Duval County on the Alliance of Texas for Uranium Research, and serving on the Nueces Estuary Advisory Council.

Martina Cartwright, Houston, Texas

Martina Cartwright has taught at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law for fourteen years and is currently Managing Attorney/Clinical Instructor in the Law, Wills and Probate Clinic. Previously she was Interim Director/Clinical Instructor in the Environmental Law and Justice Center, where she outreached with community groups and organizations on existing state and federal laws and policies, interacted with agencies on development of environmental justice policy, and provided instruction in applicable federal and state environmental laws.

Ms. Cartwright has a JD with a concentration in International and Environmental Law from American University-Washington College of Law, Washington, D.C. and a BA from the University of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD. She is currently pursuing an MPA in Environmental Policy from the University of Houston.

Brooke Himot, St. Petersburg, Florida

Brooke is currently head of the marketing for Sempermed USA. She works with her team on a national level to create and drive marketing for the company. As the former Director of Marketing for Aveda in the state of Florida, Ms. Himot headed up philanthropic efforts for The Salon People including activities for Earth Month, Aveda's largest fundraising campaign. During Ms. Himot's leadership, the Florida territory received international recognition for raising the most funds for Earth Month, the majority of which was donated to the Gulf Restoration Network.

Prior to her work with Aveda, Ms. Himot directed salon and spa operations with the Marriott Corporation and was a partner in Go! Fitness Solutions, a corporate fitness and wellness company. Ms. Himot received her degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Leeds School of Business. She is a passionate advocate for health and fitness, and is a volunteer for Junior League of St. Petersburg, The Ronald McDonald House, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Allen McReynolds, Longview, Texas

Allen McReynolds currently works with Mitigation Strategies LLC as an independent consultant and mitigation specialist developing ecologically-sound endangered species conservation banks and wetland mitigation banks. He assists in the public process and the facilitation of Habitat Conservation Plans for municipalities and develops strategic plans for ‘landscape scale' eco-system protection and creation of complex wildlife corridor systems.

Prior to this, he worked at The Old Dominion Real Estate Investments LLC, designing and building single family residential projects, focusing in coastal communities. During the Clinton administration, Mr. McReynolds served as the Special Assistant to the Secretary for Lands in the U.S. Department of the Interior, and Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense in the U.S. Department of the Pentagon. He also served as the Executive Vice President of The National Tree Trust, a national non-profit corporation created by President G.H.W. Bush to encourage the planting of trees as an environmental restoration strategy in communities across America.

Jose Miranda, New Orleans, Louisiana

Jose Miranda has resided in New Orleans since 1961, when he migrated from Havana, Cuba. He is a CPA with more than thirty years of experience. He received a BS in accounting from the University of New Orleans. His accounting practice services small and medium size businesses with an emphasis on minority and women owned enterprises.

He has more than 15 years of service in non-profit board of directors, including Planned Parenthood of Louisiana and the International School of Louisiana. Mr. Miranda is a member of various organizations favoring those involved in the protection of civil and reproductive rights, and the environment.

 

 

Cynthia Ramseur, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Cynthia Ramseur is the president and co-founder of Natural Capital Development, an organization that builds broad-based community partnerships in areas such as conservation planning and ecotourism. She also founded South Coast Paddling Company LLC, offering kayak tours across southern Mississippi. Her past experience includes building environmental partnerships, policy review and grass roots organizing, and fundraising with Eco-Logic Restoration Services LLC, and project and fund development with The Natural Conservancy in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Ms. Ramseur received a degree in music from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Ms. Ramseur is also a member of the advisory board of the Land Trust for Mississippi Coast Plain, is a member of the Gulf Conservation Coalition, and is the director of the St. Cecilia's Girls Ensemble.

 

Bob Schaeffer, Sanibel, Florida

Bob Schaeffer is the head of Public Policy Communications in Sanibel, Florida, and works with non-profit organizations, political campaigns, foundations, and socially responsible businesses. For more than two decades, he has been consulting for national and regional groups, primarily in the fields of environmental protection, national security, civic engagement, education reform, and civil rights.

