Board of Directors
Joyce Gorrell
President
Board Member since 2021
Joyce has worked in the Missouri Botanical Garden’s sustainability division, EarthWays Center, since 2006. She currently serves as the Sustainability Projects Manager with a focus on the overall work of the Garden as well as several of EarthWays public facing programs and projects. She directly supports many facets of daily operations, fiscal management for the U.S. Green Building Council – Missouri Gateway Chapter, and is adept at plugging into various communications concepts to produce timely results that benefit the Garden and community. She has managed the Garden’s multi-divisional Green Team on rollout of both internal and external campaigns for ten years, and represents the Garden as a leader in sustainability for the annual St. Louis Green Business Challenge.
A graduate of UM-St. Louis and life-long St. Louis city resident, Joyce is also a seasoned events maven. She has overseen planning and execution of some of the regions most beloved events including the annual Green Living Festival (taking it virtual in 2020) and hosted the regions green “movers and shakers” at the Green Ball for several years at the iconic Moonrise Hotel.
With a strong passion to share sustainability knowledge and explore actions in the community, she has participated in the USGBC’s Green Schools Quest as a mentor since 2015, and assisted an Affton, MO school in capturing the top award in the middle school category twice. She enjoys noshing her way thru the local foodie scene and has personally encouraged many restaurants to engage with the Green Dining Alliance.
Brandon Verhoff
Vice President
Board Member since 2023
Brandon Verhoff has over 12 years of experience working in higher education and the business sectors. He holds a marketing degree from the University of Missouri, Master of Business Administration from Missouri State University, and as a graduate of the Higher Education Administration doctoral program at Saint Louis University, he completed his dissertation, “Influences of Student Sustainability Literacy in a University Setting.”
Brandon also puts theory into practice – as the past Director of Sustainability & Benchmarking for Saint Louis University he has guided process improvement projects, influenced the adoption of institutional sustainability standards, educated the University community on sustainable operations, cultivated sustainability leaders, and led sustainability initiatives and strategic plans. Currently, Brandon puts his passion to work for the parent company of Famous Footwear, Caleres, demonstrating his data analysis skills and managing store sales and payroll plans.
Dan Jay
Treasurer
Board Member since 2019
Dan arrived in St. Louis from the New York area by train in 1975 to attend graduate school. Dan is now a practicing Architect, having spent forty years of his career with Christner, a St. Louis firm. With a combined March/MBA Dan has fulfilled planning, design, and project management roles for his clients, besides serving as CFO of Christner. Dan comes to the earthday365 board with over 50 years of board service including five years with Sustainable St. Louis. Dan and his wife Mary Ann Lazarus live in a (mostly) renovated home in the Central West End. His three children, grandson, and granddaughter live out of town, requiring much travel.
Isabel Acevedo
Board Member since 2024
As Manager, Community Innovation, Isabel supports and advances the startup and innovation community at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. She serves as an organizational ambassador and leads regional efforts to attract Ag Tech start-ups from Latin America seeking to establish a presence in St. Louis. Passionate about community development, Isabel seeks to build transformational partnerships with a shared mission to improve the human condition while advancing regional prosperity.
Isabel has worked in the St. Louis bioscience ecosystem for over 15 years and has experience in fundraising, technology transfer, and biomedical research. Throughout her career, Isabel has supported biotech startups, mentored students and young professionals, and advocated for accessible education and inclusive workplaces.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Isabel holds a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering from Washington University (2006) and a Master’s of Business Administration from St. Louis University (2010). Isabel and her husband live in St. Louis City with their three young children.
Josh Brown
President of Young Friends of earthday365
since 2025
Josh Brown brings over a decade of project management and data analysis experience to the environmental sector. A systems thinker by nature, Josh applies an “intentional world-building” approach to sustainability, believing that we can reshape our city through hands-on, hyper-local intervention. This philosophy is best visible in his leadership of the “Dead End Project” at McCausland and Chippewa, his “Road Diet” proposals (for Jamieson and McCausland Ave.) and his advocacy for those who are unable to speak for themselves. Beyond his board service, Josh acted as one of 20 Community Advisors for the City of St. Louis Sustainability & Climate Action Plan, where he continues to advocate for native landscapes and safer, greener streets. When not analyzing data or leading board strategy, Josh is likely working on his own “Civic Alchemy” projects— renovating his historic home, volunteering in the community, or exploring St. Louis’s parks with his partner and dog.
