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WGA Staff Biographies
Shanna K. Brown -- Deputy Director for the Washington, D.C. office
Shanna has worked for WGA since 2003. Prior to joining WGA's staff Shanna served first as legislative assistant and then as legislative director to former U.S. Rep. Larry Combest of Texas. While on the Combest staff, Shanna was the point person for energy, natural resources, commerce, judicial, and environmental policy issues.
Before coming to Washington, Shanna served as an assistant director for the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, a regional oil and gas trade group in Midland, Texas. Shanna received her Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1991.
 Patrick Cummins -- Program Director: Climate Change and Air Quality
Pat joined WGA staff in 199? He has held environmental management positions at the federal, state, and local levels, and worked in the natural gas industry as a corporate planner. Prior to joining WGA, he was Deputy Director of Denver's Regional Air Quality Council where he helped develop the air quality plans that brought the Denver area into attainment of all federal health standards.
Pat is married to Connie and they have two children -- Caroline and Daniel. Pat has a B.S. in Chemistry from Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and an M.P.A. in Environmental Policy from Indiana University.
Linda Davis -- Financial Manager
A former ski bum, Linda joined WGA in 2003 after leaving the telecommunications industry as a financial analyst. She has served in many industries as a financial analyst while in Denver, including Oil & Gas and Agribusiness. Linda moved to Denver after completing graduate school at American University and working for the US Agency International Development. At USAID, she was an agribusiness project manager with the New Independent States Task Force, enabling her to see first hand the culture of the former Soviet Union. Prior to the Washington DC stint, Linda lived in the ski town of Vail, Colorado for two years. and .
Linda graduated from Miami University. She is married to Dan Davis and they have two daughters -- Courtney and Samantha. The family together enjoy skiing, mountain biking and anything else outdoors.
 Karen Deike -- Director of Communications
Karen oversees media relations, public outreach efforts and publications. Ms. Deike came to the Association in 1994 with a broad background in both journalism and public relations. She worked as a general assignment and consumer reporter for the Dallas Times Herald in the early seventies before moving to Washington, D.C., where she worked for six years as press secretary for U.S. Senator Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming.
In 1985 Karen worked as an assignment editor and reporter for the public broadcasting station in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Cal State-Fullerton Film Festival awarded her Best Documentary for her examination of prison reforms five years after a riot at the New Mexico State Prison that resulted in the deaths of 33 inmates. From 1985 to 1990, Ms. Deike worked for the NBC television affiliate in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a reporter and bureau chief in both Farmington and Santa Fe. While covering the New Mexico Legislature, Ms. Deike co-produced and reported a documentary about the state’s troubled workers’ compensation system, for which she won the Albuquerque Press Club’s Best Documentary in 1990.
Karen is a graduate of the University of Wyoming,
 Lee Gribovicz -- Air Quality Project Manager for the Western Regional Air Partnership
Lee Gribovicz has been with WGA since 2007, working as an Air Quality Project Manager for Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP). With the WRAP, Lee works to provide technical support and help coordinating response of the 15 Western States to Federal Regulations requiring evaluation and control of air pollution sources that cause or contribute to Regional Haze.
Lee has over 33 years experience in air quality management and control, including 29 years with the State of Wyoming Air Quality Program and the balance working as an environmental engineer in the cement and trona/soda ash industries. His educational training is a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology. He is a tennis fanatic who is still trying to perfect that driving down-the-line backhand after all these years of trying.
 Rich Halvey -- Program Director: Energy, U.S.-Mexico environmental projects
Rich came to WGA in 1996 with a broad background in air quality management and public finance. Prior to coming to WGA, he worked for nearly 20 years at the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. At the time of his departure he held the positions of Budget Director and Air Quality Planning Program Manager for the Air Quality Division.
Rich has published numerous papers and articles on various environmental, policy, and economic topics. Mr. Halvey did his undergraduate work in Economics and Geography at the University of Buffalo and his Masters work in Geography and Urban Planning at the University of Colorado. He is an avid golfer, gourmand and horse racing aficionado
 Deborah Kinsley -- Administrative Assistant
Deb manages all of WGA's meetings and travel. She has an advanced degree in worrying and, as a result, no one else on staff has to worry about anything because Deb has triple checked everything and is always one step ahead of potential problems. She is married to Bob Enaire and she is the world's greatest Aunt to a number of neices and nephews. Deb was born and raised in South Dakota.
 Toni McCammon -- Office Manager/Executive Assistant
Toni has been with WGA since its creation in 1984 (she actually runs the place by now but allows us to think we are in charge). A Denver native and lifelong, true blue, rain or shine, win or lose Denver Broncos fan. She is married to Dave and they have a grown daughter.
