Lisa Wozniak
Co-host of 1st Friday Focus on the EnvironmentLisa Wozniak is Executive Director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.
I love Michigan because people who have never been here don't believe that it could possibly be this beautiful or that that Lakes could be so vast. I love Michigan because once you've been here and experienced the sugar-sand beaches and sand dunes, the forests, the rocky shores of Lake Superior and the incredible beauty of the Keewenaw Peninsula, the endless and perfect expanse of Lake Michigan while the sun is setting, you wonder why you've ever been anywhere else. And, I love Michigan because I always believed, as a kid growing up in the Mediterranean, that all seas were salty. Not this one.
Lisa comes to the Michigan League of Conservation Voters with a long history in both the environmental and political worlds. Between 1996 and 2005, Lisa served as the Great Lakes Regional Director for the nationalLeague of Conservation Voters, overseeing programs and projects in Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin, with an enormous focus on keeping the Great Lakes Congressional caucus in check. Prior to that, Lisa cut her teeth on Lana Pollack's1994 heart-wrenching U.S. Senate campaign and on Alma Wheeler Smith's successful campaign for state Senate. Bitten by the political bug, Lisa was destined to deal with Michigan's current political challenges, which includes the world of term limits, reapportionment, and a bi-partisan log-jam.
Lisa is adept at working with a broad array of people and organizations and brings a strategic vantage point to almost any discussion. Although she may deny her expertise (and the years behind her), Lisa is thought of as a key leader within the conservation community in Michigan. With degrees in French and History of Art, Education and Social Work--all from the University of Michigan--Lisa's strong interdisciplinary background clearly influences Michigan LCV's approach to problem solving, collaborative campaigns, and political change.
Many may consider Lisa an extravert, but a deep, dark secret is that Lisa recharges by being alone! Give her a good book, time to tend to the garden or do yoga, a run with her dog, and Lisa is good to go.... peaceful, calm, measured, attentive. And, meshed between the politics and the garden is Lisa's beautiful family: husband Kenny, hip young sons Zachariah and Benjamin, and lovely dog, Santosha.
Lisa serves on the board of a number of local, state and national organizations, including the Advisory Board of Growing Hope, the fundraising committee of Friends of the Rutherford Pool, and the boards of the Michigan Environmental Council and the national League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.
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Among the agencies being hit by federal funding cuts, changes in administration priorities and employee buyouts is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory is in Ann Arbor, and some changes have already taken place. Deborah Lee who, up until her recent retirement, served as director of the lab. She discussed the changes with WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak. -
The Trump Administration has been slashing government in a variety of areas, including the Environmental Protection Agency. Region 5 of the EPA covers the Great Lakes area and includes Washtenaw County. The layoffs have the potential to impact the agency’s ability to steward the environment around the world’s largest body of fresh water. And the impact on public health could be significant. Loreen Targos is Executive Vice President of the American Federation of Government Employees-Local 704, which represents about 1,000 EPA workers. She spoke with WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak about employee cuts and the implications. -
Energy costs are a significant problem for many in our community, and utility bills are going up everywhere. In this month's installment of “1st Friday Focus on the Environment”, we look at the issue of energy equity with Dr. Tony Reames. He is Director of the Detroit Sustainability Clinic at the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability. Dr. Reames joined WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak with an assessment of where we are on energy equity and where we're headed. -
For the past year-and-a-half, Ann Arbor's David Uhlmann has been working for the Environmental Protection Agency on compliance and accountability issues. Progress has been made. With the new administration, Uhlmann will move out of his position. WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak take a look back and ahead with Uhlmann as we transition into the new year and new leadership. -
When the newly elected are sworn into office in January, the Michigan House of Representatives will have Republicans in the majority. The GOP took back control of the House in November while Democrats retain control of the Senate and Governor’s office. The Democratic Caucus has chosen State Representative Ranjeev Puri to serve as House Minority Leader in the new session. In the meantime, there is a lame duck session to finish up. WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak were joined by Representative Puri to look at environmental policy and governance. -
On Tuesday, November 5th, voting concludes, and decisions will be made about our elected leadership. Locally, there are a number of ballot issues to be decided as well. In Ann Arbor, one of the ballot questions is whether to create a publicly-owned Sustainable Energy Utility. It would be an opt-in, renewable energy source to further move the city towards it's carbon neutrality goals. Ann Arbor director of Sustainability and Innovations, Missy Stults, joined WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak, for a review of the proposal and its implications for the future. -
The Army Corps of Engineers wants to ship toxic waste from New York to a facility in western Wayne County. It comes from the World War II-era Manhattan Project and has low levels of radioactivity. While the shipment issue winds through the court system, measures are being taken in Lansing. State Representative Reggie Miller is a Democrat from Van Buren Township. where Wayne Disposal is located and where the shipments are scheduled to arrive. She has introduced a bill that would ban all out-of-state waste shipments and discusses it with WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak. -
The Biden Administration has taken steps to address the environmental problems posed by PFAS contamination. The U.S. Supreme Court recently made a ruling overturning the "Chevron Doctrine," and it has environmentalists alarmed. The implications on PFAS regulation and clean-up are already being felt and could have implications right here in Michigan. That's the topic WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak chose for the September edition of "1st Friday Focus on the Environment." Their guest is among those concerned about the ramifications. John Reeder is Vice President of Federal Affairs with the Environmental Working Group. -
Most of you have probably seen pictures of the vast amount of garbage and plastics found in the world’s oceans. There are also dangerous pollutants you can’t see, and they are found all through the Great Lakes' ecosystem. WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak dive into the problem of microplastics with Haley Dalian, the Great Lakes Regional Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program. -
Governor Gretchen Whitmer wants to provide big tax incentives to lure new data centers to the state. These centers can be the size of several football fields and are a huge drain on electricity and water supplies. While it may create some new jobs, many say it won't create enough and will negatively impact the state's climate goals. WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak, talked it over with Michigan Climate Action Network executive director, Dr. Denise Keele.
