SARAH KLEE HOOD
Sarah comes with a strong environmental record in environmental policy. She was Director of the Syracuse Clean Tech Center Incubator, working at the intersection of environmental policy technology development and funding initiatives. Previously, she was Co-Principal Investigator for Department of Energy EPIC Buildings Venture Accelerator, also working on environmental policy, technology development as well as social justice initiatives.
Sarah holds the rank of Captain in the U.S. Air Force, where she served in Alaska & Arizona.
She is a member of the Town of Dewitt Town Board and is candidate for Congress. Sarah Klee Hood graduated from Arizona State University and holds an MBA from Syracuse University.
TASHA COOPER
Tasha Cooper has been a member of the Sierra Club for over 20 years, was previously a member of the Group’s Executive Committee, and has been responsible for the Group’s listservs for a number of years. Tasha retired from Syracuse University Libraries in 2021. She has lived in the Syracuse area for over twenty years.
LARA HEBERLE
Lara Heberle lives in Tully, New York, and is Global Technology Lead for filtration and separation solutions in decarbonization industries (Carbon Capture) at Pall Corporation in Cortland, NY. For the past 2 years, she was the co-President of the Pall Green Team, a Cortland-based group focused on sustainable initiatives. As co-President, she expanded the team to Pall locations across the USA, initiated multiple site cleanups, upgraded waste and recycling processes, hosted Earth Day events, and has both lectured at and coordinated seminars with DEC and similar experts focused on composting, green energy, and invasive species.
Lara is originally from Michigan, where she grew up growing vegetables as a Junior Master Gardener. She holds a BS in Engineering and Physics from UBC in Vancouver, Canada, where she attended as a National Merit Scholar, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell University. She earned an NSF fellowship and also worked on several US Department of Energy-funded projects. While at Cornell, she was also the President of SiGMA, the Mechanical and Aerospace graduate organization, where she co-initiated a Mechanical Engineering graduate conference and poster session with industry sponsors. In her spare time, she led numerous outreach activities, including a class to teach elementary and high school students scientific computing and coordinating the Cornell 4H Exploration Days summer camp.
PETER PLUMLEY
Peter is presently a Research Associate Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University. He was previously Chief Program Officer for the Museum of Scince & Technology (MOST), as well as Senior Advisor for Exhibits & Grant Programs. Peter is a well known environmental leader in Syracuse, receiving many awards including the 2003 College Educator of the Year by TACNY, SU Gearup, The Post Standard-Achievement Award, Technology Alliance of Central New York, Science & Technology Outreach, Partners for Education & Business, Inc., Career Spark Award.
DON HUGHES
Don recently retired as Laboratory Manager at LeMoyne College. He presently works as a private consultant. He has over 20 years experience in environmental investigations, remediation, public education, and scientific writing. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Buffalo, M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University, and, in 2005, earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), in Syracuse, NY. Dr. Hughes has worked as a private consultant on numerous projects related to contaminated sediments, wastewater treatment, and hazardous waste sites and worked on many facets of the pollution of Onondaga Lake and its watershed.