Jeff Aldi is currently a Vice President – Finance & Accounting for Comcast Cable, and has held various finance and accounting leadership roles with Comcast Cable since 2002. Prior to this position, from 1996 to 2002, Mr. Aldi was an audit manager with Arthur Andersen LLP in Philadelphia, PA and San Jose, CA and with KPMG LLP in Philadelphia. Mr. Aldi’s non-profit experience includes prior service on the Board of Directors for Equality Forum. Mr. Aldi earned a BS in Accountancy from Villanova University, and is a certified public accountant, licensed in Pennsylvania.

Russ Allen been a Council activist for many years. He is currently President of the Council’s Board. Russ serves as principal at The Writers Studio, a communications and freelance-copywriting practice in Jenkintown, Montgomery County. He often writes on science and technical subject matter for promotional and educational projects. He has a special expertise in health and medicine, and his clients include a variety of organizations in the healthcare industry. Russ previously served as Director of Medical Communications for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He has a B.S. from the University of Virginia and a M.S. in science and technical communications from Drexel University.

A former intern at the Clean Air Council, Dr. Bathala returned to serve on the Board in 2016. Since 2005 Dr. Bathala has taught Ecology and Environmental Sciences at Universities in the Philadelphia area. Her research has brought her across the world, studying everything from bottlenose dolphins in Greece to marine communities in Belize, Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands. An ecologist by training, she is interested in the monitoring of species in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems, particularly for education and curricular development.

Dr. Bathala continues to focus her efforts on increasing awareness of environmental issues and making science accessible and enjoyable to others. Her current endeavors involve the development of children’s books on conservation and species protection. Her 2017 publication Moonlight Crab Count won the Children’s Book Council and Science Teachers Association, Outstanding Science Trade Book for 2018.

In addition to her faculty accomplishments, Dr. Bathala is an avid gardener and certified scuba diver. She lives in South Jersey where she is a member of the Haddonfield Garden Club and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. She spends her summer at the shore in Stone Harbor, NJ where she is active in local conservation efforts of horseshoe crabs and other coastal species. Dr. Bathala remains involved with her alma mater, Duke University, where she serves on the Board of the Philadelphia Regional Alumni Association. She also acts as a mentor for students in the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment graduate program.

Laura Blank first started working with the Clean Air Council in 2007 while she was the President of Temple University’s Students for Environmental Action club. She is currently the Director of Talent and Operations for Equal Measure, a Philadelphia-based evaluation nonprofit where she develops performance management and recruiting and talent strategies, manages HR tools and policies and implements learning strategy for the organization.  Prior to working at Equal Measure, Laura founded a youth wilderness survival camp in California, served as Aramark’s first Environmental Sustainability Manager and was an Environment and Communities Intern at the William Penn Foundation. Laura graduated from Temple University with degrees in Environmental Studies, Economics, and Tourism & Hospitality Management.

Mike Brown is Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary of Clearway Energy, Inc. in Princeton, NJ, which is one of the largest renewable energy owners in the United States. Mr. Brown previously served as Senior Counsel of NRG Energy, Inc. in Princeton, NJ and was an attorney with Mintz Levin in New York City. Following law school, Mr. Brown worked as a staff attorney at the Clean Air Council focusing on Marcellus Shale natural gas issues. Mr. Brown received a law degree from Boston College Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Williams College.

Allie Cole became involved with the Clean Air Council through a fellowship program while pursuing her MBA at Temple University. She was impressed by the organization’s mission which led her to become a Board member. Allie has always had a passion for sustainability initiatives and currently works in Corporate Responsibility at a large financial institution. Recently, she graduated from the Penn State Master Gardener program where she helped develop a compost committee at a local community garden. She also enjoys traveling the world and spending time outdoors.