Katie Gannon
Board Member since 2024
Katie’s passion for environmental stewardship began early in life, sparked by Girl Scout camp, and progressed into a lifelong appreciation for nature. Katie is committed to reducing the environmental impact of factory farming through a vegan lifestyle. She is an avid lover of all
things outdoors, especially backpacking, canoeing, camping, and rock climbing.
Katie holds a B.S. in equine science from William Woods University and a J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law, where she led the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Environmental Law Society. She previously worked for the Friends of Animals Wildlife Law Program, which focuses on wildlife and habitat protection worldwide. In her professional life, Katie is a trial attorney specializing in defending individuals and businesses in all areas of civil litigation, with a focus on personal injury, premises liability, and breach of contract disputes.
Caran Hanks
Board Member since 2024
Caran Hanks is a St. Louis native and a seasoned Community Engagement Specialist and Consultant, with extensive experience in grant writing, strategic planning, and community engagement. Throughout her career, Caran has been dedicated to advancing initiatives focused on economic development, environmental justice, social justice, and community resilience, particularly in under-served areas.
Caran’s professional journey began in 2017, when she served as a middle school science teacher for two years, cultivating a deep connection with under-served youth. Her passion for supporting marginalized communities has led her to work with a wide range of populations, from disadvantaged youth to forgotten seniors. This experience has shaped Caran’s approach to community-centered projects, ensuring all voices are heard and that the needs of historically under-invested communities are met.
A proud product of St. Louis, Caran attended Beaumont High School and graduated from Clyde C. Miller Career Academy High School. Caran earned a Bachelor’s in education from Harris Stowe State University and a Master’s in secondary education from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Currently, Caran serves as a Neighborhood Transformation Manager with the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), where they focus on economic development and revitalization in several North St. Louis neighborhoods. In this role, Caran is committed to creating sustainable, equitable solutions that benefit local communities with a strong emphasis on community engagement and long-term, positive change.
A lover of basketball and dedicated to family time, Caran believes in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Caran’s future goal is to be an impactful resource for pushing community agendas forward, with a vision for St. Louis City communities to have a functional, equitable, and sustainable system that promotes economic soundness and collective well-being.
Jamie Hasemeier
Board Member since 2024
Jamie Hasemeier has been a grassroots organizer for the past two decades. She is back home in STL via Chicago where she is the lucky mother to four kiddos and has been married to Mark for 25 years. Jamie believes in the power of acting locally. She has served on the Webster Groves Sustainability Commission for five years, two as chair, and was elected recently to the Webster Groves City Council. Jamie has led student environmental clubs and has served on the Green Schools Quest both as a committee member and a mentor. She is organizing elected officials to a more unified focus on sustainability at the municipal level. Jamie is a co-chair to the first sustainability focused commission of the St. Louis Archdiocese working at the regional and local level to care for our common home.
Jamie is delighted to serve on the board of eathday365! She believes this beautiful world is full of magic, wonder, and delight – and the people and the planet are worth fighting for.
Joe Jovanovich
Board Member since 2023
Joe Jovanovich holds a Master’s in social work from Washington University, and has had a diverse career in both non-profit management and small business operations. Joe initially gained a passion for public service serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer for two years after college. After graduate school, Joe worked at Beyond Housing for five years, leading strategy in youth development programming and inter-agency collaboration. Joe took a career pivot when taking over his family’s business – The Pat Connolly Tavern – in 2015. Joe helped to grow the business, revive its brand, and recenter its commitment to sustainability in partnership with the Green Dining Alliance. Since 2017, Joe has also done part-time independent consulting work in the space of non-profit strategy and project management.
Joe is a native and longtime resident of the City of St. Louis, where he currently lives in the Dogtown neighborhood with his wife and two young children. Joe enjoys trips to local parks, traveling with his family, and gossiping about politics. He was previously involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri as a youth mentor for many years. He also has extensive festival planning experience as a founder and long-time board member of Dogtown United, which has produced the annual St. Patrick’s Day festival since 2018, and has been a proud partner with earthday365’s Recycling On the Go program.
Jill Magruder
Board Member since 2025
Jill leads sustainability reporting and strategy at The Cigna Group, a global health company comprised of Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services. As part of this role, she collaborates with teams across the enterprise to progress toward the company’s goals to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and source 100% renewable electricity by 2030. Based in St. Louis, she also co-leads the local Green Team, an employee-led group working to implement more sustainable practices on site and increase awareness and education amongst employees.