Mr. Schaeffer also has experience as editorial writer for television, as a host for a regional National Public Radio talk show and as a writer for an alternative weekly newspaper. He previously served as Research Director for the Mass. Legislature's Human Services Committee, staffed activist groups in New England, and worked at the Education Research Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was both an undergraduate and graduate student.

Mr. Schaeffer leads workshops on strategic planning, media relations, public speaking, political campaign design, and advocacy skills. His publications include Winning Local and State Elections (Free Press/MacMillan, 1986; paperback edition 1998), Giving the Media Your Message, and The News Media and the Big Lie.

Louis Skrmetta, Gulfport, Mississippi

Louis Skrmetta is a third generation ferry pilot and CEO of Ship Island Excursions, the official passenger ferry service for the National Park Service and Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi. He is a life-long resident of the Biloxi/Gulfport area and an outspoken advocate of preserving and protecting the state's fragile barrier islands and Mississippi Sound.

In 1988 Captain Skrmetta, with assistance from National Parks and Conservation Association, helped form the Gulf Islands Conservancy Inc., an advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the National Seashore and surrounding marine waters from inappropriate development and overfishing. In 2005, with support from the Sierra Club, he helped organize the Twelve Mile South Coalition, a group of coast leaders, tourism officials, and others concerned about an attempt by Governor Haley Barbour to begin oil and gas exploration in and around Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Mr. Skrmetta has a B.S. from the University of Southern Mississippi in American Studies, with an emphasis on history and political science. He currently serves on the Mississippi Sierra Club Executive Committee, is president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Attractions Association, president of the Friends of Gulf Islands National Seashore, and is a member of the Gulfport Planning Commission. He is also a charter member of the Save the Bait Coalition, a group of environmental organizations and coastal businesses concerned about the under regulated menhanen industry in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Susan Spicer, New Orleans, Louisiana

Susan Spicer is the co-owner and executive chef of Bayona, one of New Orleans' premier and most popular restaurants. Bayona has earned national attention and been featured in numerous publications such as Food and Wine, Gourmet, Food Arts, Bon Appetit, Travel & Leisure and many more.

Ms. Spicer is also co-owner of the award-winning restaurant Herbsaint. From 1997 through 1999, Ms. Spicer owned and operated Spice, Inc., a specialty food market with take-out food, cooking classes and artisan bakery. This developed into Wild Flour Breads, which she currently co-owns with partner Sandy Whann. She won national acclaim as the 1993 recipient of the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southeast Region and in 1995 was chosen for the Mondavi Culinary Excellence Award. Ms. Spicer has been guest chef at the James Beard House, on Cunard's Sea Goddess II, the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, on local and national television and for countless charity events in New Orleans and around the country.

Ms. Spicer partnered with the GRN as part of our Save Our Seafood fundraiser and public awareness campaign.

Robert Wiygul, Biloxi, Mississippi

Robert Wiygul was born in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1967 he attended Elvis Presley Day Camp, Elvis Presley Park, Tupelo, Mississippi. He went on to graduate from Millsaps College in 1981, and the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1984. While at law school he was the Editor in Chief of the Mississippi Law Journal. After graduation, he clerked for Judge W. Eugene Davis of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and later practiced with the firm of Gordon, Arata, McCollam and Duplantis in New Orleans, specializing in natural resources and commercial litigation.

In 1990, he was the Burlington Northern Fellow in Natural Resources Law at the University of Colorado, School of Law. From 1990 to 2001 he was employed by the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund (formerly the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund), most recently as the managing attorney of its Rocky Mountain office in Denver, Colorado. He is currently the resident attorney in the Biloxi, Mississippi office of Waltzer & Associates, a New Orleans law firm specializing in environmental and trial practice.

Mr. Wiygul is a frequent writer and speaker on environmental law, and has litigated more cases than he really cares to think about under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other environmental laws. He is currently litigating cases on behalf of the Alabama Beach Mouse, Mexican spotted owl, humpback chub, flatwood salamander and various other charismatic and not so charismatic creatures.