|
The UNC EFC reaches local communities through the delivery of interactive
applied training programs and technical assistance. The UNC EFC sees one of its major roles
as increasing the capacity of other organizations to address the financial aspects of
environmental protection and service delivery. For this reason and to support the leveraging of
resources, the UNC EFC does most of its training in a collaborative manner – partnering
with established organizations that have environmental but not necessarily financial expertise.
In addition to direct community outreach, the EFC works with decision makers to assess the effectiveness of
environmental finance policies at a regional or state level, and to improve those policies as
a way of supporting local efforts.
Awards and Recognition
The EFC at UNC is dedicated to enhancing the ability of governments and other organizations to provide environmental programs
and services in fair, effective and financially sustainable ways.
|
Jeff Hughes, Director
Richard Whisnant, Professor of Public Law and Government
Mary Tiger, Chief Operating Officer
Stacey Isaac Berahzer, Senior Project Director
Shadi Eskaf , Senior Project Director
Glenn Barnes, Senior Project Director
David Tucker, Project Director
Jen Weiss, Finance Analyst
Francine Stefan, Program Coordinator
Matt Harris, Marketing and Outreach Coordinator
Dayne Batten, Research Assistant
Caroline Simpson, Research Assistant
Chris Kenrick, Research Assistant
Sarah Royster, Research Assistant
Amy Patel, Research Assistant
Ricardo Morse, Assistant Professor of Public Administration
and Government
John Stephens, Associate Professor of Public
Administration and Government
Kara A. Millonzi, Assistant Professor of Public
Law and Government
Tyler Mulligan, Assistant Professor of Public Law and Government
Will Lambe, Director, Community and Economic Development Program
Michael Lemanski, Director, Development Finance Initiative
Greg Allison, Senior Lecturer in Public Finance and Government
Willow Jacobson, Associate Professor of Public Administration and Government and Director, LGFCU Fellows Program
|
| |
|
 Jeff
Hughes is the Director
of the Environmental Finance Center at UNC. Jeff works with local
governments, not for profit organizations, and private companies
to identify and implement innovative methods of financing and maintaining
environmental facilities and programs. Jeff has a Masters in Water
Resources Engineering from the School of Public Health, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an undergraduate engineering
degree from Duke University. Jeff served as the Chatham County Public
Works and Utility Director between 1996 and 1999. He has worked
extensively overseas as an environmental finance specialist with
the Research Triangle Institute, providing technical support and
training assistance to local and national governments throughout
Eastern Europe and Africa. |
 Richard
Whisnant is a Professor
of Public Law and Government. He teaches environmental and administrative
law, often to local and state officials such as city and county
managers and attorneys, judges, and finance officers. As a School of Government
faculty member, Richard works with local government
on a daily basis to answer questions and give advice about environmental
problems. Richard's interests and expertise are in environmental
law, including the core air, water and waste statutes, the law of
cleaning up contaminated property, and various specialized areas
such as risk assessment, water resource management, coastal development,
sedimentation and erosion control; administrative law, including
the structure and processes of administrative agencies at the state
and local level, regulatory reform, rulemaking, permitting and enforcement;
and in financing environmental infrastructure. Richard is also knowledgeable
in the area of digital content creation and distribution. He holds
degrees from Harvard University, including a J.D. and a Masters in Public Policy,
and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the School
of Government faculty, he served as General Counsel to the N.C. Dept. of Environment, Health and
Natural Resources. |
 Mary Tiger
is the Chief Operating Officer and works to make sure that the
Environmental Finance Center is sustainably financed and managed. She
leads strategic and operational initiatives and coordinates the
Center's finances, personnel and budgeting. In addition, Mary provides
outreach and research services to local communities on water
conservation strategies and sustainability. Mary holds a masters of
public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill and a BS in Environmental Journalism from the University of North
Carolina at Asheville. Prior to moving to Chapel Hill, she served as
the Utility Conservation Coordinator for Loveland Water and Power in
Colorado.
