Staff

Executive Director, Kathleen Logan Smith: Kathleen joined the Coalition as Executive Director in August 2006. Her professional background is in journalism, communications, community organizing, development, and management of nonprofit organizations. She long has been an environmental activist and organizer. She began canvassing in college working with embattled communities and rural residents fighting polluters on issues like toxic waste, medical waste, Superfund, factory farms, and nuclear fuel facilities. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Oklahoma State University and moved to St. Louis in 1995. As an organizer with the Medical Waste Incinerator Group, she helped to build a grassroots, community-based organization. This effort resulted in passage of a St. Louis City ordinance that ended medical waste incineration in St. Louis. Kathleen helped found Health & Environmental Justice-St. Louis (HEJ), an organization working to end childhood lead poisoning in St. Louis and she continues to serve on HEJ's board.


Director of Research, Dan Sherburne: Since joining the Coalition in 2003, Dan has focused upon researching public lands and water quality issues as Director of Research. Dan comes to the Coalition with a background in sociocultural anthropology (B.A. from Portland State University in his native Oregon and M.A. from Washington University in St. Louis) and considerable experience in social and environmental research. The latter included doctoral research into the social and cultural dynamics produced in a resource-dependent locality through public participation in national forest planning.


Energy Policy and Outreach Coordinator, Erin Noble: Erin joined the Coalition in 2005 as Director of Outreach and Development. In 2007, she was named the Energy Policy and Outreach Coordinator. Erin graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in public policy. Prior to the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Erin worked for the Fund for Public Interest Research. She also worked as the fundraising chairman for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life on Duke’s campus.


Office Administrator, Brian DeSmet: Brian manages the Coalition's membership database and financial records. In addition to office management experience, Brian brings a background in writing and copy editing and web expertise to the Coalition, so look for changes to the web site in the future. Brian is also learning media production skills through classes at KDHX and aims to find a way to use them to further the Coalition's mission.