The 2026 Hoosier Resilience Heroes include professionals, students, and volunteers dedicated to climate policy, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and more. Read about the heroes and their contributions to Indiana communities and the state.
2026 Hoosier Resilience Heroes
Indra Frank
former Director of Environmental Health and Water Policy, Hoosier Environmental Council
INDIANAPOLIS—A Johns Hopkins-educated physician specialized first in pathology and then in environmental health, Indra Frank spent more than twenty years in Indiana making the case that medical expertise belongs in the statehouse, the community meeting, and the regulatory record. As environmental health and water policy director for the Hoosier Environmental Council, Frank built statewide coalitions and authored technical arguments that defended Indiana wetlands from legislative dismantling. Along the way, she served on the Indiana Lead Coalition—working to reduce childhood lead poisoning—scrutinized coal ash cleanup plans, assisted the launch of HEC's first-ever environmental justice initiative, and taught environmental health and toxicology at IU Fairbanks School of Public Health. At home and at church, she was involved in native plant gardening. She retired from HEC in 2024 but continues to advise on coal ash policy, bringing the same rigor to her work that she once applied in the pathology lab.
Halee Griffey
Climate and Resilience Manager, City of Lafayette
LAFAYETTE—As the first municipal climate and resilience practitioner for the cities of Lafayette and West Lafayette, Halee Griffey approaches her role in public service by prioritizing listening, collaboration, and practical implementation. Through stewardship of the Greater Lafayette Climate Action plan, which covers multiple jurisdictions in Tippecanoe County, she meets communities where they are while advancing solutions that are both ambitious and achievable. Griffey’s leadership has spurred Lafayette to make it easier for residents and businesses to install rooftop solar energy and to update regulations and planning that support electric vehicle adoption. In the past, Griffey aided in the formation of a solar co-op to make solar and electric vehicle charging affordable for more than 60 residents in Tippecanoe and Montgomery counties. By fostering collaboration between cities, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and community members, Griffey has honed a regional approach to climate action that serves as a model for other parts of the state.
Bryce Gustafson
Program Organizer, Citizens Action Coalition
INDIANAPOLIS—As an organizer with the Citizens Action Coalition, Bryce Gustafson has spent the past two years helping concerned Hoosiers across the state understand the health and environmental implications of proposed hyperscale data centers for communities. Working with more than 40 communities, Gustafson has equipped residents with evidence-based information, facilitated dialogue with developers, and strengthened public participation in local decision-making. These efforts have played a role in helping communities win major concessions from data center developers, including more than a dozen withdrawn proposals in the face of organized community opposition. With nearly two decades of experience canvassing and campaigning alongside Hoosiers on environmental and consumer issues, including renewable energy policy, energy efficiency, and utility rates, Gustafson is a committed public advocate. In his work to build a healthier, safer, and more equitable Indiana, he strives to build common ground among Hoosiers from all walks of life and political persuasions.
Thomas Hill
GIS Coordinator, City of Richmond
RICHMOND—Thomas Hill is the GIS coordinator for the City of Richmond and past-chair of the city’s environmental sustainability commission. A creative thinker, Hill applies his technical expertise to drive collaborative community action on climate issues with the support of local business owners, city employees, academics, and other environmentalists. Through the management of geospatial data, Hill has provided critical visual data to strengthen environmental grant proposals, trail navigation, and city tree planning efforts. This data has helped secure support from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Office of Rural Affairs. In total, Hill has helped the city secure $159,789 in funding for community and urban forestry projects and $200,000 for urban green infrastructure and governance initiatives. Hill also serves on the board of the Cope Environmental Center, supporting environmental education and land stewardship initiatives connecting regional conservation efforts with community engagement. In addition, he helps educate students, community organizations, and city departments about local environmental vulnerabilities and opportunities.
Ellen Ketterson
Founding Director, Environmental Resilience Institute
BLOOMINGTON—As the founding director of the IU Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI), Ketterson established a transdisciplinary hub to advance solutions to pressing environmental challenges in the state. Launched as part of the Prepared for Environmental Change Grand Challenge, a five-year IU research investment announced in 2017, ERI connects IU faculty and students to Indiana communities, businesses, and nonprofits pursuing sustainability and resilience goals. Ketterson and colleagues conceived of ERI to help Hoosiers prepare for the effects of extreme weather and environmental change. Under her leadership, the institute created new tools for Midwest communities to assess their vulnerabilities to climate change, spearheaded collaborations in environmental reporting, K-12 science education, and workforce development, and hired faculty and research fellows with expertise spanning the natural sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities. A distinguished evolutionary biologist, Ketterson has inspired hundreds of students to deepen their understanding of how species interact with their environment, with the goal of conserving biodiversity while supporting resilient ecosystems and healthy people.
Chris Kline
Development Manager, Doral Renewables
CULVER— As a development manager for Doral Renewables, Chris Kline supports the company’s agrivoltaics commitment in Indiana and across the company's portfolio, demonstrating how agricultural and solar energy can serve as complementary land uses for the benefit of landowners and rural communities. He previously directed sustainability projects and advised C-suite leadership on corporate sustainability planning for Cardno and Stantec (formerly JFNew). At JFNew, he oversaw natural area restoration projects across the Midwest. As an educator at Culver Academies, Kline developed the school's sustainability curriculum, renewable energy program, and Green Revolving Fund, and led the creation of its first campus sustainability plan. Earlier in his career, he served as professional staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, organizing more than 20 oversight hearings on energy, the environment, and nuclear issues. Kline advises the Marshall County Recycle Depot’s citizen advisory committee and has served in multiple capacities with the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund.
