Presenters

Kelly Brown is the Water Quality Manager for the White River Alliance, after serving previously as the Alliance’s Senior Environmental Coordinator. She came to White River Alliance in 2019, following 10 years with the group Reconnecting to Our Waterways (ROW). Kelly has a bachelor’s degree from Murray State University and a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Public Affairs from Indiana University.

Brett Clark represents Senate District 24 in the Indiana General Assembly, representing Putnam County and portions of Hendricks County. He was elected to the Indiana Senate in 2024. Senator Clark serves on the Senate Agriculture, Corrections & Criminal Law, Judiciary, and Natural Resources committees. He is a US Navy veteran and served as Hendricks County Sheriff from 2015 through 2022. Senator Clark also works as a business developer and consultant to Garmong Construction Services.

Shannon Hayes is the Planning Director for the City of Richmond, Indiana, where she is actively engaged in local and state water-resource initiatives, including watershed steering committees, the City of Richmond Environmental Sustainability Commission, and the Richmond Wellhead/Source Water Protection Team. Shannon is an environmental scientist and geoscience educator with more than 20 years of experience in hydrogeology, environmental regulatory compliance, watershed resources, and community-based science outreach. She is a Licensed Professional Geologist (Pennsylvania), received a Master’s degree in Geological Sciences from the University of Washington, and completed a Certificate in Watershed Management from the Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy.

Jill Hoffmann is Executive Director of the White River Alliance, and President and Principal Owner of Empower Results, LLC., an environmental consulting company focused on public engagement and education. She has over 20 years of experience in environmental planning, natural resource assessment, and public involvement programming, in both the public and private sectors. Jill has been recognized with several state and local awards for her work and is a charter member of the Indiana Water Monitoring Council’s Board of Directors. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Public Affairs from Indiana University, as well as a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Suzanne Jaworowski is the Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources for the State of Indiana, appointed by Governor Mike Braun. Her responsibilities as Secretary include providing policy leadership and coordination for a group of state agencies, including the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the Indiana Office of Energy Development. Among other responsibilities, she has been charged by Governor Braun with implementing Executive Order 25-63, which calls for the development of a state water resource inventory, a state water management plan, and a strategy for improving the state’s water monitoring network. Secretary Jaworowski has a variety of private-sector and public-sector experience, having been Executive Director of Stakeholder Services at MISO Energy, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Policy & Communications in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy during the first Trump administration, director of communications and government relations at Hallador Energy, and founder of Ryder Research Consulting, where she advised energy companies, utilities, and industry associations.

Shannon Killion, P.E., is a Senior Program Manager with the White River Alliance. Before joining the White River Alliance, Shannon spent over 8 years as an engineering consultant, helping communities meet their stormwater, drinking water, and wastewater needs. Most recently, she worked as the Stormwater Administrator for the City of Indianapolis, overseeing the stormwater capital program, Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) permit, high-hazard dams, miles of levees, urban forestry, and land stewardship teams. Shannon has a bachelor’s degree in biological systems engineering and a master’s in Environmental Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Jim McGoff is the Public Finance Director of the State of Indiana and previously served as the Finance Authority’s Chief Operating Officer, Director of Environmental Programs, and General Counsel.  He has worked at the Finance Authority for 24 years. Before joining the State government, Jim was a partner in the Indianapolis law firm of Bingham McHale LLP (currently Dentons, LLP), where he was a member of the firm’s public finance practice group, representing the State and many Indiana cities and towns with their municipal borrowing needs. He is a past member of the US EPA Environmental Financial Advisory Board (2016-2021), US EPA SRF State Workgroup, and Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities, serving as President from 2020-2022. Jim was also a member of the Great Lakes Protection Fund Advisory Board. He graduated with a degree in Accounting from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and earned a J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Ryan Mueller, P.E., serves as Deputy Director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Prior to this appointment, he served the Department as the Director of the Division of Water from 2017 – 2021. Previously, Ryan served as Executive Director for the Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP), a national non-profit organization focused on amplifying the scientific and policy voice for local, state and interstate water management agencies, and as the Director of Water Resources at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources from 2006 – 2014. In addition to his public service, Ryan’s career includes over a decade of experience as an environmental manager in the private sector and as a research assistant and lecturer in academia. Ryan earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Geological Engineering from the University of Missouri – Rolla.

Amanda Trakas is a Source Water Specialist with the Alliance of Indiana Rural Water. She joined the Alliance team in 2024, after working as Statewide Water Information Manager at the Arizona Water Resources Research Center. Amanda holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a master’s in Landscape Architecture from Arizona State University.

Scott Willis was elected Westfield’s second mayor in November 2023 and took office on January 1, 2024. Mayor Willis is a decorated U.S. Marine Colonel, successful businessman, and a resident of Westfield for more than 20 years. His priorities as mayor include public safety, accountability and transparency, diversifying Westfield’s tax base, attracting new businesses and jobs, and fostering smart, comprehensive growth. Among many other commitments, Mayor Willis is actively involved in regional collaboration as part of the Central Indiana Regional Development Authority (CIRDA) and now serves as the Chair of CIRDA’s Water Subcommittee.

Jonathan Witham is the Executive Director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS). He was appointed by Governor Mike Braun to lead the department in September 2025. Whitham joined IDHS in 2014 as the general counsel and legislative director after practicing law in the private sector for five years. An Indiana native and Hoosier for life, Whitham began his public safety career in Bloomington while attending Indiana University, where he received a degree in telecommunications, business, and political science. He was a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the Bloomington Township Fire Department before moving to Indianapolis. There, he joined the White River Township Fire Department while attending law school and earned his juris doctor degree from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law in 2009.

