The mission of the Maine Environmental Policy Institute (MEPI) is to help Mainers understand the importance of healthy ecosystems to their families and communities. The Institute, an independent nonprofit organization based in Hallowell, Maine, is dedicated to researching environmental challenges facing the state and reporting this research to policy makers and the public. MEPI has received the Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence and the Sierra Club's Environmental Media Award.
MEPI projects include:
William Sugg is the director of the Institute. Will has worked in conservation field work, research, and policy since 1986, for the Smithsonian Institution, The Peregrine Fund, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Forest Ecology Network. Will is past editor of The Green Disk, a computerized encyclopedia of contemporary environmental issues. He has a zoology degree from North Carolina State University, and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University.
Susie O’Keeffe holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Eckerd College and recently received a Master of Science (with distinction) in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University. Prior to receiving her Master degree, Susie served as the European Representative for the Resource Renewal Institute, and worked for the San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners. She is currently coordinating the (Maine Farmlink) program.
Matt Scease graduated magna cum laude from Bowdoin College in 1993. Since then he has worked as an organizer and writer for environmental groups in Maine, including the Sierra Club, Forest Ecology Network and the Maine Greens. Matt has also written for the Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener and Downeast magazine. He serves on the Maine Advisory Board of the Toxics Action Center and works for the Friends of Casco Bay. Matt is a native of Augusta. He and his wife, Maureen Drouin, live in Hallowell.
Paul Donahue is an artist, naturalist, and ornithologist whose home base is Machias, Maine. He also spends time in Central and South America, where he leads birding trips and constructs rainforest canopy walkways. Paul is also editor of The Maine Woods newspaper, and has spent time in California, working to protect the California redwoods with renowned activist Julia Hill.
Michael Herz is President of the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association and past Chair of Friends of the Earth-U.S. Before moving to Maine, Mike founded San Francisco BayKeeper. He has served as Executive Vice President of the National Oceanic Society, and as a member of the Alaska Oil Spill Commission. He has degrees from Reed College (BA), S.F. State University (MA) and the University of So. Calif.(Ph.D.). He has published numerous books and papers on the effects of toxins on the nervous system and behavior.
Mitch Lansky is a forest policy expert living in Wytopitlock, Maine. He is author of Beyond the Beauty Strip: Saving What’s Left of Our Forests. His current book, published by MEPI, is entitled Low Impact Forestry: Forestry as if the Future Mattered.
Russell Libby is Executive Director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). An economist, he was formerly Research Director at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Resources.
Sharon Tisher has a B.A. Harvard 1973, J.D. Harvard Law School 1977. She teaches environmental law and honors courses at the University of Maine. She is past president and a member of the Board of Directors of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and chairs MOFGA's Public Policy Committee.