Staff:
Chapter Director: Amanda Shepherd
Amanda Shepherd has been the Hoosier Chapter Director since April of 2021. She has a B.S. and M.S. in Geology. After teaching in public schools for several years, she moved into the corporate sector but then trained with the Climate Reality Project in 2012 and committed her life to addressing the growing environmental crisis. She served as an organizer for Sustainable Indiana 2016, a volunteer for Earth Charter Indiana, and then was hired by the Hoosier Environmental Council, where she served for almost 7 years. She and her husband Scott have three daughters: Adara, Hannah, and Cora. A lifelong Hoosier, Amanda is committed to bettering her homestate through education, advocacy, and activism and through work that better addresses the interconnected social and environmental justice struggles faced by so many. You can reach Amanda at amanda.shepherd@sierraclub.org.
Chapter Coordinator: Rebecca Dien-Johns
Rebecca Dien-Johns grew up in north Wales and lived in London, UK, before moving to Indianapolis in late 2016. She started her role as the Administrative Assistant, before becoming Chapter Coordinator at the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for over fifteen years. Growing up, her politically-active family were involved with various environmental campaigns, and she has remained passionate about the environment since childhood. She is especially interested in environmental and social justice, and making sure our outdoors is protected and accessible to all. She is a musician, and a mother of one child (and two cats- Catl Sagan and Suffragette Kitty). Rebecca also volunteers in her Near East Indy community and at her child’s IPS school.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter.
Beyond Coal Organizing Representative: Megan Anderson
Megan is from Bloomington, IN where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs- Nonprofit Management from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington. Megan volunteered with the Sierra Club’s IU Beyond Coal Campus Campaign during her time in college. Megan organizes primarily in Muncie, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Indianapolis with local leaders of the Beyond Coal Campaign. Megan also engages individuals, organizations, and community leaders in supporting state and federal initiatives regarding clean air and water policies, renewable energy, energy efficiency and the environment. You can contact her on 317-222-1146 or megan.anderson@sierraclub.org
Beyond Coal Organizing Representative: Robyn Skuya-Boss
Beyond Coal Organizing Representative: Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams grew up in Ottawa, Illinois. After graduating from Illinois Valley Community College, she attended Loyola University Chicago in 2015. While in school, she gave her time and passion to the Chicago Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke. As co-facilitator, she worked closely with residents of Southeast Chicago to educate and spread awareness about environmental injustices being committed in the region. In 2017, she graduated from Loyola University with a B.A. in environmental policy and received the Berta Isabel Cáceres Flores Award for Outstanding Leadership for her activities on campus and in local communities. Soon after, she began working for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Northwest Indiana. She now calls Michigan City home.
Senior Campaign Representative, Indiana and Kentucky: Wendy Bredhold
Wendy (Knipe) Bredhold is the senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Indiana and Kentucky. Previously she served as Beyond Coal Campaign rep for the Ohio River Valley; was Indiana organizer for Moms Clean Air Force; worked in media relations and taught communications at the University of Southern Indiana; and wrote for various newspapers and magazines in Indiana and Kentucky. She is a Climate Leader in Al Gore’s Climate Reality Corps (2012) and served on the Evansville, Indiana City Council from 2009-2012. She lives in Evansville with her daughter Beatrice Rose and cats, Pearl and Pinky. She loves live music, kayaking, writing, reading and rabble-rousing.
Follow Wendy Bredhold on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Leadership:
Executive Committee
Chair: Julie Lowe, Columbus
Julie Lowe grew up in Mitchell, Indiana, spending summer days building forts in the woods and playing in the caves and creek at Spring Mill State Park. Julie is a retired Magnetic Resonance Technologist and has been a Sierra Club member since 2011. In 2015 she became very active with the local Sierra Club Winding Waters Group. She is a volunteer stream monitor, and Hoosier Riverwatch instructor. Julie is chair of the Winding Waters Group, vice chair of the Hoosier Chapter, and chair and co-chair of two Sierra Club Grassroots Network Pollinator and Pollinator Habitat Protection Campaigns. She is particularly passionate about protecting old growth forests and the native animals and insects that live within, and clean energy for all. Julie enjoys traveling, cooking, kayaking and camping.
Vice Chair: Marilyn Bauchat, Bloomington
Growing up in Michigan, Marilyn developed a strong appreciation of nature’s connectedness. As an educator, she always sought to incorporate nature into her classroom. Upon retiring in 2014, she joined Carmel’s Urban Forestry Committee and trained to monitor streams through SC’s Heartlands Group. Concerned over disruption of our ecosystems from fossil fuel emissions and tree cover loss, Marilyn trained with Citizens’ Climate Lobby as a grassroots volunteer in 2016. In January 2018, she became a member of Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter EXCom, sharing her passions for clean energy, air and water, while advocating to restore and preserve the natural beauty of Indiana.
Michelle Carr, Columbus
Michelle is a lifelong resident of Columbus, Indiana, who has loved being outdoors and hiking since a young age. Her love of nature grew into a need to protect it. Due to some life changes in 2014, Michelle was able to begin doing just that. She worked as a social media warrior until discovering the Climate Reality Project. In 2016, she became a Climate Reality Leader. Michelle also joined and began working with her local Sierra Club. In 2017, she was invited to join the Sierra Club Winding Waters Group’s EXCOM. This year (2018), Michelle became the group’s delegate for the Hoosier Chapter’s EXCOM.