Clint Woods serves as the 10th Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), appointed by Governor Mike Braun in February 2025. Before joining IDEM, Woods previously served in several governmental positions, including as Deputy Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) Office of Air and Radiation (2017 – 2019), Executive Director of the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (2014 – 2017), and a Professional Staff Member with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (2011 – 2014). He also worked in senior roles with Hexion Inc., Americans for Prosperity, The Ohio State University, American Legislative Exchange Council, and the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.

Maureen Bauer is State Representative for Indiana House District 6, which includes the City of South Bend. She was first elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 2020.  Representative Bauer is a member of the House Courts and Criminal Code, Environmental Affairs, Judiciary, and Public Health committees. She also co-chairs the Indiana General Assembly’s Future Caucus and the Rural Caucus. Outside the legislature, Rep. Bauer serves on the Corm Marketing Council’s board of directors and on the Indiana University South Bend (IUSB) Advisory Board.

Dr. Kyle Doudrick is an associate professor of environmental engineering at the University of Notre Dame. He received his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Arizona State University and spent a year as an ASEE/NSF Small Business Research Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow for Integrated Surface Technologies, Inc. (Menlo Park, CA). Dr. Doudrick’s research group focuses on the development of physical-chemical treatment technologies for emerging contaminants, such as catalytic, adsorptive, thermal, photochemical, and electrochemical processes. He also seeks to better understand the occurrence and fate of emerging contaminants in the natural and built environments by developing new measurement techniques. Currently, his group is working on a variety of emerging contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), micro- and nanoplastics, and oxyanions. Dr. Doudrick is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and served as a Fulbright Scholar in France at the CNRS Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Indiana.

Michael (Mike) Dunn is Director of Strategic Partnerships with The Nature Conservancy – Indiana. He previously served as TNC’s Director of Freshwater Conservation Programs for 10 years. Before that, Mike held management positions with the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and worked at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in permitting and rule writing. Mike has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Louisiana Tech University and a master’s in Environmental Management from Duke University.

Dr. Rachel Havrelock is Director of the Freshwater Lab at the University of Illinois – Chicago (UIC), where she is a Professor of English. The UIC Freshwater Lab communicates water issues to the general public, especially regarding the Great Lake, and convenes events and programs for elected officials, researchers, students, and artists. Among her primary interests is water recycling and reuse as a means of addressing a full range of water issues and problems. Dr. Havrelock received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California – Santa Cruz and her master’s and Ph.D. from the University of California – Berkeley.

Matthew Hobbs, P.E., has held the position of Senior Director of Engineering at Indiana American Water since 2023. He directs a staff of engineering personnel to deliver planning, design, and construction of source of supply, treatment, production, transmission, and distribution facilities for Indiana-American, and to provide engineering support to daily operations.  Additionally, he leads the economic and private development team for Indiana.  Prior to joining American Water, he worked for a national water and wastewater engineering consulting firm as a project manager and section leader for 18 years.  Matt received a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Purdue University in 2003.  He is an active Registered Professional Engineer in the state of Indiana.

Jill Hoffmann is Executive Director of the White River Alliance, and President and Principal Owner of Empower Results, LLC., an environmental consulting company focused on public engagement and education. She has over 20 years of experience in environmental planning, natural resource assessment, and public involvement programming, in both the public and private sectors. Jill has been recognized with several state and local awards for her work and is a charter member of the Indiana Water Monitoring Council’s Board of Directors. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Public Affairs from Indiana University, as well as a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Hasaranga (Hasi) Jayathilake is a Ph.D. student and Research Assistant in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing & Engineering at Indiana University Indianapolis. He completed a master’s in Applied Data Science from the Luddy School in 2024. Before coming to IU Indianapolis, Hasi was a Lecturer in the Human Resources Management Institute in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He volunteers as an instructor in math and English with Brightlane Learning for unhoused students attending Indianapolis Public Schools.

Lauren Nielsen, P.E., is Senior Engineer for Land Services with KERAMIDA in Indianapolis. She has 15 years of experience in environmental engineering and environmental permitting, with particular expertise in compliance assistance, due diligence, environmental management systems, underground storage tank compliance, and engineered remediation systems. In 2023, Ms. Nielsen was recognized by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management with their Partners for Pollution Prevention Ambassador’s Award. Also, that year, she was named to the Indiana Underground Storage Tank Financial Assistance Board. Lauren received her bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University.

Dr. Julie Peller is a Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University and holds a Visiting Scholar position at the University of Notre Dame’s Radiation Laboratory. Her current research focus is the study of micro- and nanoplastics, particularly in water media. Dr. Peller has published studies on the pollution of plastic microfibers in the Great Lakes, and works with students to monitor plastic pollution along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Her collaborative laboratory research investigations have contributed to knowledge of the fates and properties of plastic particles in water. Dr. Peller also works with a team of scientists, policy experts and community leaders, collectively known as the Northern Lake County Environmental Partnership, to investigate air, water and sediment pollution, especially for communities overburdened with pollution in northwest Indiana. Dr. Peller, along with the Porter County Recycling and Waste Reduction District and others, formed the Plastic Reduction Alliance, a nonprofit organization which works to spread awareness about the plastic pollution crisis, to sponsor activities for plastic waste reduction and to partner with other organizations for solutions to the global crisis of plastic pollution.

Michelle Stockness is a professional civil engineer, registered lobbyist, and the Executive Director at Freshwater Society, a Minnesota-based nonprofit focused on water education and engagement, applied research, and water policy across the Great Lakes region. Prior to joining Freshwater, Michelle served as an AWWA Vice President and worked as an engineering consultant, contributing to drinking water, water treatment, and resiliency projects with cities, communities, and private industry.