Jim
I called Deborah Williams this evening and we had a nice chat.
It turns out we have mutual acquaintance in Judge H. Russell Holland, the senior Federal Judge who handled the EXXON Valdez case. Russ and I were room mates as undergrads in Ann Arbor...he went on to Law school and I to Engineering School...and with our wives, have remained good friends all these years.
Deborah has argued before Russ, and of course is quite close to the on going battle to get a settlement out of EXXON. IT has been 19 years, and they still have not settled!
I offered to help with the logistics and arrangements here in Charleston.
In addition, and at her suggestion, we are exploring a joint presentation that tunes into West Virginia and the opportunities that renewable energy offers to deal with and reverse global warming. She asked if I would give her some background and explore how we can tailor her talk to West Virginia.
Who is going to coordinate this tour? I can arrange things here in Charleston and try to get her with some of the policy makers, including the governor, but they may be hard to reach as they really don't want to hear about it.
Allan ----- Original Message ----- From: James Kotconmailto:jkotcon@wvu.edu To: ec@osenergy.orgmailto:ec@osenergy.org Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 7:28 PM Subject: [EC] Fwd: FW: Global warming expert from Alaska to be in WV
I got a call from these folks. They have funding to do a speaking tour in WV April 10-15, and would appreciate some help with local arrangements. I suspect we could easily host them in Huntington, Charleston, Fairmont, Morgantown, and perhaps at Shepherdstown or somewhere in the Eastern Panhandle. They would also like to do editorial board visits, meet with local congressional staff, etc. We have often done quite well with talks on Alaska, so perhaps this might be an easy way to promote a global warming agenda with popular programs. Would anyone else be interested in serving as a local arrangements person?
JBK
P.S. I already gave away some of your names and e-mail addresses, so look forward to hearing from them.
_____
From: Margaret Manousoff [mailto:margaret@alaskaconservationsolutions.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 4:18 PM To: 'cjkotcon@wvu.edu'mailto:'cjkotcon@wvu.edu' Subject: Global warming expert to be in WV
Dear Jim:
I am writing to alert you to a FREE educational speaking tour (funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) being conducted in West Virginia from April 10th-15th by Deborah Williams, President of Alaska Conservation Solutions.
Ms. Williams is Alaska's foremost spokesperson on global warming. (Her bio is below.) She would be honored to give a free presentation on the topic to West Virginia University Students, the Sierra Club, and interested guests.
Her talk addresses the alarming consequences already evident in Alaska and the commonalities between our state and yours (i.e. impacts on wildlife, water quality, recreation, tourism, etc.) She offers practical carbon-reducing strategies that not only reduce emissions but also protect human health, save money and increase America's energy independence. Deborah is a highly intelligent and articulate speaker, and I believe that a meeting between your group and her would be mutually educational and inspiring.
For further information about Alaska Conservation Solutions and Ms. Williams, please visit our website at <http://www.alaskaconservationsolutions.com/http://www.alaskaconservationsolutions.com/> www.alaskaconservationsolutions.comhttp://www.alaskaconservationsolutions.com/ .
Because Ms. Williams' speaking calendar fills up quickly, I would appreciate a response as to the feasibility of a presentation to your group at your earliest convenience.
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards,
Margaret
Margaret Manousoff
Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator
Alaska Conservation Solutions 308 G St., Suite 219 Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: (907) 929-9370 Fax: (907) 929-1562 <http://www.alaskaconservationsolutions.comhttp://www.alaskaconservationsolutions.com/> http://www.alaskaconservationsolutions.comhttp://www.alaskaconservationsolutions.com/
Deborah L. Williams, President Ms. Williams has been actively involved in conservation and sustainable community for over 35 years, and is now focusing on global warming.
She received her B.A. from Pomona College, summa cum laude, with a concentration in Biology and Economics. Subsequently she was graduated from Harvard Law School, with honors, and was the principal founder of and co-editor-in-chief of the Harvard Environmental Law Review <http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/elr/http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/elr/> <http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/elr/http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/elr/> . After serving in the Department of Interior's Solicitors Honors Program in Washington D.C., Ms. Williams represented the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska. Between 1981 and 1994, Ms. Williams was the Executive Director of the Alaska Consumer Advocacy Program and of the Alaska Lung Association, while serving on many boards and commissions, including Trustees for Alaska (president of the board) and the Municipal Health Commission (chair of the Environmental Health Committee.)
In 1994, Ms. Williams received a Presidential appointment and became the Special Assistant to the Secretary of Interior for Alaska, in which position she advised the Secretary about managing over 220 million acres of national lands in Alaska and working with Alaska tribes and others associated with the Department's broad natural and cultural resource jurisdiction. She also was a Trustee on the Exxon Valdez Trustee Council and other boards. For over six years, Ms. Williams served as the Executive Director of the Alaska Conservation Foundation, winning many awards in that role. Currently Ms. Williams is President of Alaska Conservation Solutions, an organization devoted primarily to addressing global warming. Ms. Williams has published numerous law review and other articles, has been featured repeatedly in the media (including 60 Minutes, the New York Times and the BBC), and has taught graduate-level courses at both the University of Alaska and Alaska Pacific University.
Deborah greatly enjoys backpacking, skiing, gardening, traveling, and serving on boards and in service organizations such as Rotary and the American Land Conservancy.
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