|
|
Stacey Isaac Berahzer
is a Senior Project Director with the Environmental Finance Center and
works from a satellite office in Georgia. Stacey provides outreach
services to local communities and disseminates tools and resources
on topics such as funding strategies for stormwater management,
rate setting practices, and general innovative financing techniques
to improve water quality. She earned her Masters degree in Public
Administration at UNC - Chapel Hill. She earned her undergraduate
degree at NC Central University in Environmental Science. Stacey
has worked in the area of pollution prevention and water quality
at RTI International. Her experience in the field of education involved
teaching high school, working with street children in Bolivia, research
on closing the academic achievement gap in NC, and work in the area
of "service-learning." |
 Shadi
Eskaf joined
the Environmental Finance Center in 2004 and has worked on projects
analyzing environmental systems in local, statewide and regional
settings. Shadi conducts research on a range of topics including
water systems collaboration and regionalization, water and wastewater
rates and rate-setting, residential water consumption, infrastructure
capital needs and funding. Shadi is currently a doctoral student
in the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill's Department of
Environmental Sciences and Engineering. He received his Master's
degree in Environmental Engineering from the same department in
2003, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of
Tennessee, Knoxville in 2000. Shadi has also worked for the World
Bank, Mercury Associates Inc., and Kimberly-Clark Corporation. |
 Glenn Barnes joined the Environmental Finance Center in 2006. Barnes
teaches courses, provides direct community assistance, and carries
out research on a range of topics including stormwater management,
water and sewer rate-setting, wetlands, woody debris recycling,
and green government. Prior to joining EFC, he worked for non-profits
in New England focusing on renewable energy, biofuels, and environmental
regulation. Barnes holds a BA and MPA from The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
 David Tucker
is a Project Director at the EFC who works with local, regional, and state governments, not for profit organizations, and private companies on innovative environmental finance projects related to energy and water. David performs financial, economic, and statistical research and analysis for the Center. He also conducts community outreach, such as in a current project to assist small water/wastewater systems. David earned a Masters of Environmental Management degree (Energy and Environment concentration) from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian and East European Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill. He previously served as a Clean Cities Specialist with Triangle Clean Cities Coalition/Triangle J Council of Governments, working on alternative fuel vehicles; and as a Climate Corps Fellow for the Environmental Defense Fund, working on energy efficiency upgrades to buildings. David speaks Russian and French, has worked and studied abroad numerous times, and is also interested in renewable energy; teaching and public engagement; the energy-water-food nexus; clean transportation; and sustainable cities and urban design.
|
 Jen Weiss
is an Environmental Finance Analyst at the EFC, focused on financial models and mechanisms that can be used by universities, non-profits, and other public organizations to encourage the implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Jen holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University, an MBA from the University of Michigan, and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of California in San Diego. Jen has over 13 years of consumer and small business banking experience including commercial lending, product management, and online services.
|
 Francine Stefan has joined the Environmental Finance Center as the new Program Coordinator for the Small Public Water Systems Project. Francine recently returned to the Triangle after living in Berlin, Germany as a State Department fellow for one year. Francine has previously worked in program coordination with the German Foreign Office and Goethe Institute. Francine holds a B.A in International Studies from North Carolina State University.
|
 Matt Harris recently joined the EFC as the Marketing and Outreach Coordinator to promote digital and word-of-mouth sharing of the incredible work accomplished at the center. Matt grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and holds a B.A. in Economics and Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Matt has worked in community outreach for the Office of Sustainability and Carolina Performing Arts. He also lived briefly in Madrid, Spain where he taught English for La Comunidad Madrid at El Instituto Escorial. You can find matt online here: matthharris.com
|
 Dayne Batten is a native of Cary, North Carolina and an MPA student at UNC Chapel Hill. He is using his time in the MPA program and at the EFC to learn more about government budgeting and finance, and how each of those disciplines interact with the surrounding economic and policy context. When he graduates in May of 2013, he hopes to pursue a career as a public policy researcher.
