Staff | TCWN - Tennessee Clean Water Network

Renée Victoria Hoyos

Executive Director

Renée Victoria Hoyos became TCWN’s Executive Director in October 2003. As Executive Director, her primary duties are fundraising, limited policy work, outreach coordination, editor of The Current, TCWN's thrice yearly newsletter, fundraising, public speaking and fundraising. She is also the board president of the national Clean Water Network in Washington DC.

Renée previously worked with the California Resources Agency and served as Special Assistant to Secretary Mary D. Nichols for Watersheds and Outreach. Renée holds a Masters of Agriculture and Management degree (with concentration in nonprofit organization management) as well as a Masters of Avian Science degree, both from the University of California in Davis.

Renée enjoys rafting, hiking, kayaking and skiing. She is a member of the National Ski Patrol and patrols on the weekend at Cataloochie Ski Ranch in Maggie Valley North Carolina. Currently, she is the Chair of the Knoxville Transportation Authority and is a member of the Knox County Charter Review Committee.

Dana Wright

Water Policy Director

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Dana Wright became TCWN’s Water Policy Director in January 2008. Prior to joining TCWN Dana worked with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division managing $30 million in Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Mitigation Grants to implement statewide nonpoint source pollution reduction strategies and policies. Dana received a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Urban Studies, as well as a Masters of Public Policy with a concentration in Evaluation and Analysis from Georgia State University.

At TCWN Dana manages the Clean Water Policy Program which focuses on strengthening the Tennessee Water Pollution Control Act, other State resource protection acts and the Federal Clean Water Act to protect water resources. Through this program, Dana monitors and comments on all rulemaking related to water quality, works to increase public access to information regarding permit issuance, enforcement and implementation of water quality standards, serves as the primary relation with TDEC and other resource protection agencies, and addresses other policy related issues in order to improve water quality throughout the state.

Stephanie Durman

General Counsel

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Stephanie joined TCWN in April 2009 to develop a litigation program to promote water quality throughout Tennessee. At TCWN, she oversees a range of Clean Water Act citizen suits, administrative appeals, permit reviews, and other advocacy efforts.

Before joining TCWN, Stephanie served as a staff attorney for the Boston-based National Environmental Law Center, where she participated in Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and National Environmental Policy Act litigation around the country. She previously interned for Earthjustice and the National Wildlife Federation and was president of a forest conservation group in Seattle. Prior to becoming an attorney, Stephanie developed housing for low-income and homeless people throughout the state of Washington.

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts with distinction in Economics and Political Science from Yale University. She earned a Juris Doctor with a concentration in environmental law from the University of Washington, where she is a member of the Order of the Coif, graduated with high honors (top 5%), and served on the Washington Law Review.

Stephanie serves on the Executive Council of the Tennessee Bar Association's Environmental Law Section and is a member of the East Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women.

Stephanie lives in Knoxville with her two sons. She currently serves on the board of the Volunteer Ministry Center, as Secretary of the League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County, on the Mayor's Homeless Roundtable, on the Homeless Management Information System Advisory Committee, and on the Advocacy Committee for the Knoxville Area Coalition on Childhood Obesity. Stephanie previously served as co-chair of Compassion Knoxville and as Chair of Redeeming Hope Ministries.

Kathy Hawes

Coordinator, Mississippi River Collaborative (MRC)

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Kathy Hawes became the Coordinator of the Mississippi River Collaborative (MRC) in November 2012 and works from the TCWN office on Market Street. She handles meeting planning, research, and communications functions for MRC, facilitating cooperation among nonprofits (including TCWN) in the ten states which border the great Mississippi River.

Prior to joining MRC, Kathy spent 15 years working for a local manufacturing company, eventually becoming Vice President in charge of the marketing and sales of environmental products to consultants and distributors worldwide. Through the years, she has volunteered for many local nonprofits, including SpayKnox, Protect.org and CASA, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Peaceful Kingdom and East Tennessee Technology Access Center.

Kathy graduated magna cum laude from The University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Communications and received her MBA in project management in 2014. She lives in Kingston with her husband and two daughters.

Patience Melnik

Director of Environmental Health Programs

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Patience Melnik became Director of Environmental Health Programs in August 2013. She joined TCWN under the Bringing Tap Back project, which is funded by a grant from the Tennessee Department of Health. The three-year, statewide project encourages Tennesseans to choose water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages as a strategy to combat obesity and diabetes. Patience works with municipalities across Tennessee to install water bottle refill stations and promote drinking tap water. As a part of these promotional efforts, she collaborates with local art communities to direct artist-designed water bottle refill station competitions.

Prior to joining TCWN, Patience was Managing Development Editor for Santa Barbara, California reference publisher ABC-CLIO. Patience holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She lives in Knoxville with her husband and two sons.

Joshua Cunningham

Sustainability Coordinator

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Joshua began work as the Sustainability Coordinator for TCWN in September 2013. As a member of the Bringing Tap Back team, Joshua works closely with partnering schools and universities to encourage the consumption of safe, clean, and convenient tap water through the Tennessee Department of Health’s Project Diabetes grant.

Before joining TCWN, Joshua spent two terms of AmeriCorps service as a Wildland Firefighter in Northern California and as the Water Quality Assistant for the Town of Farragut, TN. He returns to Tennessee after completing a broadcasting fellowship with a non-profit radio station in Nome, Alaska. In his spare time Joshua is an active participant in several environmental groups in the Knoxville area.

CRAIG GRIFFITH

Public Affairs Director

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Craig joined TCWN in 2013 as the Public Affairs Director. He has more than 20 years of experience in the communications/public relations field in both the public and private sectors. It all started with a position as a production assistant in a television newsroom, learning the news business from the bottom up.

Following a career in news, he worked for the City of Knoxville in the administration of Mayor Victor Ashe. He served in several positions of increasing responsibility in the Ashe Administration, completing his time at the City as Deputy to the Mayor for four years. At the City of Knoxville, Craig developed internal and external communications programs to convey to the public information on the projects, policies and plans of their local government. From the City, he went to work in the healthcare industry as the Regional Director for Public and Legislative Affairs for St. Mary’s Health System and Mercy Health Partners in Knoxville. Griffith helped to develop and implement the communications strategy for the growing health system’s six hospitals and many auxiliary services.

Active in many community affairs, Craig has served on many boards including the Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation’s Board of Commissioners, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials’ National Commissioners Committee, Vice President for Commissioners of the Southeastern Regional Council of NAHRO, and the Volunteer Ministry Center’s Board of Directors. He also comments on the news of the day as the Healthcare Analyst and a political commentator for WATE, the ABC affiliate in Knoxville.

Craig and his wife, Donna, have two sons and became grandparents to a baby boy in 2013.