 Shaun McGrath -- Program Director: Water and Wildlife Corridors
Shaun has been with WGA since 1995. He was the Senior Legislative Assistant in the WGA–Washington, D.C. Office until 1998 when he transferred to the Denver Office. He is currently Program Director for Water Policy, Drought Policy, Climate Change Adaptation, and the WGA Wildlife Corridors Initiative.
Prior to coming to WGA, Shaun was a Legislative Assistant to Congressman Jim Slattery of Kansas, handling the environmental issues for the Congressman. He also served as the Executive Director of the Kansas Natural Resource Council – a non-profit environmental organization – and Trade Manager for the Kansas Department of Commerce's European Office in Stuttgart, Germany.
Shaun has a Bachelor of Arts in German and Political Science from Kansas State University and a Master's of Public Administration from the University of Kansas. He was served o the Boulder City Council since 2003 and was elected Mayor in 2007. He is married to Rebecca Heaton, who is the Editor of Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine. They are both avid mountain bikers, skiers and hikers.
 Chris McKinnon -- Program Director
Chris is a Denver native and has been with WGA since its formation in 1984. He currently manages WGA's transportation, health, education and international trade efforts. In addition to his program management responsibilities, Chris is the staff information management specialist and webmaster for WGA’s Internet web site.
He received his BA from San Diego State University in 1978 (three minor major - political science, business management, and economics) and his MPA from University of Colorado in 1984. Chris is married to Patricia McKinnon, a choreographer, dance instructor and extreme gardener.
 Tom Moore -- Program Director, Air Quality
Tom manages WGA's Air Quality Program, the Western Regional Air Partnership project. Tom has lead numerous air pollution studies and analysis projects, held management positions in state and local government and has worked as an environmental consultant.
Before joining WGA he managed air quality monitoring and analysis activities for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, where he assisted in the development and led the implementation of health and visibility monitoring networks throughout the state. Tom also worked for WESTAR, the association of state air quality agencies for 15 western states, as well as serving on national advisory groups for air quality health standards and regional haze.
Tom is married to Vicki; they have two sons, Kendall and Michael. He received a B.S. in Physical Geography from Arizona State University in Tempe.
 Kevin M. Moran --
Washington D.C. Office Director
Kevin, an attorney and former Capitol Hill legislative counsel specializing in energy and natural resources policy, is WGA's Washington D.C. Office Director. Kevin served from 1997 to 2002 as a legislative assistant and later as legislative counsel to U.S. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, focusing on energy policy; water rights; environmental policy, public land management; agricultural policy; private property rights; urban growth; transportation policy and Native American policy. Previously he worked as an attorney in Phoenix, Arizona.
Kevin served as a paratrooper in both the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve, including tours with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) and the 10th and 12th Special Forces Groups. He graduated with honors from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1990 and received his Juris Doctor in 1993 from the University of Notre Dame. He is a member of the American Legion and a founding director of the State Society of Arizona. In 1995 he served as a recorder for Arizona Town Hall. He is married with children. Kevin is a Cubs fan and swears this is their year (but he says that every year).
 Alex Schroeder -- Program Director: nuclear waste, transportation fuels and energy
Alex joined WGA in 2005 and holds a B.S. in General Engineering from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Engineering and Technology Management from the Colorado School of Mines. Prior to joiningt WGA, Alex worked for a consulting firm where he assisted in financial analyses and strategic planning for electric utilities.
Ann Walker -- Program Director: Forest Health
Ann joined WGA in 2008 and previously held the position of National Fire Plan Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Forestry in Salem. She has also worked for BLM and the Deschutes National Forest Redmond Air Center assisting with wildland fire dispatch operations and directing wildland firefighting resources around the nation. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the International Association of Wildland Fire.
Ann is the mother of one son, Cordell Walker, who lives in Hillsboro, Oregon. He is currently attending Hillsboro Aviation’s Helicopter Pilot program to become a Certified Flight Instructor. Cordell is also the only quarterback in the history of South Wasco County High School in Maupin, Oregon to throw a touchdown pass in a state championship football game (but she’s not bragging).
Madeleine West -- Program Associate: Energy
Madeleine works on energy issues for WGA, primarily the Western Renewable Energy Zones (WREZ) project. Prior to starting at WGA in 2008, Madeleine lobbied in the Colorado State Legislature, and before moving to Denver in 2007 lived and worked in Washington, D.C. In D.C., Madeleine facilitated consensus building and stakeholder dialogues at RESOLVE, Inc. and handled legislative issues in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Oceans, Environment and Science; through which she was fortunate enough to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina for the 10th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Madeleine holds a B.S. in Environmental and Natural Resource Policy from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. She is married to Steve and they both enjoy skiing, biking, hiking (and most other outdoor activities) with their Cairn Terrier, Lilly.
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