Staff and Board of Directors

Ibrahim Ahmed — Intern

Ibrahim is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Southern California studying Politics, Philosophy, and Law. He is interested in the intersection between political, economic, and social inequalities and how they affect access to broadband. Ibrahim is also the author of the forthcoming book, “Uniting The Divided States of America,” set to be published by New Degree Press in December 2021.

Michelle Andrews — GIS and Data Visualization Researcher

Michelle Andrews is a GIS and Data Visualization Researcher with the Community Broadband Initiative. She received her Masters of Science in GIS from Clark University and served for two years in CTEP AmeriCorps in the Twin Cities. She pairs her data analysis and mapping background with the on-the-ground digital equity work to make data both applicable and easily understandable to a wide range of audiences.

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Jericho Casper — Associate Broadband Researcher

Jericho Casper is an Associate Broadband Researcher with ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Science from the University of Virginia’s Media Studies Department. Jericho believes the policies governing communications infrastructure should increase social good and well-being — rather than private political interests. Before working for ILSR, Jericho was Assistant Editor of Broadband Breakfast, a Washington D.C.-based telecommunications news outlet.

Contact – Recent Posts

Emma Gautier — Intern

Emma Gautier is a Community Broadband Networks intern for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. She supports data collection and analysis within the broadband initiative. Emma recently received a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies from Carleton College, and since graduation has been working in research, advocacy and political organizing for social and environmental justice. She is interested in the synthesis of research and on-the-ground action in communities.

Sean Gonsalves — Senior Reporter, Editor, and Researcher

Sean Gonsalves is a a Senior Reporter, Editor, and Researcher for ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative. Sean was a longtime former reporter, columnist, and news editor with the Cape Cod Times. He is also a former nationally syndicated columnist in 22 newspapers, including the Oakland Tribune, Kansas City Star and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. His work has also appeared in the Boston Globe, USA Today, the Washington Post and the International Herald-Tribune.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts

Henry Holtgeerts — Intern

Henry Holtgeerts is a Multimedia Production Intern with the Community Broadband Networks Initiative. With a background in broadcast engineering, filmmaking, and web development he often finds himself at the intersection of storytelling and technology. Henry believes the internet is wasted on multinational corporations, and that real innovation happens as people build networks in the places they love.

Dozmen Lee — Outreach Coordinator

Dozmen Lee is the Outreach Coordinator for ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative, helping communities and local leaders at all stages considering investment in Internet infrastructure. He was a political science major at Iowa State University and brings experience in grassroots organizations and helping build power for communities facing income disparities and adverse outcomes for youth populations.

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Maren Machles — Senior Researcher and Multimedia Producer

Maren Machles is a Senior Researcher and Multimedia Producer for ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative. She has a background in investigative journalism and has spent her career digging into the finances and backgrounds of powerful political figures as well as the systemic oppression of a variety of marginalized communities. She was a recipient of the 2020 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Grand Prize Award for her work on criminal justice issues in Indian Country.

Contact – Recent Posts

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken — Senior Researcher

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken is a Senior Researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative. He is interested in the democratizing power of technology, systems engineering, and the history of science, technology, and medicine. Previously, Ry worked as an Adjunct Professor of American History in Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Minnesota. Ry holds a PhD in American History from Oklahoma State University.

Contact – Twitter

Christopher Mitchell — Director, Community Broadband Networks Initiative

Christopher’s work focuses on telecommunications — helping communities ensure the networks upon which they depend, are accountable to the community.  He has published several reports, articles, and interviews while also offering technical assistance to communities around the country.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts – Twitter

Linda Bilsens — Project Manager, Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders Program

Linda is the Project Manager for ILSR’s Composting for Community project and Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders community composter training program. Her role is dedicated to fostering a skilled, collaborative network of composters who are regenerating their communities, both socially and ecologically.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts – Twitter

Jade Boehmer — Intern

Jade Boehmer is the summer intern for the Composting for Community Initiative. She earned a B.S. in Biology with a Concentration in Environmental Sustainability from Georgia Southern University in December 2020. She was a student intern at her university’s Sustainability Programs and an After School Garden Program Teacher at a local elementary school. Her experience and education with composting began when she helped a middle school create a school wide composting program.

