About

Executive Committee

  • Kelly Forest - Chair, Banff Co-Coordinator, and Outings Leader and Chair.   PA Vice-Chair, Climate Change Chair.
    • Kelly is a former science department chair and physics teacher at an all-girls high school.   She continues to educate on climate change, composting, climate justice through social media.   Her family has worked very hard since moving to State College in 2008 to become a net zero household.  They have geothermal energy, 53 solar panels, a highly insulated house, which reduced their energy use by 40%, and two EVs.  Kelly is always willing to talk about her house or any environmental issue.
  • Doug Mason – Vice-chair and Ag chair:
    • Doug has degrees in agronomy and worked as a soil scientist/conservationist for the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources and Conservation Service and for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. He has also worked with the National Center for Appropriate Technology and was the Director of Pollution Prevention for the Hoosier Environmental Council.
  • Steve Lachman – Membership Chair and Newsletter Editor:
    • Steve has served on the Moshannon Group’s Executive Committee since 2009. He holds a law degree from Vermont Law School and a Ph.D. in geography from Penn State. Before moving to State College, he worked as an attorney for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and also served as chair of the Allegheny Group of the Sierra Club. He leads service trips for the Sierra Club’s national outings program and is currently the editor of SCMG's newsletter.​​​​
  • Ellen Foreman - Banff Co-coordinator, Social media chair, Clean Energy chair.
    • Ellen serves on the state Clean Energy Committee and focuses on outreach for the Moshannon Group. She  is an avid hiker, biker, and skier and is a life member of the Sierra Club. She holds a BA in Journalism and an MBA and works with several organizations dedicated to mitigating the effects of climate change.
  •  Nancy Parks - Conservation Chair and Air Quality Chair
    • Nancy has been active since the founding of Moshannon on April 8, 1981.  Served as Group Chair twice, vice chair, Chapter delegate and alternate, Conservation chair and perennial Air Quality Chair holding several conferences and a 200 member newsletter called 'Short Takes on Clean Air ' for many years.  Has organized, testified and lobbied for clean air for almost 50 years.  Has an historic home in an agricultural valley with 36 solar panels providing more power at home than needed.    Pollinator gardens, composting and a household almost completely plastic free.   Stewarded a 27 acre forest woodlot for 20 years.      Created Penns Valley Conservation Association in 1991 to successfully oppose  a local non-coal mining quarry.  Since there is no stopping mining permits in PA, this quarry has the strictest permit conditions in PA;  a model for the re-write of a very weak non-coal mining law.  We made history when Moshannon Sierra Club supported PVCA in applying the PA coal mine law provision called 'unsuitable for mining'  & accepted  as a new permit provision under PA non-coal law."
  • David Roberts - Water Quality Chair

    • David is a graduate of PSU with a degree in Environmental Biology. He grew up in this area and has worked hard in his career and as a volunteer to show up for his community when needed.  David is currently working with the Centre County PA Environmental Corp and Spring Creek Watershed Commission to test stormwater and waters in the Spring Creek and Bald Eagle creek watersheds for PFAS (forever chemicals).  

       

  • Deb Escalet

     

Other Officers

  • Ron Johnson – Treasurer
  • Judy Tanner – Secretary and Chapter Delegate.  Nominations Chair.
  • Joan Bouchard - Special Events