The UAA is a volunteer-run organization led by the UAA Board of Directors.
We currently have four committees (Webinars, Communications, Regional Networks, and Mentorship) in addition to our Executive Team (President, Vice President, and Treasurer).
Hogan Dwyer, President
2018 Honorable Mention
Originally from New Jersey, Hogan graduated from St. Lawrence University in 2019 with a degree in Environmental Studies & Philosophy. He recently finished a multi-year stint at Sustainable Jersey, a small nonprofit in which he helped municipalities and school districts to develop local clean energy policies and projects. Besides working on climate change, Hogan loves biking and trail running, making epic salads, hosting a philosophy book club, and traveling all around the U.S.
Sadie Blancaflor, Vice President
2021 Udall Scholar (Environment)
Sadie is the current Program Director for Arctic Encounter and serves as an adjunct professor of environmental law at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is passionate about climate change adaptation, supporting youth activism efforts, and sustainable food sourcing. Sadie currently serves on the board for the Arctic Youth Network and as the youngest member of the Advisory Board for Arctic Circle. In her spare time, Sadie loves playing the mellophone and reading the Serious Eats recipe blog like it’s a full-time job.
Sunny Sheldon, Treasurer
2020 Udall Scholar (Environment)
Sunny has an Environmental Sustainability degree from Central College in Pella, Iowa. She now lives and works in Denver, Colorado, as a social media consultant for a variety of clients and runs nonprofit fundraising events for the literacy nonprofit, Burning Through Pages. She also makes art part-time and loves working with string, jewelry, and wood! If not making art or working, you can find her either skiing, watching a movie, cooking, or going on a skate.
Katherine Marie Kulik, Webinars Committee Director
2014 Honorable Mention
Katherine is from the greater Boston area and graduated from Harvard College in 2015 with a degree in History and Science & Earth and Planetary Sciences. She now lives in Arlington, Virginia, where she enjoys DC’s rooftop and restaurant scene, biking along the Potomac, and working as a trivia host by night. By day, Katherine works in the energy sector as an analyst / Head of Talent for a firm analyzing electricity markets. She loves getting involved with environmental related projects and in her free time has been involved with the Environmental and Data Governance Initiative and a project researching the feasibility of a CCA power option in Virginia.
Claire Wayner, Communications Committee Director
2020 Udall Scholar (Environment)
Claire earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering with a focus on sustainable energy at Princeton University in 2022. She now works at RMI, an environmental nonprofit, where she researches clean energy-enabling policies and regulations. Outside of work, she enjoys rock climbing, skiing, birding, hiking, camping, and backpacking.
Cara Thuringer, Regional Networks Committee Co-Director
2014 Udall Scholar (Environment)
Cara is the Resource Hub Manager for the Chisholm Legacy Project, where she works with communities to identify resources for advancing a just transition. Cara holds a M.S. in Environment and Sustainability from the University of Michigan, and bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Studies and Photography from Montana State University. She’s passionate about climate justice, tenant rights, and labor organizing. In her free time, Cara likes to ski, rock climb, and hike with her dog.
James Wang, Regional Networks Committee Co-Director
2018 Udall Scholar (Environment)
James grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and received his degree in Electrical Engineering and Environmental Science from Santa Clara University in 2019. He received a 2019-2020 Fulbright fellowship to study and conduct research in France on hybrid supercapacitors and high temperature superconducting magnets for energy storage and permanent magnetic levitation. He currently works to improve the implementation of mini-grid deployment internationally by enabling an end-to-end platform for planning, procurement, financing, and monitoring. In his spare time, he can be found in D.C. giving bike and segway tours, attending book clubs, swimming, traveling, and searching for good food.
Kate Foral, Mentorship Committee Co-Director
2021 Udall Scholar (Environment)
After completing her MPH in Environmental Health at the University of Georgia, Kate moved to Canyonlands National Park in Utah to begin her career with the National Park Service. She is currently working at Mammoth Cave National Park, where she spends her days underground looking at bats, cave crickets, and salamanders. Her favorite activities include caving/climbing/canyoneering, thrifting, and going to farmers’ markets.
Kendra Held, Mentorship Committee Co-Director
2021 Udall Scholar (Environment)
Kendra was born and raised in Minnesota and completed her bachelor’s degree in Geography and Environmental Studies at Gustavus Adolphus College in 2022. One of her favorite recent experiences was studying abroad in Sweden, with the opportunity to visit seven other countries on the weekends. She recently moved to Telluride, Colorado, where she currently serves as an AmeriCorps VISTA Climate Action Fellow for EcoAction Partners, a sustainability nonprofit that facilitates climate action planning for San Miguel and Ouray Counties in addition to energy and zero-waste programming. She also works part-time at a restaurant and is learning to bartend. In her spare time, she loves to ski, swim, go for walks, practice yoga, read, cook and have long, insightful conversations.
Jonnie Bray, Board Member
2021 Udall Scholar (Tribal Policy)
Jonnie is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation. She recently graduated from Washington State University with a B.S. in Economics, Policy & Law and a B.A. in Social Sciences (Political Science, History, and English) as well as a minor in Philosophy. Presently, she is providing education at Washington State University related to the intersection of indigenous peoples & their relationships to agriculture and “natural resources.”
Nolan Monaghan, Board Member
2021 Udall Scholar (Environment)
Nolan completed his bachelor’s degree in Horticulture and Global Resource Systems at Iowa State University. He has completed internships in China, Italy, and Germany and has worked on development projects with partners in Kenya and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He is currently based at the University of Missouri studying the agroecological interactions of perennial polycultural cropping systems.