The People Who Make It Happen

Jeneane Harter is our Chair of the Board for NCL.  She is the President of HiTech Communications, whose public agency serves a number state, local and federal agencies as well a number of corporate clients.  She provides strategic advice and direction on renewable energy policy and project planning and implementation. She lives in Reno and has served on the board since 2008.

Robert Buntjer is our Vice Chair of the Board for NCL.  He has been a Nevada resident since 1963.  He is a graduate of the Inside Wireman Apprenticeship Program; Local Union 357 IBEW, and the University of Tennessee; National Training Institute.   Presently serving as the Assistant Training Director at the Electrical JATC of Southern Nevada, he oversees the Journeyman Upgrade Training for the Electrical and Renewable Energy classes.  He has 33 years of experience in the Electrical Industry as a Journeyman Wireman, Foreman, and General Foreman working for NECA contractors in Nevada.  Robert volunteers his time serving on the American Solar Energy Society Southern Nevada Chapter Board of Directors for Solar NV, and is currently a participant on US Senator Harry Reid’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Energy.  Striving to promote Electrical Safety, he donates his time as an instructor for the Nevada FOCUS project. Of course, in his spare time he devotes his energy towards being a husband, father of 6, grandfather of 5, and an avid Sportsman.  He lives in Henderson and has served on the board since 2009.

Bob Coyle is our Treasurer of the Board for NCL.  He is the Vice President of Government Affairs for Republic Services of Southern Nevada. Bob is responsible for the franchise agreements for waste collection and recycling services for 515,000 homes and more than 21,000 businesses in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Clark County.  He began his career in the waste industry in 1969 with Waste Management, Inc.  Since then, Bob has worked in solid waste management industry in California, Illinois, Hawaii and Europe. Coyle’s experience also includes the solid waste planning and collection for the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984.  Immediately prior to joining Republic Services, he was with Waste Management, Inc. in Orange County, CA.  He has a Bachelor of Science degree in management from De Paul University in Chicago, Illinois and completed his graduate management courses at California State University in Northridge, California for an M.S. degree in Management.  Bob also serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Nevada and a member of the President's Advisory Board of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.  H lives in Las Vegas and has served on the board since 2009.

Donna Toussaint is our Secretary of the Board for NCL.  She has called Las Vegas her home for most of her life, wher she met and married her husband and raised her children here. She's seen Las Vegas grow from the small town that she experienced as a child in the Fifties, into the thriving metropolis we now enjoy. Over the past decade, her focus has turned to her community, where she has run for State Assembly, serves as a member of Member of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Citizens Review Board, is a board member of City of Las Vegas Youth Neighborhood Association Partnership Program (YNAPP), and is Co-founder of the annual Lakes Festival of Lights – a free community event for families put on by volunteers. She has also served as president of a master homeowner association with over 4,000 homes, from 1998-2007.  She graduated from the first City of Las Vegas Citizens Leadership Academy and was named Citizen of the Month by the City of Las Vegas. She has received the Certificate of Congressional Recognition for leadership for the Lakes Festival of Lights.  Donna has served on the board since 2009.

Ric Licata is the principal architect at Licata Hansen Associates Architecture in Reno.  Ric’s firm specializes in sustainable and environmentally sensitive design focusing on commercial projects, including urban planning and redevelopment.  Ric earned undergraduate degree in Architecture from Lawrence Institute of Technology (Detroit) and his Masters of Architecture from the New School of Architecture and Design (San Diego). He worked for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Research Corporation, where his work resulted in the book New Design Concepts for Energy Conserving Buildings.  He has served as President of AIA Northern Nevada and AIA Nevada and currently chairs the state’s AIA150 Blueprint for Nevada Task Force. Ric is the recipient of the AIA Nevada Silver Medal, the highest award bestowed on an architect in the State; the AIA Service Award, and is the only architect to have received the AIA Nevada Livable Communities Medal. He served on the NAAB accreditation team for The New School and Professor of Architecture in the architecture program at Truckee Meadows Community College where he has advised hundreds of students and instilled in them a passion for architecture.  Ric is active in the Reno community, having served as chair of the local food bank’s CANstruction program (2003-2006), where he remains a member of the committee. He is also a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s chancellor’s task force on green building and serves on the AIA National Board of Directors as a Regional Director for Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.  Ric lives in Reno and has served on the board since 2009.

Gene Kolkman and his wife Debra are from Wyoming.  After high school he served in the US Marine Corps for 5 years and then went on to the University of Colorado where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics.  He worked for the Bureau of Land Management for 26 years.  Gene was a manager in Wyoming, Montana, Washington DC, and Ely Nevada.  He was the manager of BLM's Ely Office from 1995-2006.  He is retired in Ely where he and Debra live with 2 dogs, 3 horses, and two burros.  He focuses his conservation efforts on issues affecting Eastern Nevada.  Gene has served on the board since 2007.