Prior to joining The Cigna Group, Jill served as a consultant at Schneider Electric Sustainability Business (now SE Advisory Services) and FleishmanHillard, where she led sustainability reporting and communications on behalf of clients across multiple industries. Jill holds an FSA Credential and is experienced in several reporting frameworks and standards.
A graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and transplant from the Chicago suburbs, Jill has called St. Louis, and specifically, Webster Groves, home for more than a decade. In addition to earthday365, she serves as a board member of The Repertory Theater of St. Louis and served on the City of Webster Groves former Police Community Engagement Board.
Jill is passionate about sustainability professionally and personally. Seeing firsthand as a judge for the Green Schools Quest, she is optimistic that company and community efforts now are positively impacting our younger generations who will be stewards of our planet.
Rishi Masalia
Board Member since 2024
Dr. Rishi Masalia is a passionate plant scientist with a deep commitment to combating climate change through innovation and collaboration. Having worked across biotechnology companies in agtech and climate tech, Rishi thrives on finding creative, science-driven approaches to address some of the planet’s most pressing challenges. An avid science communicator and relationship builder, Rishi finds himself frequently translating science across different disciplines including operations, business, marketing, and sales. He currently serves as the Program Director for 39 North, St. Louis’ Agtech Innovation District.
Rishi holds a PhD in plant science from the University of Georgia, where he focused on agricultural drought, and a Bachelors of Science from the University of Arizona. He was previously the VP of Biotechnology at Running Tide, and the Director of Data Science at LeafWorks Inc.
Annie Mbale
Board Member since 2025
Annie Mbale is the Program Manager for the St. Louis Mosaic Project, an initiative of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and World Trade Center St. Louis. She leads programs that attract and retain foreign-born individuals to strengthen the St. Louis region’s global community.
With a background in communications and marketing, Annie has served as a Communications Director and Marketing Consultant, specializing in digital strategy and brand development. Her leadership has earned recognition from the St. Louis Business Journal, the Missouri Minority Business Development Agency, and The St. Louis American.
Annie holds an MBA and a BS in Business Administration from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. She is a member of the Regional Business Council’s Leadership 100 and an active community leader, serving on multiple boards and mentoring women entrepreneurs.
Nate Pedigo
Board Member since 2025
Nate works at the Saint Louis Science Center as the Sr Director of Institutional Giving. He is a development and partnerships leader who helps mission-driven organizations rebuild trust, grow institutional support, and turn philanthropy into a shared civic project rather than a transaction. With a background that spans higher education, food security, and science education, Nate specializes in institutional giving, corporate and foundation relations, and cross-sector collaborations that address root causes, not just symptoms, of societal challenges. Grounded in his training as an historian and years of experience leading teams in complex environments, he focuses on co-creating strategy with donors, partners, and colleagues so that supporters see themselves as true partners and architects of change. He is energized by building communities of shared purpose, convening coalitions across business and non-profit sectors, and creating funding strategies that are accountable, inclusive, and aligned with both organizational impact and donor values.
Nate is a lifelong musician, outdoor enthusiast, and dog lover who lives in Tower Grove East with his wife, Tacy.
Heather Rich
Board Member since 2025
Heather Rich is an experienced nonprofit leader and philanthropic strategist with a deep commitment to community impact and sustainability. She has contributed to teams raising more than $500 million for worthy causes. She currently serves as an Executive Donor Advisor at the Alzheimer’s Association, where she partners with individuals and organizations nationally across multiple chapters to advance mission-critical fundraising and engagement.
Heather is passionate about building meaningful relationships and connecting people to causes that create lasting, positive change. She is a graduate of Saint Louis University and is proud to call the St. Louis region home.
In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, hiking and being outdoors, and traveling with family and friends. As a newly elected member of the earthday365 Board of Directors, she is excited to support the organization’s mission to educate and mobilize the community to protect the environment and promote sustainability throughout the region.
Luz Rooney
Board Member since 2023
Luz was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in April 2021. She served as a Climate Reality mentor at the Latin American & the Global Leaders Trainings in 2021, and most recently at the Power Up Training in April of 2023. She co-hosted a three-part webinar on plastic pollution in 2021 in honor of Earth Day, World Environment Day, and World Oceans Day. This event brought experts in the field from the Netherlands, India, the Philippines, and the U.S. to discuss recycling myths and challenges, cleanup efforts in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and the latest research on microplastics in the Atlantic Ocean.
