* Board of Directors *
Amar Duggirala
Dr. Duggirala is a board-certified Family Physician practicing in Poolesville, Maryland since 2006 and has been owner/solo physician at Poolesville Family Practice since 2008. He earned a Bachelors of Science degree in International Environmental Studies from Rutgers University, his medical degree from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, and holds a Masters degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. He has done research and instructing with the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins Medical Schools. Also, he served as chief resident at Georgetown University in the Department of Family Medicine. He is also actively involved in Medicare Accountable Care Organizations, serving as a medical director and member of several committees. Dr. Duggirala grew up all over the world, living on four continents by the time he was 8 and has called Maryland home since 1992. He also has a passion for electric vehicles and environmental & social advocacy. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and playing with his two sons.
Dan Savino
— Vice President
Dan Savino is a resident of Poolesville. He has been the Environmental Physics teacher in the Global Ecology Magnet Program at Poolesville High School since 2006. He was recognized for excellence in teaching environmental concepts with the James B. Coulter Award and has formal training with CBF, NOAA and MAEOE. Dan has worked closely with Montgomery County Beekeepers Association, Historic Medley District, Sugarloaf Citizens Association, and The Maryland-National Capital Park And Planning Commission to coordinate service projects and field studies for his students. Dan is an EV enthusiast and completed a conversion of a 1976 AMC Pacer into a fully electric car that he drives daily. He is also an organic beekeeper and keeps hives in and around Poolesville. Dan and his wife Kathy have also converted their residence into a green home including many efficiency upgrades, solar power, and waste management techniques. In addition to the above activities, Dan enjoys mountain biking, hiking, skiing, community service, and anything that allows him to spend time with his wife, 2 children, and dogs.
Jeff “JD” Taylor
— Director of Program Events, Webmaster, Treasurer
(email: )
An Information Technology Manager with extensive experience in running many successful projects. Jeff “JD” has more than 17 years with Lockheed Martin, supporting and leading large and small IT efforts. A former U of MD Police Officer, Emergency First Responder Instructor, Pistol Range Safety Officer, and Scuba Dive Master. JD has a wide variety of other interests including Home Automation, Drone Helicopters, Science, Science Fiction, and Space Exploration. JD is a writer, photographer, videographer, and member of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA). He is the owner and operator of USA in Space, a Washington, D.C. area-based space interest website, and the webmaster for Poolesville.Green. JD owned a Ford Fusion Energi, a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), and is hooked on Electric Vehicles. His home has solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling. He organized and coordinated the highly successful National Drive Electric Week for the Town of Poolesville combining it with the Poolesville Day event for the past few years. He has helped and participated in several EV car events around the MD/VA/DC area. One goal met. Now, the proud owner of a Tesla Model X!
Rachel Epperly
President of Maid Brigade, Rachel has been in the service industry for 28 years primarily in the home and office cleaning. The cleaning industry has come a long way to improve green cleaning products and supplies to ensure more healthy indoor environments. Rachel’s passion is improved living quality, recycling, plastic reduction, and sustainable living. Now with Joyce’s encouragement, she just bought her first plug-in hybrid and loves it!
Joyce Breiner, CC-P®
— Executive Director, Co-Founder
(email: )
Joyce Breiner co-founded Poolesville Green in 2010 and has held the Executive Director position since 2012. She is a Climate Change Professional (CC-P®) as certified by the Association of Climate Change Officers and the State of Maryland along with being a Climate Reality Leadership trained speaker on Climate Change. She is a member of Poolesville MD’s Sustainability Committee, a part of the Sustainable Maryland Certified program. In ‘walking the talk’, sustainability starts at home with enough solar panels for a 100% net-zero electricity household and electric cars for daily transportation. She is well versed in the causes and impacts of climate change and what actions can be taken to mitigate one’s carbon footprint including residential alternatives in energy, transportation, and home improvements.
Joyce is a graduate of the Leadership Montgomery program, a retired FAA Air Traffic Controller, and holds a Bachelor in Professional Aeronautics Degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She is a licensed Private Pilot and aircraft owner and has been active in community and education.
Karen Lefkowitz
— Member of the Board
(email: )
Ms. Lefkowitz, CEO of Sunset Energy, has over three decades of experience as an executive in the energy and technology industries and has recently worked on community and customer impacts of renewable energy, including the recyclability of solar panels. While working at Pepco Holdings, Inc (PHI), a subsidiary of Exelon, she was responsible for the development of the Utility of Future strategies, priorities, and plans. She also led initiatives to improve the integration of distributed renewable energy and electric vehicle charging infrastructure and was responsible for the enterprise-wide strategic vision for PHI to implement business processes and technologies designed to help customers better manage their energy use and costs, improve reliability, customer service and support environmentally friendly programs. Previously, Ms. Lefkowitz was responsible for the daily System Operations of the electric system and for the mass deployment of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (Smart Meters) and enabling distribution automation throughout the PHI service territory.
She also led the Security Steering Committee, PHI’s primary vehicle for achieving internal alignment, setting policy, and planning in the cybersecurity arena. As such, she was charged with maintaining and implementing a corporate-wide risk management program that identified, evaluated, and reported on information technology security risks and met acceptable levels of risk for the enterprise
Ms. Lefkowitz has served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Strathmore Hall Foundation, and on the Board of Directors of the Gridwise Alliance and Woolly Mammoth Theater Company.
Ms. Lefkowitz holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from George Washington University and a master’s degree in business administration from Marymount University.
Doug Boucher
— Member of the Board
(email: )
Doug Boucher retired from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), where he had been Director of its Tropical Forests and Climate Initiative as well as Director of Climate Research and Analysis, in October 2018. Doug has a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Michigan (1979) and a B.A. in ecology and history from Yale University (1971). He came to UCS from Hood College where he was a professor of biology for more than a decade; prior to that, he served as the Washington Office Director of Representative Bernie Sanders (I-VT), directed the Western Hemisphere Cooperation Program at the AAAS, and taught at the University of Quebec and McGill University. He has published about 100 articles in scientific journals and books, particularly on ecology, climate, and natural resource issues. He continues to be active in research, focusing on climate change, forest succession, and issues of land use and agriculture.
Christina Nanof
— Member of the Board
(email: )
As a resident of, and an advocate for, the Agricultural Reserve of Montgomery County, Christina Nanof’s passion is for sustainability as it applies to agriculture, as well as everyday life. She has a backyard homestead with an array of mostly-rescued farm animals, vegetable and pollinator gardens, and is both a Certified Wildlife Habitat and Monarch Waystop. Christina is a founding member of the Common Ground Farmers Market, the Ag Reserve’s only farmers market that focuses on access to local, sustainably-produced produce, meat, cheeses, and flowers. In addition to her promotion of environmentally-responsible farming and living, she is a Poolesville Day Planning Committee, Friday on the Commons Committee, Poolesville Area Senior Center, and WUMCO volunteer as well as a Poolesville Area Chamber of Commerce member. In her spare time, you can find her outdoors running along the river or hiking with her two young sons, husband, and dogs.
* Volunteer Staff *
Hisaho Blair — Education Lead
Bio coming soon…
* Emeritus Board Directors *
Lee Erickson
Denise Graybill-Donohoe
Gustavo Gilardi
Julie Halstead
Valery Nelson
Heidi Rosvold-Brenholtz
Erin Speck
Garth Seely
John Sparrow
Timothy Whitehouse
Past Student Board Members:
Erika Blair, Michael Payne, Jirah Villajuan, Liam McCue, Fiona McCue