American Rivers Welcomes Three New Board Members
Contact: Amy Souers Kober, 503-708-1145
(Washington, DC) – American Rivers today announced that it is welcoming three new members to its board of directors. The new directors bring strong leadership and expertise that will help American Rivers champion the nationwide effort to protect and restore all rivers, from remote mountain streams to urban waterways.
“I am thrilled to welcome these talented leaders to the board of American Rivers,” said Tom Kiernan, President and CEO of American Rivers. “Rivers are essential to our health, safety, and future. We have an opportunity to create transformational change as we address the challenges of climate change, environmental injustice, and loss of nature that are impacting rivers nationwide. Our dedicated board will continue to help maximize our impact, protecting and restoring the rivers on which all life depends.”
Dr. Mark Barnes (Baltimore, MD) is Associate Professor, History & Geography at Morgan State University. Dr. Barnes is a human geographer. His scholarship and teaching are informed by global environmental change, economic, urban, and transport geography subfields. Equity, mobility, sustainability, and environmental justice interventions relating to the causes and consequences of weather and climate extremes form the basis of his work. In addition to co-chairing the Geospatial Collaborative, he directs its Environmental Studies Program whose purpose is to bring social and physical science disciplines together to help drive and support efforts towards equitable climate adaptation. His graduate degrees in Geography and Urban Studies are from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and Temple University, respectively. He majored in Geography and Planning at West Chester University.
Mark Greatrex (Atlanta, GA) is President of Cox Communications, the largest private broadband company in America serving nearly seven million homes and businesses across more than 20 states. His experience innovating, building brands and businesses based on consumer insights is fitting to lead a company committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through broadband applications and services. Today Mark leads with the shared purpose and values instilled by the founder of the multi-generational business, Governor James M. Cox. He is the co-chair of the Cox National Diversity Council, standing by his personal commitment to be a vocal ally and his determination to bring lasting change and equal opportunity for all. Mark has a passion for environmental sustainability and leads the charge for Cox Communications’ efforts to achieve enterprise-wide goals. Sparked by his global travels, Mark has a personal passion for ensuring clean water for communities worldwide, which inspired his service as a Board member at the Chattahoochee River Keeper. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Masters of Business Administration with distinction from New York University’s Leonard Stern Business School.
Dan Reicher (Warren, VT) is a Stanford University senior scholar, clean energy entrepreneur, and business and policy advisor. He has served under three U.S. presidents, testified before the U.S. Congress more than 50 times, led the launch of Google’s pathbreaking climate and clean energy work, oversaw a $1.2 billion annual clean energy R&D budget as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy, and co-founded the nation’s first investment firm focused exclusively on renewable energy project finance. From 2011 to 2018, he served as founding executive director of the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, a joint center of the Stanford Law School and Graduate School of Business. Reicher originated and facilitated the Stanford Uncommon Dialogue on Hydropower, River Restoration, and Public Safety. Reicher came to Stanford from Google, where he served since 2007 as Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives. Reicher holds a BA in biology from Dartmouth College and a JD from Stanford Law School. An avid kayaker, Reicher was a member of the first expedition on record to navigate the entire 1888- mile Rio Grande (with support from the National Geographic Society) and to kayak the Yangtze River in China.
About American Rivers
American Rivers is championing a national effort to protect and restore all rivers, from remote mountain streams to urban waterways. Healthy rivers provide people and nature with clean, abundant water and natural habitat. For 50 years, American Rivers staff, supporters, and partners have shared a common belief: Life Depends on Rivers. For more information, please visit AMERICANRIVERS.ORG.