The Power of Information

5 Years in a Row

Top rated, 2003-2007

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At EWG, our team of scientists, engineers, policy experts, lawyers and computer programmers pores over government data, legal documents, scientific studies and our own laboratory tests to expose threats to your health and the environment, and to find solutions. Our research brings to light unsettling facts that you have a right to know.

EWG Staff

Management Team

Ken Cook

President. Ken co-founded EWG in 1993. He is the author of dozens of articles, opinion pieces and reports on environmental, public health and agricultural topics. Cook earned B.A., B.S., and M.S. degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is married to Deb Callahan and lives in Washington, D.C.

Bill Allayaud

California Director of Governmental Affairs. Bill joins EWG as part of a career spent in environmental planning and politics. He worked for the California Coastal Commission for twenty years, as a planner for two cities, as director of Sierra Club California, and as a consultant in the California State Assembly, developing particular expertise in water quality, land use planning, and conservation of forests, farmland, and habitat. He has a B.A. in Environmental Studies/Politics from U.C. Santa Cruz and a Master in Regional Planning from Cornell University. He wants to teach his daughter how to make a "no-look" pass in basketball.

Nils Bruzelius

Executive Editor. Nils Bruzelius was been a journalist for more than 40 years, and for most of that time was involved in reporting or editing coverage of medicine, science, and environmental issues. Until he joined EWG he was Science Editor at The Washington Post. Before that he spent 28 years at The Boston Globe, where he worked as a medical reporter, state political editor, specialists editor, Health/Science editor and finally Foreign Editor. He also spent two years with the investigative Spotlight Team, where he shared a Pulitzer Prize for a 10-part series exposing mismanagement and corruption in Boston’s public transit system. He also had a one-year stint as an editor on the science desk of National Public Radio. Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Nils lived there and in Brazil until high school age, when his family settled in Connecticut. He earned a B.A. in history at Amherst College. He lives with his wife, Lynne Weil, on Capitol Hill. An avid sailor, he has completed two trans-Atlantic crossings and numerous shorter ocean passages. His other enthusiasms include tennis, cross-country skiing, baroque choral music and reading.

Chris Campbell

Vice President for Information Technology. Chris has led EWG's database operations since its founding in 1993 and is responsible for many successful reports, including the Farm Subsidy Database. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in Computer Information Sciences. A Delaware native and an expert beer brewer, Chris lives with his wife and four children in Northern Virginia.

Craig Cox

Midwest Vice President. Craig began his career in conservation by joining the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 1977 as a field biologist. Since then, he has worked for the National Academy of Sciences, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and as Executive Director of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. He joined EWG as Midwest Vice President of EWG in 2008 and directs the organization’s research and advocacy work in agriculture, renewable energy, and climate change. He has degrees in Wildlife Ecology and Agricultural Economics from the University of Minnesota. He is an avid fly fisherman, hunter, and hiker.

Alex Formuzis

Director of Communications. Alex came to EWG after 8 years as a senior aide to three members of the United States Senate. Prior to his time on Capitol Hill he was in the public affairs shop of the Clinton Treasury Department, in the policy shop for the NGO Independent Sector, and worked on state and local campaigns in Washington State. Alex was born and raised in the Northwest, spending his youth sailing, hiking and skiing from Southern California to British Columbia. Alex graduated from the University of Montana in 1995 with a B.A. in political science.

Jane Houlihan

Senior Vice President for Research. Jane directs EWG’s research operations, specializing in toxics and health research. She serves as a spokesperson on environmental health in the national media and at conferences across the country. Jane holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech and postgraduate studies at Stanford. Before joining she EWG practiced environmental engineering at national research and consulting organizations.

Scott Mallan

Vice President, Finance & Chief Operating Officer. Scott moved over to the non-profit sector 15 years ago. After several years working in outsourced accounting for state governments, he switched over to accounting for the food service industry before making the move to non-profits. He earned his degree in Business Management from the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Renée Sharp

Director, California Office. Renée holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Biology from Pennsylvania State University and Rice University, where she worked on the environmental and human health impacts of electricity production, conservation planning, and forest ecology. Once also a professional wilderness guide, Renée still spends most of her time hiking, climbing, skiing and rafting when not sitting in front of her EWG computer.

