Tom Baird
Retired attorney
Tom Baird (b. 1951), is a retired attorney and labor relations consultant specializing in labor relations and civil rights litigation. He lives with his wife Ellen in Elk Rapids, Michigan. They love to hunt, fish, hike, golf, bike, ski, snowshoe and camp, especially in Michigan’s North Country.
Tom started fly fishing in the late 1970’s, after graduating from law school. He quickly adopted the Au Sable River as his home water. Rusty Gates drafted him shortly after the Anglers were organized, in order to provide legal support for
keeping catch and release regulations on the Holy Waters. That lead to a seat on the board and new projects …
… including matters involving the National Guard, the Lake St. Helens dam, the Kolke Creek case, mineral leases and fracking in the headwaters, the Grayling Fish Hatchery, and expansion of northern Michigan into a major military area.
In addition to the Anglers, Tom was chairman of the Michigan Hydro Relicensing Coalition (dealing with federal licensing and regulation of hydro dams on Michigan’s rivers), served on the board of FLOW (For Love of Water, and is a Trustee on the board of the Hal and Jean Glassen Memorial Foundation (a family foundation whose purposes include conservation of Michigan’s natural resources). Tom was also a member and chair of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission.
Lynn E. Broaddus
President of Broadview Collaborative, Inc
Lynn Broaddus, president of Broadview Collaborative, Inc., serves as a strategic advisor and facilitator for private sector, nonprofit and philanthropic clients throughout North America, and is known for bringing new ways of thinking to the crucial water and climate challenges of our day. She is recognized for advancing concepts of distributed water infrastructure, for her 2019 report “Opportunities in Distributed Water Infrastructure” and for her leadership of “Charting New Waters,” a six-year dialogue convened by …
… The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, bringing hundreds of leaders to address U.S. water sustainability and resiliency.
Earlier in her career Lynn held leadership roles with Milwaukee Riverkeeper®, The Nature Conservancy and NatureServe. She earned her Ph.D. from Duke University, her M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and her bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia.
Locally, Lynn is Vice Chair of the board of Friends of the Mississippi River. She is also a past board member/board president of the Water Environment Federation, River Network, River Alliance of Wisconsin, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and a former non-resident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution. In 2023 Lynn was awarded recognition as a WEF Fellow. Lynn is a native Virginian who has lived in Minneapolis since 2017.
Elysha Davila
Policy and strategic communications
For nearly two decades, Elysha has led strategic communications for causes ranging from LGBTQ rights to sustainable development. As a senior vice president at Wonder for Good, she works with changemakers to develop messaging and narrative change strategies, taking on some of the most complex communications challenges of today.
These have included: supporting the Colorado Health…
… Foundation to develop evidence-based messaging strategies for equitable COVID-19 vaccine uptake; partnering with the David & Lucile Packard Foundation to create a more inclusive ocean conservation movement; building capacity for hundreds of immigrant rights advocates to win the immigration narrative; leading audience research to promote a nationwide guaranteed income; collaborating with leading climate scientists to advance inclusive dialogue around research into slowing climate change tipping points.
Prior to joining Wonder, Elysha served as head of communications for Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), leading a team across Brazil, India, the UK, and the US. There, she supported marketing and development for the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance – a catalytic investment accelerator that leveraged philanthropic, government, and private capital. In its first five years, this accelerator mobilized over two billion dollars for climate action in emerging economies. She also led public affairs for economic analysis that played a key role in the lead-up to the Paris Climate Agreement, as well as for work that has influenced clean energy and environmental conservation narratives globally.
Elysha has a B.S. in Social Policy and Education from Northwestern University. She lives with her family in northern Michigan where she is active in her local community. Since 2018, she has served on the board of her municipal electric utility, Traverse City Light & Power, leading the utility to take on the most ambitious renewable energy portfolio goal in Michigan – a goal it is well on its way to achieving..
Thomas P. Healy Jr., J.D.
Environmental lawyer
Tom Healy brings over four decades of environmental law and policy experience to FLOW’s advisory council. Before his retirement in 2018, Tom served as the Deputy General Counsel for the American Medical Association and for many years has provided pro bono legal services to organizations fighting to protect the Great Lakes, the region and its inhabitants. During his 19 years at the AMA, Tom helped devise partnerships and collaborations across the health care arena to improve pre-diabetes and hypertension awareness, attack health care disparities, and help physicians better serve their patients. Prior to his work with the AMA, he held associate and partner positions at law firms based in Chicago, where he concentrated on environmental law, antitrust litigation, commercial disputes and other civil litigation. Tom and wife Gia enjoy all manner of paddle sports on the rivers and lakes of Michigan and Wisconsin; and exploring nature with their young grandchildren.
Jason LaTurner
Nonprofit technical support
Jason has 20 years of experience providing technical assistance, evaluation, and research support to states, districts, schools and non-profit organizations. He provides support and training to clients on how to build logic models, use state longitudinal data systems, develop efficient data collection tools, analyze data, and present results. He particularly enjoys supporting organizations going through change by providing tools and consultation to both staff and leaders. He has a PhD in Sociology, has two dogs, and lives with his wife in Green Bay, Wi.
Curtis Ogden
Senior Associate with Interaction Institute for Social Change
Curtis Ogden is a Senior Associate with Interaction Institute for Social Change (IISC), where he has worked since 2005. He has extensive experience supporting multi-interest-holder networks and complex intra-organizational change efforts, with a focus on transforming food, public health, education, and economic development systems at various levels. He writes regularly about networks and social change on IISC’s blog and NetworkWeaver.com. Curtis also serves on the advisory board of Beautiful Ventures, a member of the Research Alliance for Regenerative Economics (RARE) and The Transformations Community. Curtis lives in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts with his wife, three daughters, and a flock of laying hens.
Peter Welles
Nonprofit organization consultant, private investor
Peter Welles is a private investor and active nonprofit organization volunteer. His personal mission is to strengthen environmental organization boards, and their ability to secure the resources necessary for their success.
He has 75 “board years” (1 board/1 year), with 15 of those years in leadership positions as President or Chair, with conservation and environmental nonprofits. The organizations range from local groups to national institutions, serving …
… missions in the United States, Argentina, and Canada. In addition, he’s served on the boards of educational organizations, and is currently on a grantmaking foundation’s board.
Mr. Welles is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and participated in Harvard University’s Initiative for Social Enterprise “Governing for Nonprofit Excellence” cohorts in 1999 and 2015.
He lives in Ann Arbor, MI.
