Board of Directors
The People Behind Earth Day

KEN BERLIN, Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP - Environmental Matters

Ken Berlin heads the firm's East Coast and international environmental practice. Mr. Berlin has been involved in a wide range of environmental issues since 1979, when he was section chief in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mr. Berlin has an extensive background in environmental litigation, including representing parties in environmental cleanup issues, in criminal and civil penalty cases, in appeals of administrative decisions, and in arguing cases in federal appeals court. Mr. Berlin has acted as national environmental counsel in the bankruptcies of Owens Corning, IT Group, Inc., US Airways Group, Inc. and Kmart Corporation, and represented National Steel Corporation and Sterling Chemicals, Inc. in resolving environmental issues in their bankruptcies.

PETER BROSS, MD

Peter Bross is a graduate of the University of Virginia College and School of Medicine, and is currently a clinical team leader for cancer therapeutics in the Office of Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapy, United States Food and Drug Administration. He has been active in conservation for many years. While in California, he taught snow camping and river kayaking for the Sierra Club and was an active volunteer for Friends of the River, and the Tuolumne River Preservation Trust, contributing to successful efforts to add to the California Wild & Scenic River system. As a volunteer for San Francisco-based Environmental Traveling Companions, he took handicapped and disadvantaged kids on sea kayaking and river trips. Dr Bross served as a volunteer physician for the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic in San Francisco and for the Himalaya Rescue Association in Nepal.

Since returning to Washington DC Dr. Bross has become active in a number of conservation organizations, including Environmental Law Institute, Potomac Conservancy, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, American Whitewater, American Rivers, Monocacy Canoe Club, Canoe Cruisers Association, Bethesda Center for Excellence (a whitewater racing club), Anacostia Watershed Society, Friends of the Cheat and Friends of the Gauley River. Dr Bross is on the Board of Potomac Riverkeeper, an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Potomac River and its tributaries, from its headwaters in West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay, through citizen action, education, advocacy and enforcement.

MICHAEL CROOKE, President & CEO Revolution LLC

Michael Crooke is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Patagonia, Inc., and Patagonia's parent company, Lost Arrow Corporation. Patagonia, a designer and distributor of technical outdoor clothing, is widely known for its commitment to product quality and environmental responsibility.

Mr. Crooke served five years on the board of the Conservation Alliance, the outdoor industry's environmental grant-giving organization, including one year as board president. He continues to champion responsibility for business enterprises worldwide, specifically the successful integration of environmental activism, social integrity, and healthy financial performance.

Mr. Crooke holds a bachelor's degree in Forestry and an MBA from Humboldt State University. In addition, he served as a Navy SEAL with Underwater Team 12 (UDT12) for four years after successfully graduating from BUDS training (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) in the 1970's.

JOHN PETERSON MYERS, CEO and Chief Scientist of Environmental Health Sciences

John Peterson Myers is a member has been the CEO and chief scientist of Environmental Health Sciences for Environmental Health News for the past five years. Before becoming a CEO, Dr. Myers was the director for the W. Alton Jones Foundation, helping to fund hundreds of environmental groups. He made his way up to senior vice president of science and sanctuaries at the National Audubon Society in New York after holding the position of assistant professor in the department of biology at the University of Pennsylvania since 1987.

From 1981 to 1987 he was the assistant curator of Ornithology while also taking on the role of director for visual resources for Ornithology at the academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He started his progression doing research at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University for three years. Throughout the years he has been a board member of many foundations such as the National Environmental Trust, Public Education Center, Science Communication Network and the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation. He received his Ph D. in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley.

GERALD TORRES, Vice Provost at University of Texas - Austin

Professor Torres is currently the president of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). A leading figure in critical race theory, Prof. Torres is also an expert in agricultural and environmental law. He taught at The University of Minnesota Law School, where he also served as associate dean. Prof. Torres has served as deputy assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and as counsel to then U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

Prof. Torres is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute. Prof. Torres was honored with the 2004 Legal Service Award from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) for his work to advance the legal rights of Latinos. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard and Stanford law schools.

JENTAI YANG, President US-China Association for Environmental Education

Jentai Yang is President of the US-China Association for Environmental Education (UCAFEE), which is a 501(c)(3) organization that partner with the Global Village of Beijing (GVB).  As a freelance environmental activist, he works closely with Chinese officials, environmental NGOs, academic and institutions in China. With his close association with GVB, he brought together the Chinese and American environmental professionals in promoting public awareness through training and media outreach. He introduced the American experience to China for resource conservation and environmental protection and vice versa. He serves as advisory board member to many Chinese and American organizations and technical advisor to many local Chinese environmental bureaus. 

Dr. Yang retired from the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2004 after 28 years of Federal service. He has a diversified working experience in industry, university, local and Federal government. Prior to his retirement, he was senior Program Director for US/China (including Taiwan) bilateral environmental cooperation. In that capacity, he was widely recognized as an expert on Chinaâ?Ts environmental issues and a close friend who bridged US and China together for a better environment. Prior to his joining EPA, he served as Chief of Operations in charge of State of Maryland environmental enforcement and technical assistance programs.

Dr. Yang was born in China and received most of his early education in Taiwan. He earned a BS degree in Civil Engineering and a M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas in 1969. He is a registered professional engineer, an accredited Environmental Chemist and a recipient of US patent. Dr. Yang resides in Columbia, Maryland with his wife and they have two grownup children living in Philadelphia and Washington DC.

Diversity Advisory Committee

Rhea Suh, Program Officer, Environment, Hewlett Foundation

Michel Gelobter, Executive Director, Redefining Progress

Vernice Miller-Travis, Environmental Justice Advocate & former Ford Foundation Program Officer

Gerald Torres, Vice Provost, University of Texas - Austin

Organizations listed for identification purposes only.