Sophia Hosain — Baltimore Project Lead

Sophia Hosain is the Baltimore Lead on ILSR’s Composting for Community project and Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders community composter training program. A graduate of the Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders program and part-time vegetable & flower farmer, Sophia now works in sustainability and is interested in alternative energy, permaculture and circular economies.

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Sophia Jones — Intern

Sophia Jones is an Intern with ILSR’s Composting for Community project. She is passionate about sustainability at all levels and has previously worked with the United Nations, the Government of Barbados, and Plant NOVA Natives on various sustainability-related projects. She has a B.A. in Environment and Development Studies from McGill University as well as an introductory certificate in Permaculture.

Linda Knapp — Director, MACREDO Project

Linda Knapp is a Senior Program Manager for ILSR, overseeing the Mid-Atlantic Consortium of Recycling and Economic Development Officials, a recycling market development group funded by US EPA Region 3. Her current work focuses on increasing on-farm composting.

Full Bio – Contact

Clarissa Libertelli — Intern, Composting for Community Initiative

Clarissa Libertelli is an Intern with ILSR’s Composting for Community initiative, primarily working in graphic design. She is also currently working as Graphic Design Consultant for the Montgomery County Food Council and as a freelance artist. She received her Bachelor’s at the University of Vermont in Environmental Studies and Political Science.

Brenda Platt — Director, Composting for Community Initiative

Brenda Platt directs ILSR’s Composting for Community project, which is advancing local composting in order to create jobs, enhance soils, sequester carbon, reduce waste, and build healthy communities. She has worked 35 years fighting trash burners and promoting a zero waste economy. She is nationally known for her research documenting jobs through reuse, recycling, and composting.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts – Twitter

Drew Birschbach — Audio Engineer

Drew Birschbach is a former Energy Democracy Intern working as an audio engineer on the Local Energy Rules podcast. They are studying Professional Journalism with minors in Sustainability Studies, Information Technology and Computer Science at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Recent Posts

Aidan Checkett — Intern

Aidan Checkett is an intern on the Energy Democracy team. He is a rising senior at St. Olaf College, pursuing a BA in Political Science and English.  Aidan has previously worked on multiple political campaigns and in local infrastructure planning, and is passionate about local change, climate justice, and good administration.

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John Farrell — Co-Director of ILSR & Director, Energy Democracy Initiative

John Farrell is co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and directs its work on energy democracy. John is best known for his vivid illustrations of the economic and environmental benefits of local ownership of decentralized renewable energy.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts – Twitter

Katie Kienbaum — Senior Researcher

Katie Kienbaum is a Senior Researcher with ILSR’s Energy Democracy initiative, where she researches and writes about equitable and decentralized clean energy and its impact on communities across the country. Before joining the Energy Democracy initiative, she was a Research Associate with the Community Broadband Networks initiative

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Maria McCoy — Research Associate

Maria McCoy is a Research Associate on the Energy Democracy initiative, where she contributes to blog posts, podcasts, video content, and interactive features. Her research focuses on how communities can transition to clean, decentralized energy systems that are both equitable and economically viable.

Contact – Recent Posts

Angel Ornelas — Intern

Angel Ornelas is an intern on the Energy Democracy team. He is a fourth-year student at Claremont McKenna College majoring in History. Angel is passionate about environmental justice and has previous experience in community organizing/mentorship in both the Dallas and Los Angeles communities. As a Dallas native, Angel enjoys Texas coffee and the occasional barbecue sandwich.

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Susan Holmberg — Senior Editor and Researcher

Susan Holmberg is Senior Editor and Researcher on the Independent Business team. She shapes the strategic direction of the initiative’s research and manages the publication process for all team content. She writes on corporate power, small business, inequality, and systemic racism. She has been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time, The Nation, and Democracy Journal. Susan holds a Ph.D. in economics from UMass, Amherst.

Bio – Contact – Twitter

Anael Kengne — Legal Policy Intern 

Anael is a Legal Policy Intern at ILSR. She is an upcoming Intellectual Property (IP) Master of Law (LL.M) student at WCL American University School of Law. She recently received her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. She also graduated with a Bachelor of Public Health and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from UC Berkeley and Dartmouth College, respectively. She is interested in health law, IP law, and antitrust law. Her research has been published by the National Library of Medicine.

