Generation Green Board
Jessica Lee Reece, Board President, practices law at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, where she specializes in Environmental, Natural Resources and Sustainability Law. She has authored numerous articles on renewable energy and sustainability topics, and also manages and co-authors SGR’s environmental practice publications. In addition to serving as board president of Generation Green, Reece serves as director of the Georgia Solar Energy Association Advisory Board. Prior to practicing law, Reece received a degree in Newspaper Journalism from the University of Georgia and worked as editor-in-chief of LOUNGE: Augusta magazine. Reece is a foodie who suffers from wanderlust and spends much of her free time traveling the globe, hugging trees, listening to live music and seeking out the perfect meal.
Brent Beatty brings more than 10 years of interactive and social media marketing experience to Generation Green. Beatty most recently worked with 360i and Coca-Cola, and he has been actively involved with the American Marketing Association, the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and Georgia Organics. For fun, Beatty enjoys anything outdoors including trail running, hiking and kayaking.
Erin Croom has a background in community development, sustainable agriculture, curriculum development and classroom instruction. She currently serves as the Farm to School Coordinator for Georgia Organics, where she strives to get more delicious, healthy and sustainable foods served in school meals. Croom lives in Atlanta with her husband, son, dog and chickens.
Matt Elder graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in economics and currently serves as a team lead at Primary Capital Advisors. He is also a passionate conservationist and an avid backpacker and skier who loves to travel the world for an amazing adventure. Elder is currently teaching himself how to play the banjo and ride a unicycle.
Aliste Harris is an attorney with the Tort Litigation and Environmental Practice Group at King & Spalding. Prior to joining the firm, Harris served as a law clerk at the White House Council on Environmental Quality in Washington, D.C., where her primary focus was the development of environmental policies and initiatives as well as the interplay between the environment and public health. When she is not working, Harris enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.
John Haslam is a financial advisor with Palmetto Financial Group, which he started in 2006. Outside of work Haslam enjoys being outdoors in South Georgia and the Low Country with his wife and two daughters.
Kate Hodgins is currently studying the health impacts of air pollution exposure at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health through a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. She previously worked on environmental issues as an intern at Delta Air Lines, the Centers for Disease Control and the Southern Environmental Law Center. Hodgins received a bachelor of science and a master of public health from Emory University and a law degree from UGA. An Atlanta native, Hodgins enjoys spending time with old and new friends, family, and her tireless black lab.
Daniel Jessee is a native of metro Atlanta with a lifelong passion for the environment. While a student at the University of Georgia, Jessee studied magazine journalism and sports communication. After graduation he began working for REI’s Buford location and in 2010 was named senior instructor for the REI Outdoor School in Atlanta. Jessee also recently completed his master’s degree in environmental policy and management from the University of Denver. He is an avid mountain biker, mountaineer, cyclist, and trail runner who competes in endurance races.
Jon Philipsborn works as the sustainability manager for URS, an engineering design services firm, where he advises public and private sector clients on sustainability. He also enjoys spending time hiking and walking with his wife and dog, bird watching, gardening, neighborhood clean-ups, and anything else that gets him outside.
Kate Prevost is a senior RFP Writer with the Product Management team at Alliance Bernstein. Prior to joining Bernstein, she worked as the Southeast field organizer for U.S. PIRG, organizing their federal environmental campaigns in Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee. Prevost spent her undergraduate years at the University of Florida and received her MBA in 2010 from Emory's Goizueta School of Business. In her free time she enjoys traveling, hiking and biking slowly through Decatur.
Carly Queen is a residential energy efficiency project coordinator for ICF International and works to support growth of Georgia Power's EarthCents Home Energy Improvement Program for the residential sector. Before joining ICF, Queen was the Southeast campus field coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology program. While earning her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, Queen founded and served as president for Students Organizing for Sustainability (SOS), which was honored with Georgia Tech’s Environmental Leadership Award during her tenure. In her free time Queen enjoys playing tennis, reading, traveling, listening to music, shopping in thrift stores and spending time with her friends, family, boyfriend and dog.
Neela Ram has worked for several environmental organizations in the Atlanta area. She received her bachelor’s degree in 2000 from Emory University and recently completed dual master’s degrees at Georgia Tech in public policy as well as city and regional planning with an emphasis on environmental planning and urban policy. Ram enjoys volunteering with Trees Atlanta and spending time with her husband, Brian, and two dogs, Cookie Monster and Banjo.
Tyrie Smith earned his Ph.D. in folklore from the University of Louisiana and currently serves as the director for new program development at Georgia Perimeter College, where he oversees the development of academic programs in sustainability, leads efforts to develop campus community gardens on GPC's five campuses, assists faculty to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum, and works with GPC's Atlanta Center for Civic Engagement and Service Learning to create civic engagement and service learning opportunities in sustainability for GPC students. A native of the northeast Georgia mountains, Smith now lives in East Atlanta Village and enjoys spending weekends with his son, Eli, and getting in a good hike whenever possible.
Jenah Zweig currently serves as the policy manager at the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. Prior to SEEA, Zweig worked with the City of Atlanta's Mayor's Office of Sustainability. She is a LEED Green Associate, a Presidential Volunteer Service Award honoree, and a certified mediator with advanced training in Georgia. Zweig graduated with honors from the University of Southern California and earned a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law. In her spare time, Zweig enjoys traveling, hanging out by the beach, reading and exploring Atlanta.
