Katherine Teiken ‘10, Climate Policy Director at Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
Katherine Teiken is the Climate Policy Director at Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the Board President of Conservation Minnesota. She graduated from St. Olaf College in 2010 and received a Master’s of Science in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs in 2012. Prior to joining Minnesota Housing, Katherine worked in the residential energy efficiency field at the Neighborhood Energy Connection (now known as Center for Energy and Environment) and Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership.
Kyle Obermann ‘14, Environmental Photographer and Filmmaker
Kyle is an environmental photographer, filmmaker, writer, and athlete chronicling Asia’s high mountain regions. His work has been recognized by being an inaugural and two-time winner of China’s Wildlife Image and Video Competition, TEDx speaker, Peking University Outstanding Alumni, National Geographic Expert, sponsored by The North Face, jury for China’s annual Outdoor Environmental Awards, and more. He is also a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, Explorers Club, ICIMOD Save our Snow Campaign, and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. As a mountain athlete, Kyle ranks in the top 0.5% of trail runners globally and holds speed records running India’s Nanga Sago (18,950 ft), Kenya’s Mt. Kenya (16,355 ft), and China’s Minya Konka circuit (45 mi).
Rebecca DeBoer ‘19, Research Associate
Rebecca DeBoer is a Research Associate for the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She primarily supports consensus study committees, composed of volunteer experts across a broad range of relevant expertise areas, whose peer-reviewed reports inform decision makers at all levels of the public and private sectors. Currently, she is supporting work on deep decarbonization of the U.S. economy and carbon management. Other recent studies include laying the foundations for advanced nuclear reactors; the technical and policy needs for the future of electric power; electricity system policy and regulation; and light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicle fuel economy. This year, Rebecca is staffing the 2024-25 cohort of the Climate Crossroads Congressional Fellowship Program, a National Academies fellowship program designed to expose congressional staff to scientific, evidence-based climate research to inform their work on the Hill. Rebecca received a B.A. in environmental studies (social science emphasis) and political science from St. Olaf College in 2019.
Kirsten Overdahl ‘15, Environmental Health Researcher
Kirsten E. Overdahl, Ph.D. is a mass spectrometrist and environmental health researcher dedicated to exploring emerging environmental contaminants and their health implications through metabolomics and exposomics. She currently serves as a Chemist and as Trans-NIH Metabolomics Coordinator in the Metabolomics Core Facility at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), where she collaborates with researchers throughout the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to design, carry out, and analyze untargeted metabolomics experiments. Her current independent research interests center around best practices for untargeted analysis data interpretability and, more specifically, for identification of previously uncharacterized chemicals. Kirsten also serves as the Chemist for NIEHS Division of Translational Toxicology’s (DTT) Emerging Contaminants and Issues of Concern (ECIC) Program Management Team (PMT), where she is responsible for recommending and reviewing priority contaminants of concern for toxicological studies. She is a member of American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS), Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), and Best Practices for Non-Targeted Analysis (BP4NTA). Kirsten currently serves on the Executive Board of Triangle-Area Mass Spectrometry (TAMS) and is a member of NIEHS DIR’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) working group. She holds degrees from St. Olaf College (B.A., Chemistry w/ Environmental Studies Concentration, 2015) and Duke University (Ph.D., Environmental Toxicology, 2021).
Julie Johnson ‘19, Senior Community Organizer
Julie Johnson is the Senior Community Organizer at Move Minnesota, a non-profit organization in Saint Paul that leads the movement for an equitable and sustainable transportation system that puts people first. Before coming to Move Minnesota, Julie organized in Arizona, South Carolina, and Iowa around protecting the National Wildlife Refuge and promoting clean energy legislation. She also worked with MN350’s Communications team during the 2020 election season. She is a Green Corps graduate, a member of the Climate Advocacy Lab’s Fall 2023 Training for Impact Cohort, and holds a B.A. in Psychology and Environmental Studies from St. Olaf College.
Elizabeth Turner ‘06, Architect & Certified Passive House Consultant
Elizabeth is an architect with a passion for finding synergies to create thriving, equitable communities that depend less on the purchase of energy, saving both operational costs and carbon emissions. She founded Precipitate in 2017 to explore emerging methods of holistically integrated design at the intersection of architecture, research, and education. She is a Certified Passive House Consultant through the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) and teaches the capstone project class for the Sustainability Studies minor at the University of Minnesota, connecting students in support of communities. Elizabeth volunteers extensively with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Minnesota, advocating for public policy with a focus on equity and inclusion toward truly sustainable communities for all. She is co-chair of the AIA Minnesota Government Affairs Committee, on the Leadership Team for the Culture Change Initiative, and a member of the AIA Minnesota Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Committee on the Environment. Elizabeth is a 2020 recipient of the Energy News Network’s 40 under 40 recognizing her leadership in the transition to a clean energy economy.
Mya Nwe ’12, Development Manager at NDC Partnership
Mya is the Development Manager with the NDC Partnership Support Unit where she manages a growing portfolio of grants, which funds the Partnership and enables our support to countries to achieve the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this role, her responsibilities include cultivating relationships with key development partners and working closely with the Support Unit’s leadership to fundraise and ensure transparent reporting to expand program impact and visibility. Previously, Mya worked at WWF-US and was part of the team that led the start-up of a new country office in Myanmar, where she provided strategic support and insights that guided program development. She also helped manage large conservation projects implemented in the Mekong region. Mya holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment with a certificate in International Development Policy. She received her B.A. in Environmental Studies from St. Olaf College.