Luz serves as a Bureau Member of the Montessori Model UN (MMUN) where she participates in Student Working Groups addressing plastic pollution, bullying, student mental health, and other topics. These working groups are preparation sessions for students across the world to represent their countries as Delegates at two annual MMUN Conferences in New York. Luz is a citizen science researcher with Webster University’ Shutterbee project which is studying the bee population in St. Louis. Luz is a trained member of Beyond Plastics, and Co-Founder of Beyond Plastics MO/WI. The group advocates to end single-use plastic pollution and promotes alternative solutions. She participated in the Informal Working Groups leading up to the Stockholm +50 International Meeting in June 2022 focusing on unsustainable production and consumption, and pollution. Luz has a master’s degree in non-profit management from Washington University in St. Louis. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Katy Mike Smaistrla
Board Member since 2024
As an educator and sustainability professional, Dr. Katy Mike Smaistrla Lampe exhibits her dedication to promoting social justice, economic resilience, and environmental stewardship in and through higher education. Katy Mike considers herself lucky to be able to apply her enthusiasm, technical know-how, and theoretical background in her role as sustainability coordinator at the University of Missouri—St. Louis. On any given day, she deals with the complexities of circular economies, climate science, communication tactics, and community building. Additionally, Katy Mike teaches at a number of institutions, including Maryville and Webster Universities.
Her academic research centered on meaning-making and change-making, and she’s interested in how social/emotional competencies are utilized in heritage interpretation and sustainability leadership. She loves including more people in the conversation and inspiring them to consider how we can best utilize our precious resources. When she’s not on campus or volunteering for organizations like earthday365, you might find her teaching yoga, mailing a letter, or spending time outdoors.
Jim Stroeher
Board Member since 2023
Jim Stroeher is STLMade. He was born at the old St. Anthony’s Hospital and was raised in south St. Louis. He graduated from Washington University with a BT: Mechanical Engineering. He has worked in Education, Engineering, and Information Technology at St. Louis Community College, Washington University, University of Missouri, Duke Manufacturing, AON, BJC Healthcare, and Commerce Bank.
Jim volunteers with many groups including Habitat for Humanity, Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, Open Space STL, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Botanical Garden, and Laumeier Sculpture Park. He is also working with a small team to start a Green Team at Commerce Bank.
Jim’s favorite volunteer organizations are St Louis Zoo, Mind the Gap, and earthday365. He has been with the zoo for five years and primarily volunteers with the Special Events group, and participates in the zoo’s sustainability and green programs. Mind the Gap is a homeless outreach program in downtown St Louis. Jim has been working with the group for three years, and has become passionate about the challenges of the unhoused and loves cooking meals for them. He stumbled across a social media posting for the first Environmental Justice Days of Action and felt an immediate connection with the group. He has participated in almost all the Justice Days, along with the past two St. Louis Earth Day Festivals and Recycling On the Go events.
Jim’s philosophy is simple – If you see something that needs to be done, do it.
Jennifer Thomas
Board Member since 2024
Jennifer is a communications professional passionate about building partnerships that lead to positive social and environmental change. She is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Community School, an independent elementary and preschool. In this role, she produces newsletters and publications, manages the school’s website and social media, and oversees advertising and public relations efforts. Additionally, Jennifer is a member of the school’s Sustainability Committee and manages its on-site compost collection.
Previously, Jennifer worked with the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement and the Office of Sustainability at Washington University in St. Louis. She has held leadership roles in several sustainability organizations across St. Louis and Northwest Arkansas and is excited to contribute to earthday365’s mission and programs.
Jennifer has a Bachelor of Arts in urban studies from Vassar College, as well as a Master of Arts in communication and a graduate certificate in sustainability from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, hiking, exploring the local food scene, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Aaron Young
Chair, External Affairs Committee
Board Member since 2019
Aaron is Manager of Sustainability Planning at East-West Gateway Council of Governments, the St. Louis area Metropolitan Planning Organization. At East-West Gateway he participated in the development of OneSTL, the St. Louis regional plan for sustainable development, and is currently coordinating the collaborative efforts to implement OneSTL and promote greater regional sustainability. A former Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya, Aaron has a graduate degree in urban and regional planning from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is active in the American Planning Association, having served in several leadership positions with the St. Louis Metropolitan Section.
Aaron is a native of Chicago, but happily relocated to St. Louis where festivals, concerts, and international restaurants as well as hiking, canoeing, and camping are all available nearby.
