President - (Memphis, TN)
Dawn Vinson, a native Memphian, received her BA in the College Scholars program at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a primary focus on French and English literature. She currently produces special events for the Downtown Memphis Commission, through which she has been able to encourage local environmental awareness by initiating events like Memphis’ first Bike-to-Work Day and electronics recycling drives.
Treasurer - (Chattanooga, TN)
Attorney - Areas of concentration: Collections, Estate Planning, Corporate, Business law, and Commercial Litigation
Secretary (Chattanooga, TN)
Dr. Spratt is a tenured professor in the Biological and Environmental Sciences Department at UTC. He holds BS and MS degrees from Georgia Tech (1977 and 1980 - Applied Biology), and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia (1985 - Microbiology). He was a postdoctoral associate at Rutgers University (1985 - 1988), and an assistant professor of Biology at Southeast Missouri State University (1988 - 1994). He joined the faculty at UTC in 1994. His teaching interests lie in the fields of microbiology, environmental biology and undergraduate education. He plays an active role in support of public education in the Chattanooga area, serving on the Hamilton County Coalition for Mathematics and Science Excellence, helping to organize and present a three-part Math and Science Summit held in Chattanooga during Winter 2003.
He actively supports local environmental organizations, serving on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee River Gorge Trust for 12 of the past 15 years, advising the Lula Lake Land Trust, serving on the Water Quality Team of the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, and having served as the Conservation Chair of the local Sierra Club group. Dr. Spratt is active in research, with numerous publications, and grants (since 1987, 37 grants from Federal, State, and University sources, some with collaborators, totaling $1,550,571). Trained as a biogeochemist, he has conducted studies on carbon cycling in soils of temperate forests, and of temperate and tropical wetlands, with one long-term study (10 years) in Missouri Ozark forests.
Recently Dr. Spratt has conducted research on the use of bacterial batteries in the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organic matter associated with raw sewage. The involvement of students in Dr. Spratt’s research is critical. He has been involved with two projects focusing on introducing high school students to university research, serving as mentor to over 25 high school students since 1995. He has served as major professor for 13 graduates from UTC’s Masters of Science in Environmental Science program since the program was initiated in August 1997. Dr. Spratt also does consulting work related to the development of novel organic energy sources.
Henry G. Spratt, Jr., Ph.D., Microbial Ecology, Biogeochemistry Professor
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN 37403
(423) 425-4383, Fax (423) 425-2285
(Knoxville, TN)
Liz Stucke is currently a college admissions and strategic management consultant. Formerly with Deloitte and A.T.Kearney and now independently, Liz works with organizations to identify new opportunities in the marketplace and adjust for needed changes. Building on her work with organizations, Liz now helps students identify their unique opportunities in applying to colleges.
Her interest and involvement in environmental issues began when she worked for the White House Council on Environmental Quality editing the research for the Clean Air Act Amendments and focusing on market incentives to reduce pollution. She carried this interest into business school at Columbia University as the president of the MBAs for Greener Business and continues to help build the discussion around "shared value": achieving both profits and sustainability.
Liz loves being on the water and has rowed for many years, previously on the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers in Washington, DC and currently on Melton Lake with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, four children, and schnauzer.
(Knoxville, TN)
Ambassador Victor Ashe, a native of Knoxville, TN, graduated from Yale University with a BA in history in 1967 and received his law degree from the University of Tennessee, College of Law in 1974. He joined the TCWN Board of Directors in October 2009.
Ambassador Ashe was a member of Senator Howard Baker's congressional staff. He was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1968 where he remained for six years before serving another nine years in the Tennessee Senate. During that time he made notable contributions in advancing state environmental legislation, including the creation of the Tennessee's Natural Areas Preservation Act, Scenic Rivers Act and Scenic Routes Act. He was President of the US Conference of Mayors in 1994-1995. Ambassador Ashe began his position as Mayor of Knoxville in 1988 and continued for 16 years. During his span as Mayor, Ashe added almost 1,000 acres of parkland to the city and extended 30 miles to Knoxville greenways.
He backed the effort to make KUB comply with the Federal Clean Water Act to prevent sewage from entering Knoxville's streams and the Tennessee River. Also, the Ambassador strongly supports efforts for KUB to be more moderate in its tree cutting practices and is sensitive to rate payers's concerns. Ashe was appointed as the Ambassador to Poland in 2004 by President George W. Bush. Upon his return to Knoxville, Ambassador Ashe was appointed by President Obama to the Broadcasting Board of Governors which oversees Voice of America. Ambassador Ashe serves on the boards of American Rivers Association and the National Recreation and Parks Association.
(Memphis, TN)
Patrick O’Connor, a native Memphian, graduated from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, in 2009 with a degree in Advertising and an outside concentration in Marketing. During his tenure at Pepperdine, Patrick was a founding father of the Kappa Epsilon chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega national fraternity. He also spent a summer in London, England, where he took some coursework at Imperial College, London.
After college, Patrick returned home to Memphis to get his start in the ad world. Shortly after graduation, he landed a job at one of the top agencies in town, Red Deluxe Brand Development. Four years later, he moved on to work for Duncan-Williams, Inc. as a financial advisor.
Patrick loves the fact that Duncan-Williams is the title sponsor for the Memphis Dragon Boat Races, an annual event held on the Mississippi River with proceeds benefiting the Tennessee Clean Water Network. He lives downtown with his wife Katy, and for the time being, wouldn’t have it any other way. An avid fisherman, Patrick is excited to work with TCWN in its mission. One day, he hopes that fisherman all around the state will be able to catch and consume fish from all bodies of water without the fear of contaminants or disease.
(Somerville, TN)
[email protected]
Gary lives with his family on a small farm in a West Tennessee rural area near the Hatchie, Wolf and Loosahatchie watersheds. He has a diverse background in general computer technology including GIS, general programming and advanced database analysis and reporting. He attended the University of Tennessee at Martin and Knoxville Agriculture schools.
As a local environmental activist, Gary has been instrumental in local community group organizations who have been lobbying the State of Tennessee and TVA to properly document and present alternatives to a huge industrial "Megasite" that local and state politicians are trying to locate and fund on farmland near the Hatchie River. As part of that struggle, Gary has also contributed time and supported the local rural minority community of Fredonia in the application of Environmental Justice to the proposed Megasite as it affects their community.
(Mt. Juliet, TN)
[email protected]
Tony Dolle has been writing about and working in the outdoor industry for the past 35 years as a journalist, marketing and public relations professional and as a resource user (hunting, angling, cycling, sailing, photography to name just a few). He’s been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his work as a news reporter, has been president of several outdoor media organizations and has worked tirelessly to promote the conservation of the nation’s natural resources since his days as a student at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism.
He is currently CEO of the Nashville-based The Consultants Group, a marketing communications, public and media relations firm that specializes in the outdoor, conservation, outdoor television and entertainment industries. He and his wife, Pam, have two married children, and live in Mt. Juliet, TN, with their two German shorthaired pointers - Kate and Gus.