Ron Knox — Senior Researcher and Writer

Ron Knox is a Senior Researcher and Writer for ILSR’s Independent Business Initiative. A combined storyteller and antitrust expert, Ron is building our deep bench of reporting and research on the ways extreme corporate concentration has come to dominate and damage industries throughout the economy. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Slate, The American Prospect and elsewhere. He is based in Kansas City.

Full Bio – Contact – Twitter

Katy Milani — Senior Policy Advocate 

Katy is the Senior Policy Advocate for ILSR’s independent business program where she works closely with coalition partners and policymakers on antimonopoly and small business policy and advocacy. Previously she was Director of Advocacy and Policy at the Roosevelt Institute where she led strategic engagement with allies, partner organizations, and elected officials on a range of corporate power policy areas, including banking reform and corporate governance.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts – Twitter

Stacy Mitchell — Co-Director of ILSR & Director, Independent Business Initiative

Stacy is co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and directs its initiative to decentralize economic power and level the playing field for independent businesses. She has produced many influential reports and articles, designed local and federal policies, and collaborated to build effective coalitions and campaigns.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts – Twitter

Kennedy Smith — Senior Researcher

Kennedy Smith is a Senior Researcher with ILSR’s Independent Business initiative. Kennedy is one of the nation’s foremost experts on commercial district revitalization and independent business development. Her work focuses on analyzing the factors threatening independent businesses and developing policy tools that communities can use to address these issues and build thriving, equitable local economies.

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Shaoul Sussman — Legal Fellow

Shaoul Sussman is a Legal Fellow at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. His research focuses on the intersection of antitrust law and big tech. Shaoul has published an academic paper and a number of articles about Amazon’s anticompetitive practices and the company’s negative influence on firms that rely on its e-commerce platform.
Full Bio – Twitter

Mary Timmel — Small Business and Consumer Organizer

Mary Timmel is Small Business and Consumer Organizer for ILSR’s Independent Business initiative, where she supports and develops the leadership of small businesses and consumers to win policy changes that check Amazon’s outsized power and address rising corporate concentration across the economy. Since joining ILSR, Mary helped launch Small Business Rising — a coalition of over 20 organizations representing more than 150,000 independent businesses that fights to level the playing field for small business.

Full Bio – Contact

Neil Seldman — Director, Waste to Wealth Initiative

Neil Seldman, Ph.D., co-founded the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and is Director of the Waste to Wealth Initiative. Seldman is a leading recycling and zero waste activists assisting citizen, environmental and small business organizations in stopping garbage incinerators in scores of US cities. Subsequently, he works with these cities to increase recovery of materials from the waste stream and grow the local economy by adding value to materials through local processing, manufacturing and job creation. Prior to founding ILSR Seldman was a manufacturer of consumer products and professor of political science.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts

David Morris — Distinguished Fellow

David Morris is co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and currently ILSR’s distinguished fellow. He writes the blog, From the Desk of David Morris. He has served as an adviser or consultant to local, state and national governments and to private businesses large and small.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts – Twitter

Jess Del Fiacco — Communications Manager

Jess Del Fiacco is the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s Communications Manager. In this role, she works closely with program staff to develop and implement communications strategy that supports ILSR’s mission. She promotes ILSR’s work through the organization’s newsletters, website, social media, events, and more. Jess also hosts ILSR’s Building Local Power podcast.

Contact Jess for media inquiries.

Contact – Recent Posts – Twitter

Virgil McDill — Communications Director

Virgil McDill has more than 20 years of experience developing and executing media campaigns for government and non-profit organizations. Before joining ILSR in 2020, Virgil served as Associate Director of Public Affairs at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, where he led key national media campaigns focused on saving historic places and revitalizing communities.

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Aarushi Sen — Communications Intern 

Aarushi Sen is a rising Junior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities studying Political Science, Economics, and Journalism. She is currently involved in communications and public relations work for UMN Students for Climate Justice and UMN Multicultural Political Science Student Association, and has done research in Latin American Human Rights. Aarushi is interested in the intersection between media and movement work and is passionate about public ownership within communities.