Katherine Watier

Director of Online Marketing. Katherine is an online marketing professional and trainer with expertise in SEO, PPC, email, social media and web analytics. She started using the Internet to help save the tropical rainforest in 1994 and since then has helped a variety of nonprofits successfully utilize online communications to engage supporters, volunteers and donors. Katherine has a BA in Social Psychology from Hampshire College and a graduate degree in Technology Marketing & Business from Georgetown University.

Heather White

Chief of Staff and General Counsel. Prior to joining EWG, Heather served as Director of Education Advocacy for the National Wildlife Federation, Counsel for energy and environment issues for Senator Russ Feingold, General Counsel to EWG, a Florida Recount attorney for Gore 2000, Deputy Director for Women's Outreach for Al Gore's 2000 Presidential campaign, and an associate in the law firm of Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville. Heather holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in environmental science, and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Heather loves country music and playing in the backyard with her family.

Richard Wiles

Sr. VP for Policy and Communications. Richard Wiles co-founded Environmental Working Group with Ken Cook and now directs EWG's programs. He is a nationally recognized expert on children's environmental health, toxic substances and pesticide policies. Wiles is a former senior staff officer at the National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Agriculture where he directed path-breaking studies on pesticide policy and organic agriculture. Two of these studies -- Regulating Pesticides: The Delaney Paradox and Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children -- formed the basis for the landmark federal Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, a sweeping reform of federal pesticide regulation. The act marked the first U.S. statutory mandate for explicit protection of infants and children from environmental contaminants. Wiles’ third report, Alternative Agriculture, was instrumental in creating momentum for federal organic food standards. Wiles holds a B.A. Degree from Colgate University and an M.A. degree from California State University at Sacramento. He is an avid skier and sailor.

EWG Staff

Dave Andrews, PH.D.

Senior Scientist. David is using his chemistry background to investigate environmental health issues. He holds a B.A. in chemistry from Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Northwestern University, and has authored over 10 peer-reviewed publications and currently has 1 patent pending on quantum interference devices. He lives in Alexandria with his wife Lena and son Wyeth, who likes to jump. David enjoys designing and building audio equipment, traveling, camping, fishing, volunteering, outdoor sports, swimming, and landscape painting.

Claudia Arango

Administrative Assistant. Claudia was born in Alexandria, VA, but she spent her youth in Colombia. She studied international affairs at la Universidad del Rosario in Bogota, where her thesis analyzed the strategy of coca plant eradication as a basis of international cooperation. Claudia is a certified diver who loves to travel, and in her free time she's an avid horseback rider.

Leeann Brown

Press Associate. Leeann came to EWG after attending Rutgers University where she double majored in Journalism & Media Studies and Music. Environmental and public health issues have always been key interests of the DC-area native. Leeann enjoys exploring new places, cultures, and music in her spare time.

Don Carr

Press Secretary. Don comes to EWG from the Democratic National Committee where he served as a Communications Director in his home state of South Dakota. Previously, he worked in the SD state legislature and on former Senate Leader Tom Daschle's 2004 reelection campaign. Don enjoys fly-fishing, home-brewing, and searching for additional hyphenated pastimes.

Lisa Frack

Online Organizer. Lisa connects with parents online to share EWG's research and activism opportunities on kid safe products, environmental health and toxics. She holds a BA in history from Princeton and a Masters in Public Policy from Duke. Lisa's two young children inspire her to make choosing safe products a simple task for even the busiest of parents. When offline, Lisa enjoys gardening, the amazingly beautiful Oregon coast, and reading book after book (after book) with her kids.

Sean Gray

Senior Analyst. Sean compiles, maps, and analyzes data on public lands, food consumption, and public water contamination. Sean holds a Bachelor’s degree from Bucknell, a Master's from the University of Maryland, and postgraduate studies at Yale. He lives with his wife and son in Clinton, CT.
 

Kari Hamerschlag

Senior Analyst. Kari is working on agriculture and climate change. Kari started her career twenty years ago as an organizer, researcher and advocate for socially and environmentally sound development policy, mostly focused in Latin America. For the past eight years, she has worked for a number of non-profits on fair trade, sustainable food and ag policy issues. Kari has a Masters from UC Berkeley in Latin American Studies and City and Regional Planning. She is an avid telemark skier and loves hiking with her dog Shoki in the East Bay Hills.

