Our Team
Executive Director
Working with the CCCDC Advisory Board and Coalition partners, Jeff leads us in our mission to effectively educate and take action on climate change.
He states, “I am thrilled to be here, leading us in our, working with our forward-seeking partners. Our Coalition is uniquely suited to lead specific necessary local actions to address our most urgent global problem. Warming temperatures will affect our flora and fauna, as well as our human lives, progressively over our lifetime, and we must take smart and specific actions now to adapt, to add resiliency, and to continue to thrive. I look forward to doing everything I can to contribute to the mission and improve our culture and understanding relating to climate change and climate resiliency. I feel increasingly inspired by what the Climate Change Coalition and its partnering businesses and non-profit organizations are doing to educate and respond and take specific, science-based, and meaningful actions.”
He serves on the Ridges Sanctuary Board of Directors and is active with Destination Door County and its sustainability initiatives, Ephraim & Baileys Harbor Green Tier. He is owner of Boreal Preserve in Baileys Harbor, where he is creating an environmentally focused development with small workforce homes. He received a mechanical engineering degree from Northwestern University in 2002 and worked on nuclear reactor design, testing, and training supporting the U.S. Navy through 2015.
Please reach out to him to connect and build upon our climate-related educational programming and our tree planting and composting initiatives. You can contact him at jeff@lnrp.org or 920-217-4304.
Jeff Lutsey
Communications Manager
Jess Reinke
Together with Jeff, Kalli, and the CCCDC Advisory Board, her charge is to raise awareness, engage the community, and advocate for climate action.
Her experience with climate action locally stems from her work at the Village of Egg Harbor to launch their Green Tier Legacy Community commitment. She continues to work closely with the Village and led the transition of the Village’s green site to begin collecting food scraps and in turn a county wide initiative.
When asked why she was interested in joining the team she said, “Climate change isn't just a global issue; it's a something that directly affects our beautiful lake and the Door County peninsula. Our actions today determine whether tomorrow's Door County is a story of resilience or loss, reminding us that all small actions add up and to become big ones. One of the most important things is to engage and enlighten your community and I’m excited to do that through my work at the Climate Change Coalition."
With a diverse background spanning from event management to digital marketing, Jess is a seasoned professional dedicated to creative projects and community engagement. Prior to her starting her own marketing and communications business, she served as the event director and property manager at the Donald and Carol Kress Pavilion, where she played a pivotal role in launching and managing the community building, fostering over 700 community events including the annual Every Day is Earth Day Festival.
You can contact her at jess@lnrp.org or 715-252-3879.
Operations Manager
Kalli joins the Climate Change Coalition team with a passion for community connection and environmental action. Working alongside Jeff, Jess, and the CCCDC Advisory Board, she supports outreach and program initiatives that bring people together to learn, act, and build climate resilience around Door County.
“I am excited to join CCCDC because I am passionate about protecting the environment we live in,” she shares. “I grew up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, which rooted a deep love for nature and the Great Lakes. When I moved to Door County, I attended a Climate Change Coalition potluck and was immediately inspired by the work Jeff, Jess, and so many volunteers were doing. I’ve always been someone who thrives on human interaction, and I look forward to deepening my connection with this community, both through climate action and everyday conversations.”
Kalli earned her B.S. in Political Science from UW–Stevens Point, with minors in Sustainable Energy and Women’s and Gender Studies. During her studies, she worked with multiple nonprofits on environmental initiatives ranging from energy reduction and clean water advocacy to expanding voting rights. Her recent work has focused on climate communications, local policy, and community outreach, including managing social media campaigns for environmental organizations and hosting community educational sessions.
You can reach Kalli at kalli@climatechangedoorcounty or 218-590-3337.
Kalli Mikkonen
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board is comprised of concerned volunteers willing to execute CCCDC’s mission through programs, events, outreach, and media.
Mary Smythe, Co-Chair
Environmental activist
Carl Giessel
Retired from financial sales
Dave Laluzerne
Herbal pharmacist
Betsy Rogers
Retired writer and editor
Roy Thilly, Co-Chair
Retired CEO WPPI Energy and co-chair Governor Doyle’s Global Warming Task Force
Andrew Goldsworthy
Social entrepreneur and communications consultant
Chuck Lauter
Retired Dean, Lawrence University
Mike Schneider
Retired Executive Director, The Clearing
Deneen Wiske
Writer, consultant, facilitator and public speaker and Executive Director at Threshold
Dr. Anthony A. Gatenby
Former Technical Director and Senior Research Fellow in biotechnology and life sciences
Liz Hansen Warner
Founder & Director at School Culture and Climate Initiative
Katie Krouse
Executive Director, Ridges Sanctuary
Tom McKenzie
Director, Björklunden, Lawrence University
Dick Smythe
Retired USDA Forest Service Director, Forest Environmental Research
Our Work
We lead collective community efforts to help ensure a climate-resilient Door County. This includes climate action, climate education and climate resilience.