Ray McCormick
Farmer, McCormick Farms
VINCENNES—Ray McCormick has farmed the White River bottoms of Knox County for decades and transformed thousands of acres of Indiana bottomland into a nationally recognized model for no-till and cover crop conservation agriculture to minimize erosion and build up the soil. To support biodiversity and wildlife, he has restored hundreds of acres of wetlands and bottomland forests on his property. In 1987, McCormick actively supported establishing the Pakota River National Wildlife Refuge, a collection of wildlife refuges and habitats situated along the Patoka River in southwest Indiana. Later, McCormick provided the founding vision for the Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area, dedicated in 2010 as one of Indiana's largest wetland preserves at more than 9,000 acres. Since then, Goose Pond has become a vital stopover for migratory birds, such as the sandhill and whooping cranes. A Life Trustee of The Nature Conservancy, McCormick recently founded the Wabash Busseron Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to conservation within the 11,500-acre Wabash Busseron Bottoms in northern Knox County.
Nancy Moldenhauer
Council member, Michigan City Common Council
MICHIGAN CITY—Co-founder, former chair, and current city council liaison of the Michigan City Sustainability Commission, Nancy Moldenhauer encourages environmentalists to run for public office to influence local regulations and state and federal laws. She decided to “walk the talk” in 2023 by running for and being elected to the Michigan City Common Council. During her first year on the council, Moldenhauer sponsored an ordinance revision recognizing native plants and pollinator gardens as alternatives to traditional flowers and turf grass. Previously, she helped Michigan City secure funding for electric vehicle chargers, facilitated the city's SolSmart designation as a solar-ready community, and partnered with the local NAACP chapter to create a job training program for solar assistants, installers, and designers. Co-founder and longtime coordinator of Northwest Indiana Green Drinks, Moldenhauer educates others on regional environmental challenges and mentors neighboring communities starting sustainability commissions or advisory groups. She has served on Save the Dunes’ board of directors for ten years, most recently as president.
Theri Niemier
Farming Education Specialist, Good Shepherd Montessori School
SOUTH BEND—For more than 25 years, Theri Niemier has partnered with local schools on her farm and the urban farm in downtown South Bend as an outdoor classroom to teach youth and adults about the ecological benefits of regenerative agriculture. Through hands‑on lessons in permaculture, soil health, and sustainable food production, she helps students understand how agriculture can help or hinder efforts to address climate change and has inspired many to practice earth stewardship in their own lives. Her teaching style invites people to get their hands in the soil and see for themselves how thoughtful land use can create resilient ecosystems and abundant, healthy food. Named the 2019 Conservation Educator of the Year in St. Joseph County, Niemier has played a key role in educating a generation of consumers on the environmental impacts of agriculture. Her core belief that a healthy planet leads to healthy people runs through her work, inspiring community members to adopt sustainable habits and contribute to a more resilient local food system.
Christopher Norrick
Program Associate, Solar United Neighbors
EVANSVILLE—Christopher Norrick grew up in the heart of Indiana's coal country, experiencing its harms first-hand. As a program associate with Solar United Neighbors (SUN), Norrick works to promote southwest Indiana's transition to clean, affordable energy to alleviate those harms. He is a consistent presence at community events, town halls, and local government meetings, translating complex climate and energy issues in ways that resonate with everyday Hoosiers. Norrick regularly helps people understand the benefits of reducing dependency on fossil fuels and practical steps they can take. He speaks on topics such as community solar, the economic benefits of renewable energy, and the long-term savings tied to energy efficiency, while also dispelling misinformation and clarifying complex utility policies and rate structures. Norrick distributes resources, hosts teach-ins, and collaborates with local organizations to build broader climate literacy. In addition, he helps lead the grassroots Direct Action Against CenterPoint Energy (DAACE), organizing residents and meeting with utility leadership to advocate for affordable electricity rates and expanded solar access.
Tatjana Rebelle
Director of Engagement, Earth Charter Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS—As the director of engagement at Earth Charter Indiana (ECI), Tatjana Rebelle has brought climate education to thousands of students across the state. Through the Indiana Thriving Schools & Students Program, Rebelle has secured over $500,000 to implement nearly 600 student-led sustainability projects in K-12 schools since 2019. Projects span school gardens, outdoor classrooms, and zero-waste cafeterias, impacting more than 300,000 students. Rebelle has also been a key figure in the development and implementation of ECI’s summer camps, where they have empowered youth voices and taught students about environmental stewardship. As a social justice advocate, they have served as a member of the Indianapolis Food Access Advisory Committee and regularly speak about the interconnectedness of food and climate change. In their activism, Rebelle emphasizes indigenous solidarity at the local level and identifies as an “angelic troublemaker.” They serve as an inspiring example of how to weave activism, creativity, and justice to build momentum for positive change.
Andy Tuholski
Director, IU Kokomo Office of Sustainability
KOKOMO—Andy Tuholski is the director of the Office of Sustainability and an assistant professor of political science at Indiana University Kokomo. Through his work, Tuholski turns sustainability objectives into measurable outcomes for students, campus, and community partners via student-led initiatives and environmental education, including the Green Horizons and Environmental Literacy initiatives. His work advances resilience through tree-canopy expansion, habitat restoration, invasive species removal, and support for pollinators and birds. In the classroom, Tuholski brings climate governance to life through environmental policy simulations that help students make decisions under pressure. He also mentors emerging leaders as faculty advisor for the student sustainability council, guiding undergraduates as they organize restoration and community engagement events. A trained Climate Reality Leader, Tuholski also brings statewide experience as former Indiana Director for the Alliance for Climate Protection.
