The Clean Lakes Alliance is staffed by an experienced team of professionals and volunteers who are dedicated to the preservation, protection, and improvement of our most cherished community resource — the lakes. The executive team is comprised by President Don Heilman, Vice President James Tye, and Policy & Program Director Elizabeth Katt-Reinders, all of whom have logged countless hours boating, swimming, sailing, and skiing on the Yahara chain of lakes. Together they guide the organization toward its ultimate goal: increasing public awareness around the watershed, advocating for the welfare of the lakes, and helping find the financial resources necessary to advance the Yahara CLEAN Action Plan in the Yahara River Watershed.
Donald Heilman, President
don@cleanlakesalliance.com
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT OUR AREA LAKES?
“The lakes make our community special, whether it’s swimming, skiing, or just enjoying an evening sunset cruise; my goal is that everyone will appreciate them more.”
If you’ve seen the Mad-City Water Ski Team in action any time in the last twenty years, you’ve seen Don. During that time he was either fundraising, driving a boat, serving on the board of directors—or all three. And if you’ve seen Don, you’ve heard him talk about the lakes.
“It is the goal of the Clean Lakes Alliance to engage the entire community in the effort to clean up the lakes,” he says.
A lifelong Madison-area resident and sales and marketing management executive, Don co-founded the Clean Lakes Festival in 2007 (along with Jacci Meier, who now serves on CLA’s Board of Directors) as a way to raise awareness and funding for the lakes. In 2010, he co-founded the Clean Lakes Alliance — an outgrowth of the Festival — and has served as president ever since. His duties also include co-chairing the Clean Lakes Festival, spearheading the Yahara CLEAN Strategic Action Plan, and serving on the Yahara Pride Farms Board.
James Tye, Vice President
james@cleanlakesalliance.com
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT OUR AREA LAKES?
“I love it that our communities are built around the lakes, not just physically, but culturally as well.”
James’ connection to the lakes runs deep, as he grew up swimming, waterskiing, and sailing on Lake Mendota. As a lifetime Madison resident, he has seen many changes in the Yahara lakes over the years and is very pleased to now have the opportunity to work on their behalf.
James started working for the Clean Lakes Festival in the spring of 2010 and co-founded the new Clean Lakes Alliance — along with Don Heilman — in September of the same year. He has experience working for both non-profit and for-profit businesses such as Capital Newspapers and Downtown Madison, Inc. Currently, his projects include working on strategies to implement Yahara CLEAN, marketing/promoting lake events, creating more community engagement with the watershed, and continuing his efforts to build up the CLA’s alliance of organizations, people, and businesses.
James lives on the Isthmus in downtown Madison, has deep roots in his community, and currently serves on the boards of organizations such as Overture Center for the Arts, Taliesin Preservation, Inc., and Friends of James Madison Park.
Elizabeth Katt-Reinders, Policy & Program Director
elizabeth@cleanlakesalliance.com
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT OUR AREA LAKES?
“What I love about the Yahara lakes is that they are a draw for everyone — they’re a living laboratory for scientists of every age, a beautiful and accessible place to recreate year-round, habitat for fish and water fowl, and they provide this idyllic setting for the day to day life we’re all living.”
Elizabeth joined the Clean Lakes Alliance as Policy & Program Director in May of 2013. Her focus is on the regional policies that affect the Yahara lakes, and on creating meaningful opportunities for citizen engagement, education and action that contribute to the improvement of the lakes. Elizabeth has worked extensively on environmental and water resource issues for well over a decade in both the public and private sector with experience in research, communications and outreach, advocacy, program development, and policy. She has a Masters of Science from the University of Wisconsin Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and she was a lead author and managing editor of Wisconsin’s Changing Climate, the first report of the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts.
Elizabeth grew up sailing on Lake Michigan in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and after a few years living and traveling in other parts of the country, she and her husband made Madison their home in 2003. Elizabeth is an avid canoeist and kayaker, and spends most of her free time camping and playing outside with her husband, three young sons, and two dogs. Other interests include creative writing, trail running, and piano playing.
Ted Barthell, Media & Marketing Manager
ted@cleanlakesalliance.com
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT OUR AREA LAKES?
“Sunsets. It’s quite a sight to see the sun coming down, reflecting orange in one of our beautiful lakes.”
A Wisconsin native, Ted recently graduated from the University of California-Santa Barbara with a degree in Environmental Philosophy. He has a background in video production and started working for CLA in July 2012. Ted’s most recent project involves coordinating video, marketing, and event logistics for the upcoming Yahara Lakes Community Breakfast at the 2012 North American Lakes Management Society symposium, which takes place on November 9th at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.
