Beth Cundiff brings a diverse background in both non-profit and for-profit industries to her role at Green Umbrella. Most recently, she served as Grants Manager for Junior Achievement of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky. With a passion for creating compelling narratives for impactful projects, she has secured funding for initiatives that drive positive change in our community. Prior to entering the non-profit sector, Beth had over 10 years of experience in financial services at Fidelity Investments and Key Bank. A graduate of Wittenberg University, Beth has degrees in Business Administration and English Literature. A native of Cincinnati, she enjoys volunteering for local environmental initiatives such as river sweeps for The Little Miami Conservancy, native plant propagation, monarch butterfly tagging, and endangered insect reintroduction at Fernald Preserve. Beth is also an avid hiker and enjoys paddleboarding, bird watching, and camping. Beth is committed to fostering partnerships that protect and preserve our natural resources, ecosystems, and biodiversity.

Michael Lee has a diverse and extensive background in finance and management across various sectors and regions, including Canada, the Caribbean and the USA. His finance expertise spans accounting, capital markets (debt and equity financing), venture investments and structured derivatives products. In his management role, he’s successfully developed and executed strategic initiatives in sectors as diverse as consumer Internet, telecommunications and retail. Michael holds a math and physics undergrad degree from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, cooking, working on DIY projects, reading/listening to fantasy/science fiction books, and learning new things. He’s about to start learning coding as a side project.

Dr. Hopfensperger is an ecosystem ecologist, and currently a Professor at Northern Kentucky University and serves as the Environmental Science Program Director. Her research is centered on relationships between community dynamics and ecosystem processes in response to human disturbances. Hopfensperger works with undergraduate students and community partners to conduct research on topics including water quality, green infrastructure, greenhouse gas flux and invasive species. At NKU, she works to guide students through the wonderful world of science by leading interactive classes, mentoring ecological research experiences, and demonstrating active community engagement. Kristy received her Ph.D. in environmental science from the University of Maryland. She is excited to spend her 2023-2024 sabbatical with Green Umbrella to co-design and launch the Climate Research Incubator.

Claire is an environmental conservationist with over 7 years of experience in the field. From research on macroalgae as a tool for carbon sequestration in Sanibel, Florida to conducting boots-on-the-ground environmental restoration work as an AmeriCorps member in fields and oak savannahs of Iowa, she’s always sought to enhance and protect the outdoor spaces that we love. Most recently she was the Northeast Iowa Watershed Planning Coordinator for Conservation Districts of Iowa where she led over 20 counties through a strategic 5-Year Soil and Water Resource Conservation Planning process. Claire holds a B.S. in Geoscience from the University of Iowa and recently moved to Northern Kentucky. Her “out-of-office” hobbies include meandering through woodlands, reading, cooking, writing, and traveling. Her favorite pastime, however, is spending a few nights a year curled up in her sleeping bag on the shores of Lake Superior.

After completing a degree in English and Creative Writing from the Ohio State University, Nobi pursued a path of entrepreneurship as a barber and owner. Through this work, Nobi gained a deep understanding that community is built on authentic connection, servant leadership and trust. As a queer, BIPOC first-generation immigrant, Nobi wanted to use their lived experiences and intersections in identity to help further climate and environmental initiatives throughout the region, particularly from the focus of equity, representation, narrative activism, grassroots organizing and community engagement. In their free time, Nobi enjoys hiking, practicing martial arts and playing their electric guitar.

Wyatt King is an experienced policy professional and entrepreneur in the areas of clean energy, green buildings, and natural resources management. He has co-founded several “green” businesses, worked as a policy aide to members of the U.S. Congress, and consulted to international corporations and NGOs engaged in energy and environmental projects around the world. He has also staffed political campaigns to pass renewable energy initiatives and elect pro-environment public officials. He believes the key to enduring social change lies in building vibrant communities around shared interests. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife and two boys.

Cynthia is set on transforming the educational system through experiential learning, outdoor education, and by establishing policies focused on improving the health and wellness of school children. After two decades as a public school teacher and fifteen years managing school-garden programs on a local and national level, Cynthia has joined the Green Umbrella staff as the Green Schoolyards Coordinator. Over the years, Cynthia has cultivated relationships with community partners and provided professional development to produce a collaborative model in connecting children to nature. Cynthia continues to work with organizations and institutions to create experiential-based curriculum and guide policies to ensure the longevity of initiatives emphasizing the whole child. Cynthia aims to incorporate student voices in the process of transforming schoolyards where young people are empowered to be the stewards of social and environmental justice within their communities.

Chris is an orchardist, facilitator, and educator. After studying Permaculture Design with experts across North America he now teaches at the University of Cincinnati. Core to that teaching craft is a practice; as the cofounder of one of the largest agroforestry operations in Ohio, the Southern Ohio Chestnut Company, and the Director of the Common Orchard Project, Chris creates containers for mutual medicine between human and plant communities.

Bamidele Emmanuel Osamika holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko (Nigeria), a Master of Science in Psychology from the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) and a Master of Environmental Science from the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, Miami University Oxford, Ohio. He has worked as a faculty member at the department of Psychology, Lead City University Ibadan, Nigeria, served as a graduate researcher at Miami University Oxford Ohio, worked for Standard Textile Company as corporate social responsibility intern, and served as youth leader and environmental educator for Groundwork Ohio River Valley. He has published over 20 peer reviewed articles around mental health, quality of life, wellbeing, sustainability and climate justice. Bamidele is strongly committed to his vision to search for and impact knowledge, promote wellbeing, and make the world a better place. In his free time, Bamidele enjoys reading and playing tennis.

Krystal has been a leader in the non-profit sector for over 10 years, with many of those years at Gorman Heritage Farm directing the education department. A Cincinnati native with a degree in environmental studies, she is passionate about being influential in Cincinnati’s sustainable and resilient future. She has fun bicycling on the city’s fantastic trail network, as well as enjoying delicious and nutritious local food, together with her husband, two children, and their dog, Molly.

Viviana Saldarriaga was born and raised in Lima, Peru. After surviving hardships, her mother made the difficult decision to move to the U.S. when Viviana was 7 years old. Through the years, she visited Lima often. As she grew older, she became more dissatisfied with the lack of resources to make her birth country green. Her life experiences inspired Viviana to pursue a creative career and wants to tell stories that inspire communities to make a difference. Viviana holds an Associates degree in Web and Media Design and is currently working on her BA in Visual Communication Design. Viviana is passionate about creative design and using her near decade of design experience to help Green Umbrella make Cincinnati a greener community.

Kelly St. Charles is a marketing and social media specialist with over a decade of experience in event planning, communications, and creative writing. She’s a fervent supporter of green initiatives and especially loves farmers’ markets, local businesses, and dog parks. A Cincinnati native for over 30 years, she is passionate about helping the Queen City thrive. She studied Spanish and Theatre at Miami University and spends her free time performing improvisational theatre, writing plays, and stalking bakeries.