The most important human resources in the Great Lakes Town Hall project are our visitors, people like you. We exist to provide a forum for people who are concerned about the future of the Great Lakes.

These Town Hall "staffers" are working to make sure your experience is positive and that you'll be inspired to share your thoughts and ideas on a regular basis:

Dave Dempsey, Town Hall Co-Moderator
Dave also serves as Great Lakes Policy Advisor for Clean Water Action and as a policy consultant to the Michigan Environmental Council. He served as environmental advisor to Michigan Governor James J. Blanchard from 1983-89. President Clinton appointed him to serve on the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in 1994, where he served until 2001. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm appointed him to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board in November 2003. Now a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, Dave was born and spent most of his first 47 years in Michigan. He is the author of two published books on the environment: Ruin and Recovery: Michigan’s Rise as a Conservation Leader, and On the Brink: The Great Lakes in the 21st Century. Dave has authored a biography of Republican William G. Milliken, Michigan’s longest-serving governor and a champion of the environment, which the University of Michigan Press will publish in 2006.

Dave has a bachelor of arts degree from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in resource development from Michigan State University, and has served as an adjunct instructor at MSU in environmental policy. He enjoys the outdoors as a hiker, birdwatcher, summertime swimmer and in-Great Lakes basin tourist; he has special affection for the Great Lakes shoreline, including sand dunes, and the great forests of the upper Great Lakes region.

Gary Wilson, Town Hall Co-Moderator
Gary Wilson is a life-long resident of the Great Lakes region having lived in Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago. His professional career consisted of working over 30 years for United Airlines in a number of management positions. Gary retired early from United in 2002 to join his wife's consulting firm where he continues to work today.

He has spent the last six years volunteering on Great Lakes issues and counts among his accomplishments his support of environmental leaders in their work to pass the Great Lakes Legacy Act. He also chaired a volunteer task force that focused on Great Lakes issues. Gary continues to support Great Lakes restoration efforts and enjoys writing about the people and issues of the Lakes.

Gary lives in Oak Park, Illinois with his wife Diane Grimard Wilson, who is an executive coach and author.

Brenna Wanous, Town Hall Manager

Brenna Wanous has been working as the Town Hall manager since the fall of 2007, and prior to that served as a student intern at the Biodiversity Project since January 2007. In addition to working on the Town Hall, she is a student, a waitress at Perkins, and a part-time employee for Wisconsin Homegrown Lunches.

Brenna a senior at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and will graduate in May 2008 with degrees in International Studies, Environmental Studies, and Environmental Geography. After graduation, she plans on either staying in Madison and working in the environmental community, pursing a teaching degree, or going into the Peace Corps.

She enjoys being a student at Madison, gardening, exploring an array of Madisonian restaurants, spending time with her niece, and understanding the inner-workings of botany and horticulture.