ABOUT PEOPLE | WV Center on Climate Change

WHO WE ARE

WV3C: A People-Powered Program

In 2014 more than 150 climate-concerned people attended a program at Blackwater Falls State Park in Tucker County, West Virginia. More than a dozen experts spoke about the impacts of the climate crisis on West Virginia’s economy and ecology, and how we can respond to this crisis.

That program began the work of the West Virginia Center on Climate Change. Since 2014, more than 100 experts and thousands of climate-concerned people have participated in WV3C’s educational programs, in communities around the Mountain State. Thousands more follow WV3C’s science-based outreach updates online.

“People power” is necessary to solve the climate crisis. This page shows information about some of the wonderful people who have made the WV3C an important part of civic life in West Virginia. Join us!

WV3C Advisory Board

James Van Nostrand has been the Director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at the WVU School of Law since 2011. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of the Pace Law School Energy and Climate Center. He has a law degree from University of Iowa and two decades of private practice law experience in the energy field prior to entering academia.

Emily Calandrelli. a proud native West Virginian, is a TV personality and Emmy-nominated science educator, known for her work on “Xploration Station” and “Bill Nye Saves the World., and the author of the “Ada Lace Adventure” children’s book series. Emily has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from WVUster’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT.

Rafe Pomerance has been a leading advocate on climate change issues for over 40 years. He has worked at Friends of the Earth, the World Research Institute, and was a founder of the Climate Policy Center and chairman of Arctic 21. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment and Development.

Patrick McGinley has been a law professor at West Virginia University since 1975. He has written in numerous legal texts, including “Coal Law & Regulation,” and his article and “Climate Change and Coal: Exploring the Dark Side.” He is a founder of the Eastern Mineral Law Foundation.

Evan Hansen is the President of Downstream Strategies, a West Virginia environmental and development consulting firm. He earned an M.S. in Energy and Resources from UC Berkeley in 1997, and a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from MIT in 1988. He has been a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates since 2018.

Tom Rodd is a member of the Board of Friends of Blackwater and the Supervisor of the WV3C. He attended Berea College, Fairmont State University, and the WVU College of Law. His legal career included service as a Senior WV Deputy Attorney General and Senior Law Clerk at the WV Supreme Court.

He trained in “Climate-Smart Conservation Strategies” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife) and “Turning Climate Impacts into Action” (Union of Concerned Scientists). Tom is the banjo-picking creator of “Kitchen Klimate Science,” a program in West Virginia schools.

Logan Thorne is the Center’s Director. Born and raised in the heart of West Virgiia’s Northern coalfields, in 2017 he earned a B.A. in Political Science at WVU, where his involvemen ind the Model United Nations Club, led to a growing interest in climate and energy issues.

Logan attended Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Training, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Citizens’ Climate Lobby. He coordinated the WVU Law School’s 2018 National Energy Conference. He lives in Morgantown with his beautiful dogs, Newman and Millie. He is an avid sports fan, supporting the Washington Nationals, Florida State, and others.

Experts

WV3C programs ordinarily feature speakers with extensive experience and expertise on various issues relating to global warming and the climate crisis. The following partial list of WV3C program speakers illustrates the range and depth of their knowledge and presentations.