Ted enjoys camping, filmmaking, working out, photography, and music festivals. He lives in Lake Mills with his girlfriend, Maressa, and their two cats, Merlin and Aidan.
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Rachel Fossum, Program and Outreach Coordinator: Yahara Pride Farms
rachel@cleanlakesalliance.com
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT OUR AREA LAKES?
“The way it brings the community together. Whether it is students, retirees or children, the Madison lakes are a place that everyone can enjoy.”
As an environmental enthusiast and recent Agricultural and Applied Economics graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Rachel is excited to be working with a group of progressive farmers dedicated to improving the Yahara lakes by reducing their phosphorus footprint. Working for CLA since May of 2012, Rachel has supported the efforts of CLA and Yahara Pride Farms through the creation of newsletters, brochures and other communication pieces, designed numerous graphic design projects, performed IT support, and maintained the Yahara Pride Farms website.
Rachel enjoys biking and hiking around the lakes in Madison, painting and spending time outside in her free time.
The Internship Program at the Clean Lakes Alliance
Students from the University of Wisconsin – Madison are supporting the Clean Lakes Alliance through the internship program sponsored by Spectrum Brands. The intern team provides website management, video production, graphic design, IT support, and event and meeting logistics. Student interns gain real-world skills in Madison’s professional community and assist the Clean Lakes Alliance with their ongoing mission to clean up the Yahara lakes.
To learn more about our internship program, click here.
Alyssa Paolocci, Program and Outreach Intern
alyssa@cleanlakesalliance.com
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT OUR AREA LAKES?
“I enjoy spending summer afternoons in the many lovely lakeside parks and beaches around our community. It’s so nice to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.”
Alyssa has been working for the Clean Lakes Alliance as a Program and Outreach Intern since August 2012. She spends her time drafting emails and putting together the popular bi-weekly “Lake-O-Gram” e-newsletter. She also works closely with Vice President James Tye on a wide variety of projects, from attending meetings to managing the CLA member/donor database.
Alyssa is in her 3rd year of studying Psychology and Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Lauren Carpenter, Program and Outreach Intern
lauren@cleanlakesalliance.com
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT OUR AREA LAKES?
“Our lakes bring such a purity and happiness to my life. I have so many great memories involving the lakes and I love that I am able to help preserve them to continue the “lake-loving” tradition for many more generations to come!”
Lauren is a junior majoring in Business Marketing and Management at Edgewood College. She started working at Clean Lakes Alliance in January of 2013 and is working closely with Program Development on events such as Frozen Assets, World Water Week, and the Annual Breakfast. Lauren has helped create marketing material, sponsorship packages, websites, as well as press events and advertisements.
Lauren grew up skiing, swimming, and spending much of her childhood on and around Lake Ripley in Cambridge, Wisconsin. In addition to her studies and work at CLA, Lauren is involved in numerous clubs and on-campus organizations and activities.
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Helena Wolf, Program and Outreach Intern
helena@cleanlakesalliance.com
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT OUR AREA LAKES?
“I love being able to run along the lakes of Madison. Whether it’s December or May, the lakes are always a beautiful sight to see and a blessing to be able to run along.“
Helena is a student at UW- Madison majoring in Community and Nonprofit Leadership with a certificate in Global Health. She is passionate about individual and communal health and wellness. Helena began her internship with Clean Lakes Alliance in January of 2013. She has helped recruit volunteer for events like the Annual Breakfast and Frozen Assets Cabin Fever. Helena will be assisting in setting up meeting with new partnerships, maintain relations with previous partnerships and developing sponsorship requests for new and past partners. Helena will also assist in creating a Development and Partnership plan for 2013-2014.
Lilly Quetschke, Program and Outreach Intern
laura@cleanlakesalliance.com
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT OUR AREA LAKES?
“The lake is a place to relax, enjoy the scenery, and have fun. Whether it’s summer or winter; there are endless amounts of fun activities you can take part in.”
Lilly is going to be a senior at University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall, studying environmental geology. After, she plans to continue on in studying limnology at graduate school. Lilly is new to the CLA team, and is a program and outreach intern for the summer.
Lilly grew up on Lac LaBelle in Oconomowoc and also on Buckatabon Lake in Conover where her family owns a cottage. She enjoys competitive sailing, swimming, waterskiing, kayaking, and boating in the summer. She also enjoys beach volleyball, tennis, dancing, and spending time with friends and family, including her three cats. Lilly continued her love of water sports once moving to Madison and is a proud skier of the UW-Madison Water Ski and Wakeboard Team.