|
 Caroline Simpson recently served two terms with the AmeriCorps VISTA program as a Community Resources Coordinator in Seguin, Texas and as a Programs and Development Assistant at Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Vermont. She comes to the EFC as an Educating Stewards of Public Information in the 21st Century Program fellowship recipient. Interested in public access to public information, she is currently working on her M.S. in Library and Information Science and pursuing a dual M.A. in Public Administration at UNC. Caroline holds an undergraduate degree in English from the University of South Carolina.
|
 Chris Kenrick is a graduate student pursuing dual master's degrees in information science and public administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a research assistant with the Environmental Finance Center, Christopher is focusing on projects dealing with stormwater management and rate setting practices. In August 2012, he was named an "Educating Stewards of the Public Information Infrastructure" (ESOPI) fellow, as part of a collaboration between the School of Information and Library Science and School of Government. Before attending UNC-Chapel Hill, he worked as a Community Outreach Director for FRIDA, Inc., an arts education nonprofit located in South Texas. Christopher holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Texas - Pan American.
|
 Sarah Royster is pursuing a Master's of Science degree in Environmental Engineering through the University of North Carolina's School of Public Health and serves as a research assistant for the Environmental Finance Center. She hopes to combine her interests in water resources, environmental engineering, and mathematics through her role with the EFC, to promote water conservation and financial stability for water utilities. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from North Carolina State University in 2011. Prior to joining the EFC, Sarah worked as a technical writer and marketing associate for Eaton Corporation's electric transportation infrastructure department.
|
 Amy Patel is pursuing her Master's in Public Health in the department of Health Behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her interests lie in collaborative, interdisciplinary work to promote health and eliminate disparities. She graduated from UNC in 2011 with a B.S. in Biology and Anthropology. She recently completed a year-long fellowship on community health with a small nonprofit in rural Alabama before beginning her graduate studies. Amy grew up in Western North Carolina, in the foothills of the mountains.
|
|
 Rick
Morse joined the School of Government in 2006. He previously
was assistant professor in the Public Policy and Administration
Program at Iowa State University. He has also served as a project
manager at Virginia Tech's Institute for Policy Outreach. He has
worked extensively with state and local public officials on community
collaboration processes in Virginia and Iowa. More recently, he
led a team of colleagues consulting on a county-wide community visioning
effort in Wilson, North Carolina, and continues to do advising and
teaching in the areas of collaborative problem solving, visioning,
and citizen participation. His publications include several articles
and book chapters on collaboration and public participation. He
also is lead editor of two recently published books on public leadership,
Transforming Public Leadership for the 21st Century (M.E. Sharpe,
2007), and Innovations in Public Leadership Development (M.E. Sharpe,
2008). Morse holds a BA and MA in public policy from Brigham Young
University and a PhD in public administration/public affairs from
Virginia Tech. |
 Tyler
Mulligan joined
the School of Government in 2007. He previously practiced law with
Woble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC, in Raleigh, focusing on the
areas of community development law and economic development law. He is
a member of the North Carolina State Bar. Prior to private practice,
Mulligan served as a Navy diver and JAG Corps officer. Mulligan earned
a BA in public policy studies, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from
Duke University. He earned a JD at Yale Law School, where he was
awarded the Yale University Elm-Ivy Award. |
Kara A. Millonzi joined the School of Government in 2006.
She previously practiced law with Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault,
LLP in Boston and clerked for the Honorable Louis F. Oberdorfer,
United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She is
a member of the North Carolina State Bar and the Bar of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts. Recent publications include "Lawful Discrimination
in Utility Ratemaking: Classifying Customers within Territorial
Boundaries" and "Lawful Discrimination in Utility Ratemaking: Classifying
Extraterritorial Customers," both published in Local Finance
Bulletin. Millonzi earned a B.A. in economics, summa cum laude,
Phi Beta Kappa, from the University at Buffalo and an M.A. in economics
from the University of Maryland at College Park. She earned a J.D.,
with highest honors, Order of the Coif, from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she served as editor in chief of
the North Carolina Law Review.
|
|
