STAFF
Mary S. Booth, PhD
Director
An ecosystem scientist by training, Mary received her doctoral degree in Ecology at Utah State University, focusing on biogeochemistry and plant ecophysiology. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Ecosystems Center of the Woods Hole Biological Laboratory and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Mary’s approach to advocacy was formed at Environmental Working Group, where she served as a Senior Scientist working on water quality. She currently directs PFPI’s science and advocacy work on greenhouse gas, air pollutant, and forest impacts of biomass energy and has provided science and policy support to hundreds of activists, researchers, and policy makers across the US and EU.
David Mildrexler, PhD
US Director of Science and Policy
David is an ecologist with over 20 years of experience in applied ecological research and efforts to advance science-based policies in U.S. Public Lands management. His research interests include ecosystem climate interactions, particularly forest carbon and water cycles; climate change resilience, intact forest landscapes, and large-scale conservation efforts. David works with a diverse group of scientific, conservation, Land Trust, Tribal, and Agency partners. He is a 2015 Wilburforce Fellow in Conservation Science and a 2022 AGU Voices for Science advocate. He holds an M.S. in Forest Science from The University of Montana, and a PhD in Forest Ecosystems and Society from Oregon State University.
Suzanne Theberge
Associate Director
Suzanne is a public health professional with over 20 years of experience in nonprofit project planning and management, with a focus on pediatric and women’s health. She currently supports PFPI with administration, organizational infrastructure, and grants management. Previously, Suzanne worked on federal and state policy programs focused on improving access to care and services. She holds an MPH from the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Sam L. Davis, PhD
Staff Scientist
Sam is a first-generation college graduate and ecologist with deep interests in forests, climate, and equitable science communications. Sam comes to PFPI after nearly eight years of leading work on bioenergy, environmental justice, and forest and climate issues at Dogwood Alliance. Sam received a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Wright State University specializing in forest floor ecology, invasive species, and climate change. Sam is based in Dayton, Ohio, and on weekends, you’ll find them enjoying long-distance cycling, art and graphic design, writing, coding, and dog sports.
Katy Eiseman
Program Manager
Kathryn Eiseman focuses on Massachusetts regulatory policy for PFPI. Eiseman has served as a consultant for a variety of organizations including the Hilltown Land Trust and the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, and she led the formation of the Pipe Line Awareness Network for the Northeast when the region was threatened by a proposed major high pressure natural gas pipeline. Eiseman holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.S. in Environmental Science from UMass, Amherst.
James McCaffrey
New England Legislative Director
Jay leads PFPI’s activities in the MA legislature to remove biomass from the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard and the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard. He also monitors legislative activities and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative across the New England states. Prior to joining PFPI, McCaffrey was Chapter Director of the MA Sierra Club, where he was involved in the campaign to press the Patrick Administration to regulate carbon emissions from biomass power plants.
Laura Haight
Policy Advisor
Laura Haight was previously PFPI’s US Policy Director and now serves as an advisor on US policy. Prior to joining PFPI, she had worked extensively on environmental, energy, and health care policy, helping to enact dozens of state and local laws to promote clean energy, reduce pesticide use, increase recycling, prevent pollution, and clean up toxic waste. Laura’s experience in policy analysis, campaign coordination and communications has been instrumental to PFPI’s US work over the last several years.
KEY EU AND UK CONSULTANTS
Zoltan Kun
Forest and Conservation Advisor
Zoltan is a specialist in forest conservation whose work focuses on sustainable forest management, forest protection, climate change and protected area planning and management. He got his MSc degree as landscape architect at Corvinus University specializing in landscape planning and protection and a master’s degree in soil sciences and climate change at Pannon University. Zoltan is a member of IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas and Commission on Ecosystem Management, a member of the IUCN’s Primary Forest Task Team and the Rewilding Task Force. He is a research fellow of the Wildland Research Institute and works with Griffith University and Woods Hole Research Centre investigating the role of temperate and boreal forests in climate change mitigation.
Tom Chambers
EU Policy Analyst
An ecologist by training, Tom focuses on EU forest policy. Prior to joining the PFPI team, Tom worked on EU forests issues with BirdLife International and WWF, focusing on criteria for biodiversity-positive forestry, protection of primary and old-growth forests, landscape-level approaches to forest fire, and forests for climate mitigation. Following his degree in Ecology (Sheffield, UK), and a Masters in Environmental Impact Assessment (East Anglia, UK), Tom worked with local and regional governments on aligning policies with nature. Tom has also lectured in sustainability and nature conservation at the University of the West of England.
Markus Lehnshack
EU Legal Researcher
Markus is a lawyer specializing in the EU legal framework governing the use of woody biomass. After graduating from the University of Potsdam, Germany, he began working on legal and policy issues related to climate change, renewable energy, and sustainability. He has particular expertise in the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), sustainability criteria for biomass, and climate litigation, with a focus on the intersection of climate law, energy regulation, and environmental protection.
