Staff

Sam Carpenter is the former executive director of Indiana-based nonprofit fair trade retail outlet Global Gifts, In his 17 years leading Global Gifts, sales of sustainable goods grew from $196,000 to over $1.8 million and staff grew from one to 25 employees. Most recently, he has consulted with small businesses and nonprofits on strategic planning, turn arounds, and growth strategies. In 2010, he was named one of Indianapolis’ “Forty Under 40” by the Indianapolis Business Journal. A Kentucky native, Carpenter holds a masters degree in peace studies and conflict resolution from Ulster University in Northern Ireland.

As a citizen-volunteer in Indianapolis, Carpenter has been an active advocate for environmental issues. His advocacy has included meeting with legislators, speaking at rallies, and taking part in events related to mass transit, coal, and renewable energy.

Indra Frank serves as HEC’s Director of Environmental Health and Water Policy. Her first career was as a physician specialized in pathology. In 2004 she shifted to environmental health and has since worked in environmental health programs, education, and policy with Indiana-based nonprofit organizations. Indra has a bachelors in biochemistry from Pomona College, an MD from Johns Hopkins University, and a masters in public health from Indiana University.

Paula is our Environmental Justice Director. She leads our Indianapolis Environmental Justice Initiative, which aims to identify, prioritize, and ultimately mitigate environmental health risks in low-income communities and in communities of color in Indianapolis. Paula has long-standing interests in human rights and equitable development. An Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) Senior Fellow, she also serves as the chair of the Indianapolis NAACP chapter’s Environmental Committee. She has received numerous awards for her work in environmental justice and was named a 2021 Hoosier Resilience Hero by Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI). Paula has a BBA in Finance and MA in Development Policy and Planning, both from Howard University.

David Van Gilder has a life-long interest in the environment, natural resources, and humankind’s relationship with the natural world. He brings to HEC decades of environmental legal work, teaching experience, and advocacy to administrative agencies and to legislative bodies at local, state, and federal levels. David has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from Bowling Green State University and a Juris Doctor from American University, Washington College of Law. He is a partner in the Fletcher Van Gilder LLP law firm, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

In Marianne’s development capacity, she oversees strategy and is helping to expand and deepen HEC’s network of relationships while increasing financial and advocacy support for HEC’s mission. Prior to stepping into her development role, Marianne led our public relations and media outreach efforts for more than six years. Before her role with HEC, Marianne had a long and distinguished career in broadcast journalism, most recently working for WFYI Public Broadcasting in Indianapolis. Her more than a decade in public radio took her to stations across the country, from Dillingham, Alaska, to Burlington, Vermont. She first came to Indiana as the News Director for WVPE in Elkhart. She’s known to many public radio listeners as the Statehouse Bureau Chief of Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, a post she held from 2006 to 2011. Marianne has won numerous awards in both journalism and public relations and holds a journalism degree from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont.

Jeni is part of HEC’s Mounds Greenway team and also assists with outreach events such as the annual Ride for the Mounds. Voted most likely to save the world by her high school classmates, Jeni has had long-standing interests in sustainability. She is an accomplished entrepreneur, with a drive for self-study of ecological issues, from native and invasive plants to wildlife and local water ecology. Jeni has degrees in business and Spanish from Indiana University.

In her capacity as Manager of Outreach, Emily expands the depth and breadth of HEC's network of relationships statewide through engaging volunteers, fostering partnerships, and hosting events. Prior to joining the HEC team, she served two terms of service as an AmeriCorps member in Indianapolis. Emily has a longstanding commitment to service and environmental sustainability, and has Bachelor's degrees from Indiana University Bloomington in international studies and environmental & sustainability studies. In her free time, Emily enjoys exploring Indiana's beautiful natural spaces, biking, volunteering, and photography.

Jocelyn is a member of the Environmental Health Program Team with primary responsibility for a statewide lead messaging campaign. Prior to her work at HEC, Jocelyn was a Program Manager for a Lead Hazard Control technological study between the University of Notre Dame, IUPUI, Indiana Department of Health, and HUD. Jocelyn is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served both in the environment and health sectors in Tanzania from 2014-2017. She holds a B.A. in Geography from Cal Poly Humboldt and a M.S. in Global Health from the University of Notre Dame. In addition, she is an EPA licensed lead risk assessor and inspector. Jocelyn's professional interests include environmental health, policy, sustainability, and healthy housing. In her free time, she enjoys walking her dog, reading books from her local library, and textile crafts.

Delaney is our Outreach, Energy, and Climate Coordinator. She works on special programming and expanding the breadth & depth of HEC's network of relationships, with an emphasis on key legislative areas. She concentrates her efforts on policy, legislative outreach, and social media. Delaney has a BA in Anthropology from Purdue University and an MPA in Environmental and Natural Resource Management from Indiana University. She is passionate about sustainability and bike infrastructure in Indianapolis and is happy to be dedicating her time to Indiana's environment. In her free time, she enjoys dance classes and spending time with her husband, Jae, and their two dogs and cat.

One of Susie's primary responsibilities is overseeing HEC's work in the White River watershed. This effort aims to protect wetlands and other aquatic resources by engaging with decision makers, analyzing policy and permitting, and promoting science education. In addition, she provides support for HEC's agriculture program.Susie obtained a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in environmental science with a focus on spatial analysis and GIS. Prior to HEC, she interned at an environmental consulting firm and assisted graduate students with habitat research at Purdue. Susie is passionate about environmental preservation and using maps to communicate our impact. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, cooking, and painting.

Katya works to identify and mitigate environmental health risks in low-income communities and communities of color, and coordinates HEC’s efforts to reduce environmental triggers of asthma in Indiana. Prior to coming to HEC, Katya worked for 4 years at the Office of Sustainability and 2 years at the Charles E Brown African American Cultural Center at Indiana State University (ISU). She also worked on lead exposure reduction with the Indiana Collaboration for Lead Action and Prevention. Katya has a bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Geoscience, Geography and Sustainability and a master’s degree in Earth and Quaternary Science from ISU.

Shannon is the newest member of HEC's Development Team. She has nearly twenty years of quantitative market research experience, including as the sole proprietor of SCK Consulting. Shannon completed her Master’s coursework at Cleveland State University in the Consumer Industrial Research Program. Shannon and her husband have two kids. She is a devoted volunteer at her children’s schools and is a Girl Scout troop leader too. She has made environmental stewardship an important part of raising her family.

As Grants and Green Business Manager, Mary cultivates relationships with HEC’s green business partners while strengthening HEC's mission through grant support. Mary has held several fundraising and development roles throughout her 22 years in Indianapolis. She holds her BA in English from Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH. In her free time, Mary enjoys hiking, kayaking and tending to her many houseplants.

Renee is deeply connected in the Indiana green movement. Renee founded and lead the HEC Green Business program where she networked with businesses who have a sustainability focus to support HEC's mission. Renee was also instrumental in growing and developing a partnership with Aveda in support of clean water initiatives, and in organizing the annual Greening the Statehouse event. She received a 2009 Sustainability Award from the Mayor’s Office for her Rush Hour Recycling events where more than 75 tons of electronics and cardboard were recycled and was recognized by Hoosier Environmental Council as the 2013 Green Business Advocate of the Year.  In her newest role with HEC, which began in July 2021, Renee manages the HEC website, and serves as an in-house advisor on development and marketing matters.

Amanda is HEC's long-time Graphic Designer.  She creates a great breadth of designs for HEC, including our semi-annual reports, white papers, policy briefs, social media advertising, maps, and more.  Amanda has a masters of arts in journalism design from Ball State and a bachelor of journalism and photojournalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.