John Bailey — Development Director

John is the Director of Development and is responsible for coordinating fundraising and related outreach for ILSR.  He was a senior researcher at ILSR from 1992 until 2011, specializing in decentralized energy policy and analysis including topics of renewable energy, climate change, efficiency, tax policy and electric vehicles.

Contact – Twitter

India Gorden — Operations Manager

India Gorden is the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s Operations Manager. India has managed day-to-day office operations for non-profit organizations since 2003 and maintains her professional relationship with various vendors. Her focus is in office management, finance and general human resources.

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Stacy Mitchell — Co-Director of ILSR & Director, Independent Business Initiative

Stacy is co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and directs its initiative to decentralize economic power and level the playing field for independent businesses. She has produced many influential reports and articles, designed local and federal policies, and collaborated to build effective coalitions and campaigns.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts – Twitter

John Farrell — Co-Director of ILSR & Director, Energy Democracy Initiative

John Farrell is co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and directs its work on energy democracy. John is best known for his vivid illustrations of the economic and environmental benefits of local ownership of decentralized renewable energy.

Full Bio – Contact – Recent Posts – Twitter

Nora Goldstein

Nora Goldstein is the Editor of BioCycle, the magazine and website authority on composting and anaerobic digestion, where she oversees such projects as “www.findacomposter.com” and manages conferences related to composting and zero waste. She received the U.S. Composting Council’s “Hi Kellogg Award” in January 2014, and the American Biogas Council’s “Biogas Visionary Award” in October 2013.

Jolie Jones

Jolie Jones is the founder of the Take It Back Foundation, which has worked to encourage recycling efforts.  Her varied career spans art, modeling, and music.

Chris Lewis

Christopher Lewis is President at Public Knowledge. Prior to joining Public Knowledge in 2012, Chris served at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as Deputy Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs and advised the FCC Chair on legislative and political strategy. He is a former U.S. Senate staffer for the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and has over a decade of organizing and campaign experience. Chris graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelors degree in Government. He lives in Alexandria, VA where he loves working on local civic issues and is elected to the Alexandria City Public School Board.

Kirk Marckwald

Kirk Marckwald, the Chairman of the Board, helms California Environmental Associates, a consulting firm that works with a wide range of businesses, nonprofits, foundations, and public institutions to promote conservation. Marckwald has extensive experience with energy and environmental regulation, and prior to founding CEA in 1984, worked as the Under Secretary of California’s Natural Resources Agency, and as a consultant with the Environmental Defense Fund.

David Morris

David Morris is co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and currently ILSR’s distinguished fellow. He writes the blog, From the Desk of David Morris. He has served as an adviser or consultant to local, state and national governments and to private businesses large and small.

Roy Priest

Roy Priest is a Commissioner on the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (Md.) and retired Executive Director and CEO of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority in Alexandria, Va.  Priest has worked in community economic development and finance over his 50-year career, and prior to his current position, served seven years as the President and CEO of the National Congress for Community Economic Development, and 17 years with the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development, including as the Director of the Office of Economic Development.

Andrew Reicher

Andrew Reicher is Executive Director of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, where he started in 1978 and which he has led since 1981. Over his tenure, UHAB’s base of tenant-run and tenant-owned housing cooperatives has grown from several dozen to more than 1,500 in New York City and beyond. He is the 2003 recipient of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives’ highest honor, the “Jerry Voorhis Award.”

Photo credit: Carol J. Ott

Gina Schaefer

Gina Schaefer is the Founder & CEO of nine Ace Hardware stores in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Md. She manages operations for the $20 million company, oversees 210 employees, and chairs the Retail Committee for the Ace Hardware Corporation Board of Directors. Additionally, she is a member of the Board of Think Local First D.C., a group focused on transforming D.C.’s economy by strengthening the local business community, Vice Chair of the Board for House of Ruth, and a member of the Advisory Board of Jubilee Jobs.

Neil Seldman

Neil Seldman, Ph.D., co-founded the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and is Director of the Waste to Wealth Initiative. Seldman is a leading recycling and zero waste activists assisting citizen, environmental and small business organizations in stopping garbage incinerators in scores of US cities. Subsequently, he works with these cities to increase recovery of materials from the waste stream and grow the local economy by adding value to materials through local processing, manufacturing and job creation. Prior to founding ILSR, Seldman was a manufacturer of consumer products and professor of political science.