Yoram Bauman

Founder and Co-Chair

Yoram is a PhD environmental economist-and “stand-up economist“-who co-authored (with Alan Durning of Sightline Institute) the 1998 book Tax Shift that helped inspire the revenue-neutral carbon tax in British Columbia. He is also the co-author (with Shi-Ling Hsu) of a 2012 NY Times op-ed piece about the BC carbon tax and the co-author (with Grady Klein) of the Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change and the two-volume Cartoon Introduction to Economics. He lives in Seattle with his wife Laura and their 1-year-old daughter Zadie. More bio and photos are here. [email protected]

Joe Ryan

Co-Chair

Joe Ryan is a long-time leader in the Washington State environmental community. His activism has been on-going since the 1970s, including leading the ballot measure to prohibit issuing bonds to finance the WPPSS nuclear power plants without voter approval.

Eric Hanson

Eric Hanson has worked as a program manager, lead program manager, and software engineer in the SQL Server division of Microsoft since 2002. Prior to that, he founded a software company, was a computer science professor at the University of Florida, and served as a US Air Force officer. He received his PhD in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a supporter of the Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL), and his wife, Dr. Gwen Hanson, is the director of CCL Bellevue.

Mike Massa

Mike Massa is an engineering professional with interests in economics, energy, psychology, and sustainability. After spending many years in the technology industry, he now focuses on accelerating the transition to a more sustainable, low-carbon economy.

Sharon Nelson

Sharon Nelson is a lawyer who has served as Chairman of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission and as president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. She has also served as board chair of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, and from 2003-2006 she was Chief of the Consumer Protection Division of the Washington Attorney General’s Office.

Kate Pflaumer

Kate Pflaumer was the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington during the Clinton Administration and since then has been a special master and tort claims reviewer appointed to assist courts in sensitive cases. She is Chair of the Board of the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance.

Greg Rock

Greg Rock graduated, top of his class, from Cal Polytechnic where he focused his engineering coursework towards addressing resource depletion and climate change. As an entrepreneur, Greg co-founded The Green Car Company, and a transit orientated infill development company. In 2012 Greg completed a Swedish master’s program in Sustainable Energy Engineering focused on energy policy. Since returning Greg has contributed to public service as a state employee.

Menno van Wyk

Menno van Wyk is the founder and former CEO of Montrail, a footwear manufacturer that was sold to Columbia Sportswear in 2006. Since then Menno has been active in a variety of entrepreneurial activities in the Seattle area.

Duncan Clauson

Campaign Co-Director

Duncan is passionate about distributed renewable energy and climate policy. Duncan has a Master’s in Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. Duncan is a Sustainable Energy Fellow, former board fellow at EarthCorps, and has done an economic feasibility study for combined heat and power in Washington. When not working you can find Duncan out hiking with his dog, Bjørne, climbing, or trying a new recipe for dinner. [email protected]

Kyle Murphy

Campaign Co-Director

Kyle has been a leader on numerous environmental campaigns. Recent successes include serving as the field director with Yes for Seattle Transit and as a founder of the successful divestment campaign at UW. Outside of work, Kyle sits on the Executive Committee with the Sierra Club Washington Chapter and is an aspiring slackliner, surfer, sea kayaker, skiier, and cyclist. [email protected]

Megan Conaway

Outreach Coordinator

Megan completed her Master of Arts in Policy Studies at the University of Washington Bothell. Originally from the South, she was drawn to the Northwest culture and wilderness. In the future, she hopes to be a polyglot. She is excited to work on innovative policy, and to unite people to fight climate change. [email protected]

Ali Mollhoff

Social Media Lead

Ali recently graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in political science and a minor in English. She honed her social media prowess developing her own following and managing the online personas of local nonprofits. In her free time, Ali enjoys wildlife photography, rock climbing, and backpacking across the Pacific
Northwest. [email protected]

Rheanna Johnston

NW Washington Campaign Coordinator

Rheanna is a senior at Western Washington University majoring in Environmental Policy and International Studies. She’s excited to be working with such an inspiring group of passionate and dedicated people on an initiative that will not only set us on the road to mitigating climate change but will also address Washington’s regressive tax system. In her free time she enjoys all things stereotypically PNW including hiking, kayaking, and skiing. She also loves her mini-garden, and is working on expanding her language horizons (German, French, Spanish and most recently, Arabic). [email protected]

Benjamin Silesky

King County Field Manager

Ben has been involved in various fronts of environmental activism and organizing for a number of years. He graduated from the University of Redlands with a bachelor in communications and political science, and was co-founder of the local university divestment group. He also has experience in environmental film making, including an early campaign video for CarbonWA, a documentary on the Redlands Sustainability Network and a documentary on a group of “climate marchers” walking across the country. In addition, he spent time as a canvasser for the Southern Poverty Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union. Ben hopes to push the way for better environmental public policy by creating and analyzing strategic communications campaigns. In his spare time he enjoys reading science fiction, going camping, and making music on his synthesizer. [email protected]