Chris Brooks has lived and worked in Nevada all his life where his family has lived for four generations.  For over two decades, Chris has worked in the electrical construction and utility sectors here in Nevada.  Chris is President of Bombard Electric's Renewable Energy Division, which has installed over 20 megawatts of Renewable Energy on over 500 projects in and around the State of Nevada. Chris works together with his father and two brothers who also have Green Jobs in Las Vegas. In addition to his work with Bombard, Chris has helped create and develop the Renewable Energy training program and curriculum for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) / National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) / Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Center of Southern Nevada (JATC), where he served as the first Photovoltaics instructor.  Chris is also on the Renewable Energy Curriculum Development Committee for the National JATC and was among the earliest solar professionals to obtain certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP).Chris is a founding member of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) Southern Nevada Chapter, SolarNV. He has been appointed to a number of task forces and committees, including Harry Reid's Blue Ribbon Panel on Clean Energy, as well as the State of Nevada's Renewable Energy and Conservation Task Force. Chris shares his solar powered home with his three children and has served on the board since 2009.

Kathleen Dickinson came to Nevada from the Washington, D.C. area in October, 1986 and immediately became involved with numerous civic and progressive organizations, as well as serving as President of the Las Vegas chapter of the League of Women Voters.  Kathleen is currently the Law Related Education Coordinator with the State Bar of Nevada.  She has been the sole proprietor of Dynamic Impressions, a handwriting analysis and life coaching business since 1988.   She moved to the Las Vegas area in November 1999. She believes in all levels and meanings of healthy environments.  She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from George Mason University, and has completed the American University Campaign Management Institute Program, as well as the Washington Representative Program at George Washington University.  Kathleen lives in Las Vegas and believes in all levels and meanings of healthy environments. Kathleen has served on our board since 2009.

Jeff Gale is a Las Vegas-based photographer and avid conservationist. As a member of the board of directors of the environmental organization Conservation International, Jeff devotes his time and talents to traveling the globe with CI, photographing the world’s most unique places. Jeff is also a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, whose mission it is to capture the images that will bring awareness to the public about not only the beauty of our shared planet, but more importantly, the degradation as well. In so doing the ILCP promotes the necessity to protect the bio diversity and great landscapes that protect and nourish all life on Earth. Jeff has traveled to such exotic locales as the Galapagos Islands, Africa, British Columbian rain forests and rarely seen areas of Russia. Before his work in conservation, Jeff owned and operated Photo Finish, the largest studio and first digital lab in the state of Nevada.

Nevada Conservation League Staff

Scot Rutledge is our Executive Director and has lived in Las Vegas since 2004.  He moved to Nevada after living most of his life in the Lone Star State.  Prior to joining the Nevada Conservation League in 2006, Scot worked as a political consultant and fundraiser on several political campaigns, including local and state legislative races in Nevada.  During his time with NCL the organization has been involved in efforts to pass important energy and climate legislation and has helped build public support for several key environmental initiatives.  Scot has a passion for bringing people together to solve complex problems with pragmatic solutions that protect our state and build lasting relationships for the organization.  He is responsible for the overall performance of NCL, including community relations, program implementation, fundraising, and political outreach.  Scot really enjoys traveling across the West in search of the perfect spot to enjoy a beer.  Contact Scot

Kyle Davis is our Political Director and is responsible for NCL's political and legislative strategy. He was born and raised in the rural town of Lovelock, NV. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Reno and his Master's degree in Political Management from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  He has worked for and volunteered on political campaigns in Nevada, South Carolina, and Virginia. Since 2007, Kyle has lead the environmental community at the state legislature in passing a number of pro-environment bills and winning elections for pro-environment candidates.  Kyle lives in Reno, where he enjoys camping, soccer, kayaking and spending time with friends and family.  It's arguable that he may have found the perfect spot for drinking a beer, but has refused to share that information with Scot.  Contact Kyle

Kalin Schroder is our Administrative Assistant where she works to ensure our Executive Director doesn't forget what he was suppose to do next.  She was born in San Bernardino, California and raised in Morro Bay before relocating to Las Vegas in 2002.  Kalin attended Palo Verde High School and graduated in June 2006.  Kalin is currently enrolled at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and is working on her degree in Nursing. When she is not working one of her two jobs or attending school, she enjoys volunteering, sleeping (since that is a rare occasion for her), and spending time with her boyfriend and friends.  She loves visiting Morro Bay to spend time with her immediate family and spending time at the ocean.  Contact Kalin