Treasurer (non-voting member): Mary Beth Wert, Columbus
Mary Beth is the long-time treasurer for Hoosier Chapter and Winding Waters Group (since 2006). She lives in Columbus and is retired from Cummins where she was an accountant and Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Mary Beth is active on national Sierra Club committees including CTAST (chapter treasurer assistance support team) and the NetSuite implementation. Mary Beth enjoys the outdoors, especially hiking and snowshoeing.
At-Large Members:
Roxanna Caldwell, Indianapolis
Hi. I’m Roxanna Caldwell. I’m a lifelong Hoosier from Monticello, Indiana living in Indianapolis for over 20 years now. I currently reside in Garfield Park where I’m expanding my knowledge of growing native flowers & trees. I’ve worked at WFYI Public Media for over 20 years and recently decided to go back to school to study Environmental Sustainability Policy & Management. I’ve volunteered with The Alliance for Responsible Pet Ownership (ARPO) since 2007 as a foster parent to cats & dogs helping them find their forever homes. Growing up spending a lot of time on the lake & in the woods I’ve always been passionate about environmental & conservation issues. The more I learn about ongoing air & water quality issues and environmental inequity locally, I wanted to find a way to help. I’m glad to work with this excellent organization and connect and support Indiana’s diverse landscapes.
Joab Schultheis, Evansville
Joab is a lifelong Hoosier and lives near Evansville. He started volunteering as a climate advocate for Sierra Club in late 2020. He’s actively involved with Ohio River Valley Beyond Coal and chairs the Hoosier Chapter’s Energy Committee.
Joab enjoys hiking, visiting national parks, and spending time outdoors.
He’s aware of the critical role renewable energy and energy storage have in the clean energy transition. He knows habitat preservation and climate resilience are crucial to mitigating the worst impacts of climate change. He understands that for all of this challenging work to be successful it must be done equitably.
Joab retired after a career in information technology. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Wabash College, and his M.P.A. from Indiana University. He attended the Climate Reality Leadership Corps training in 2021.
Mark Nowotarski, Jasper
After retiring Mark moved back to Jasper, Indiana in 2020 for its’ beautiful rolling landscape of forests and farms, rural small towns, outdoor adventure opportunities, and overall quality of life. He is an avid cyclist and enjoys hiking. In addition to the Sierra Club, Mark is an active supporter of the Southwest Indiana Citizens for Quality of Life, a leader with the grassroots group, the Coalition Against the Mid-States Corridor, member of the Indiana Forest Alliance, and the Hoosier Environmental Council. Mark has been a member of the Congress for New Urbanism which has a strong focus on urban planning that addresses climate issues and works with the Freeway Fighters group advocating against destructive new terrain highways that will harm the environment. Mark is currently working on plans to educate Dubois County about our current climate issues and needed mitigation efforts.
Mark lives in Jasper with his wife Carol. His son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren also reside in Jasper.
Richard Hill, Hanover
Richard serves on the Chapter Energy Committee acting as the Hoosier Chapter representative for the Duke Energy Indiana service area for Beyond Coal. He also serves on the Finance Committee. He has lived most of his life in the Madison area and has been intensely involved in environmental matters relating to southeastern Indiana and northern Kentucky for decades. In addition to his activities with the Hoosier Chapter he also serves on the Jefferson County Park Board and the Central Muscatatuck Watershed Project Steering Committee. In his retirement he enjoys outdoor activities including fishing.
Shannon Anderson, Indianapolis
Shannon Anderson is the Assistant Director for Earth Charter Indiana and formerly Communications Director for Sustainable Indiana 2016, an Indiana Bicentennial Legacy Project. Her academic background is in cell biology. Due to the urgency of climate change, she started working on political and issue-based campaigns in NYC and developed a passion for organizing. She moved to Indiana in 2013 and immediately became active in the Indiana environmental community and Repower Indiana. She gets to wake up every day and do what matters most: working with young people and the young-at-heart to protect our world. She joined the Hoosier Chapter Executive Committee in 2018 because being a part of collaborations in Indiana that advocate for a sustainable future is an honor and responsibility.
Jean Webb
I retired from 30 years in Pharmaceutical Operations working at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca. I hold a B.S. in Chemistry/Business Administration from the University of Evansville. I became an environmental activist in 2006 after listening to a women question legislators at a public meeting about what they were going to do about the pollution documented in a recent Associated Press article (that women was Wendy Bredhold, now the Beyond Coal Senior Campaign Representative). After that meeting I joined with Wendy and several other women in the community and we attended air permit hearings, Vectren’s rate hike hearings, and spoke at Legislator Town Halls. I served on the board of Valley Watch 2012 – 2015, and I joined with Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign as it began its presence in the Evansville area in 2015. I became the interim Chair of the Hoosier Energy Committee (Ex-Com) in August 2019, and was invited to join the Hoosier Chapter Executive Committee at that time. I work to ensure that the organization focuses its actions to most effectively address the climate crisis and the protection of our common natural resources.
Delegates to the Executive Committee:
Dunelands Group representative:
Heartlands Group representative: Jesse Kirkham, Danville
Winding Waters Group representative: Michelle Carr, Columbus
Chapter Committee Chairs
Conservation Committee Chair: Julie Lowe
Energy Committee Chair: Joab Schultheis
Legislative Committee Chair:
Political Committee Chair: Shannon Anderson
Outings Chair:
Finance and Development Committee Chairs: Roxanna Caldwell
Communications Committee Chair: Michelle Carr
Group and Network chairs
Dunelands (NW IN):
Heartlands (central Indiana): Jesse Kirkham
Northeast network:
Southwest network: Niles Rosenquist, Evansville
Winding Waters (Columbus area): Julie Lowe
Uplands network: Marilyn Bauchat