Dusty Horwitt, J.D.

Analyst. Dusty focuses on public lands, energy and transportation. He previously worked as a lawyer and as Deputy Press Secretary to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. Dusty holds a BA in History from Brown and a J.D. from Georgetown. He enjoys biking, playing basketball and strumming his guitar.

Colleen Hutchings

Email Marketing Manager. Colleen graduated from George Mason University in 2004 with a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Women's Studies. After time working for the Democratic Party and multiple pro-choice organizations, Colleen is proud to be a part of the Environmental Working Group. When not using the internet and email to change the world, she pursues her other passion: professional modern dance performance and composition.
 

Anila Jacob, M.D.

Senior Scientist. Anila uses her medical and public health background to analyze environmental risk factors. She completed her M.P.H. in Global Environmental Health from Emory University, where her thesis focused on environmental risk factors for cancer in state Comprehensive Cancer Control Plans. Anila enjoys reading and travel.

Nneka Leiba, M.Phil., MPH

Environmental Health Researcher. Nneka has a passion for the environment and environmental issues. This passion has led her to earn several related degrees, the most recent being a Masters in Public Health from The Johns Hopkins University. In 2006, she started at EWG where she works primarily on water-related projects.

Sonya Lunder

Senior Analyst. Sonya holds a Masters of Public Health from UC-Berkeley in Environmental Health Sciences. Prior to joining EWG in 2002, Sonya managed a community health intervention at a Superfund site, and worked for California's Environmental Health Investigations Branch. Sonya likes to bake bread and play legos with her son.

Jocelyn Lyle

Director of Development. Jocelyn started her non profit work with an environmental law firm in Montgomery, AL. She joins EWG as part of the operations team and will be working with our various vehicles of funding. She has a BA from Allegheny College in Political Science and Communication arts. Jocelyn hails from Pittsburgh, PA and is probably the only Bucco's fan in DC.

Bobbie Manning

Environmental Health Outreach Coordinator. Bobbie is a grass roots and community outreach organizer. As an advocate for children with neurodevelopmental disorders for 15 years, Bobbie's successful coalition building and grass roots activities has lead to the passage of legislation in multiple states including New York, Iowa, and California. Prior to her political advocacy work, Bobbie was an applied behavior analysis therapist for children with developmental disorders and attended the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Olga Naidenko, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist. Olga holds a PhD degree in immunology from the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute. Prior to joining EWG, she worked in Los Angeles, San Diego, and St. Louis, publishing 30 peer-reviewed papers in molecular and structural immunology. At EWG, Olga focuses on human health effects of chemical pollution. Olga enjoys yoga, dance, and learning new languages.

Michelle Perez

Senior Analyst. Michelle does research on farm subsidies, agricultural-environmental issues and biofuels and shares her findings with policy-makers and the public. Michelle has a BA in Biology from Occidental, a Masters from the University of Maryland (UMD) and is finishing up a PhD in agricultural-environmental policy at UMD. Michelle enjoys British TV mysteries, touch football with her husband and teenage step-daughter, and salsa dancing.

Jason Rano

Legislative Analyst Jason joins the EWG government affairs staff after working in Baltimore City government and on Capitol Hill. Jason holds an undergraduate degree from American University and a Masters in Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University. When not at work you can find Jason reading, cooking, enjoying a new restaurant, or cheering on his hometown New York Mets.

Amy Rosenthal

Individual Donor Fundraising & Outreach Manager. Amy attended Stanford University, graduating with a BA in History. After working as a paralegal, an interest in agriculture policy led her to the Environmental Working Group. She also likes to cook, eat and play outside.

Elaine Shannon

Editor-in-Chief. Elaine is a former correspondent for TIME and Newsweek magazines, a Neiman fellow at Harvard University and author of three books about terrorism, espionage and the global drug trade. She and husband Dan Morgan, a Washington Post correspondent, hike, ski, kayak and serve as pit crew for son Shannon Morgan, a Colorado College environmental science student and cycle racer.

Rebecca Sutton, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist. Rebecca is an environmental chemist and a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining EWG, her research focused on computational studies of contaminant fate and transport, and soil carbon storage to moderate global warming. She has authored 10 publications in peer-reviewed journals.