Aaron Tam

Regional Campaign Coordinator

Aaron is passionate about fighting for environmental and socioeconomic justice, and he’s proud to be fighting for a climate policy that not only fights climate change but also addresses Washington’s regressive tax system. Aaron recently completed a double degree in Environmental Science: Wildlife Conservation and Political Science at the University of Washington. Aaron recently served as an environmental leader on the UW campus as the UW Earth Club president, UW Recycling Outreach Coordinator, and CarbonWA UW Chapter Vice President. During his free time, Aaron enjoys hiking, drawing, and karaoking. [email protected]

Laurel Wolf

SW Washington Campaign Coordinator

Laurel Wolf is a Pacific Northwest native excited to be back home after several years of college and working on environmental issues across the country. With a family full of activists, the passion to fight climate change runs in her blood. Some of her favorite things to do around Seattle include paddling around Lake Union, runs in Seward Park, and trying to keep up with all the live music around town. [email protected]

Fellows

Abbie Abramovich

Abbie Abramovich recently graduated from Western Washington University earning a major in Environmental Science and a minor in Geography. She captained the WWU women’s ultimate team and worked as the Sustainability Intern for Western’s Dining Service. She loves to ski, bike, hike, and be outside. Abbie is excited to be working on a climate change initiative that gives back to the people of Washington.

Allie Bull

Allie is a current student at the University of Washington studying urban planning and environmental studies. She is interested in promoting sustainability in city planning. Allie first got involved in climate advocacy by interning with Cascadia Climate Action. She enjoys hiking, kayaking, and paddle-boarding.

Cooper Cearns

Cooper is a fifth year senior at the University of Washington studying business and political science. He believes a carbon tax swap is our best shot at mitigating climate change while fostering bipartisan support. In his free time, Cooper enjoys biking, watching movies and studying philosophy.

Sarah Geyer

Sarah is a recent graduate of University of Washington with degrees in conservation biology and environmental studies. She is passionate about fighting climate change and plans to attend graduate school for environmental policy. In her free time she enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and visiting local breweries.

Karissa Jones

Karissa recently graduated from Western Washington University with a major in psychology. She has participated in scientific jury selection and volunteered as an advocacy counselor for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Karissa has also worked as a research assistant studying family interactions and emotional understanding in children.

Alex Lenferna

Alex is a Fulbright Scholar getting his PhD in the Philosophy Department at the University of Washington. Alex focuses on providing an interdisciplinary approach to the ethics of climate change incorporating considerations of justice, poverty and inequality. He cut his climate advocacy teeth lobbying for a carbon tax in his home country of South Africa, and has been a serial climate advocate ever since. You can visit Alex’s website here.

Quillan Robinson

Quillan is a junior at the University of Washington studying political science and international studies. Outside of school he is involved with student government, his fraternity, and TeenFeed, a local nonprofit which works with homeless teens. He is interested in advocacy, particularly regarding the environment and poverty, and hopes to eventually attend law school. In his free time Quillan enjoys skiing, hiking, and fly fishing.

Blake Wedekind

Blake is a recent graduate from Cal Poly where he received his degree in Economics. Upon moving back to Washington, Blake was thrilled to find out that his home state had a carbon tax initiative on the ballot — a policy he had learned about in the classroom. Blake believes in the philosophy of sustainability and the simple idea that we should leave things better than we found them – be it the earth, relationships, or an organization.

Interns

Nabila Comstock

Nabila is a student at Western Washington University studying Environmental Economics. She is excited and passionate about doing what she can to help fight climate change. She is interested in the politics as well as the economics that play into creating a sustainable future. In her free time she enjoys being with her family, traveling, or watching Parks and Rec.

Josh Grandbouche

Josh is currently studying Environmental Economics and Energy Policy at Western Washington University, having been interested in anthropocentric climate change from a young age. He has worked with the Coastal Commission in California and volunteered at environmental cleanup events throughout his life, and is excited to put his values into action for climate change legislation. When he’s not busy trying to help humans and nature live together, he can be found behind the drums or a good book.

Alex Rhodes

Alex is a senior at Western Washington University studying sociology and environmental studies. She is excited to help fight climate change and create a better world for our future generations. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, painting and spending time with friends and family.

Sally Wheldon

Sally is a current student at Western Washington University studying Environmental Policy. She is interested in learning different angles of policy and initiatives while working with CarbonWA and combating climate change. In her spare time she coaches soccer at the community college in Bellingham, works, and loves watching Netflix.

Tizita Assefa

Social Justice Outreach, Young Adults, and Youth Programs Coordinator, Eastshore Unitarian Church

Bill Boyd

Communications strategist and Principal, The Bill Boyd Group

Priya Sinha Cloutier

Attorney and Founding Partner, Cloutier Global

Richard Wesley

Senior Research Scientist, Tableau

Our Team