Benjamin Cromie is a Senior Planner at CHPlanning, a comprehensive, municipal, and environmental planning firm. He specializes in sustainable development, especially recycling, stormwater management, greening, air emissions, and transportation projects. He has facilitated many large and small community engagement events from focus groups and public meetings to large conferences and information fairs. Before his urban planning career, he worked for several years in nonprofit arts management in the Philadelphia cultural sector. Benjamin is a Pennsylvania Master Gardner with a passion for transforming neglected spaces and creating habitat with native plants. He has taught workshops on horticulture, art, and urbanism for the Fleischer Art Memorial, American Philosophical Society and the University of Pennsylvania.

Neil Doshi is currently a physician practicing in the Philadelphia area. He holds Board Certifications in both Internal and Sleep Medicine. A native of Los Angeles, California, Neil moved to Philadelphia in 2011 to complete his residency and specialty training in Sleep Medicine. He is excited to join the Board of the Clean Air Council, and hopes to lend his expertise on the environmental impact on human health. He is passionate about policy being based on good science. When not practicing medicine and advocating for the environment, Neil enjoys travelling, running outdoors, and spending time with family.

Rishika Ghosh is a Senior Associate at the Philadelphia Green Capital Corp. (PGCC), the green bank affiliate of the Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA). She joined PGCC in 2021, and is focused on pipeline and program development. Passionate about innovative cleantech and energy equity, Rishika has over a decade of academic & professional experience in wind engineering and sustainable development. Rishika holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a BS and an M.Eng in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University.

Renee Gilinger is the Director of the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District in Philadelphia. She began her career as a Special Event Fundraiser for HIV/AIDS and environmental non-profit organizations, including Clean Air Council and MANNA. Professionally, Ms. Gilinger has moved on to political organizing for progressive causes and candidates and has led state-wide campaigns for the Young Voter Alliance and Liberty PA. She takes an active role in field and fundraising for local and statewide elections, as well as fundraising events for non-profit organizations. Ms. Gilinger is a graduate of Arcadia University (formerly Beaver College) in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

Vivek Girisan is a licensed Mechanical Engineer who works as a Sustainability Consultant for Engie Impact (New York, NY). He designs decarbonization roadmaps for Fortune 500 size corporations while simultaneously helping them optimize their energy usage. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at SRM University in India and obtained his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at NC State University in Raleigh, NC. Outside of work, Vivek enjoys learning Spanish, playing tennis, skiing, and playing guitar.

As Director of Service-Learning at LaSalle University, Louise works collaboratively with faculty to facilitate the integration of service-learning into myriad university course syllabi. She chairs the Project on Justice, serves on the Core Curriculum Advisory Board, and has served on the Women’s Studies Board, the Middle States Self-Assessment Task Force, and the La Salle Neighborhood Nursing Center Board. Along with two colleagues, Louise founded and teaches in the Leadership and Global Understanding Minor. Most recently, she headed up the university-wide application to the Carnegie Foundation, seeking its 2010 Community Engagement Classification, to a successful conclusion. In addition, Ms. Giugliano has received a grant to do Capacity Building from the Philadelphia Network for Neighborhood Development in the NW region of the city. She works with the Penn Project on Civic Engagement as a moderator of public forums. Ms. Giugliano earned an MA in Political Science from George Washington University.

Jessica Bender Krow served for two terms as the president of the Council’s Board. She owns and operates her own scientific and engineering search firm, Bender Search Associates, Inc., providing job placements for technical and engineering professionals in North America. Co-founder and race director of the Run for Clean Air for 12 years, Ms. Krow is now an avid cyclist who hopes to attract the cycling community to clean air issues. Ms. Krow holds an M.A. in geography and has been an environmental educator at local colleges since 1978. She is also co-founder of the Philadelphia Chapter of Earth Island Institute.

Jared Krueger is the Director of Risk Management at KPMG LLP where he is responsible for Technology Risk Management across Advisory services. In addition, he has held various leadership positions at the firm since he joined in 2003. His prior roles included leading Governance, Risk, and Compliance services, IT Internal Audit, and ERP Implementation at KPMG LLP. He resides in Philadelphia and is originally from North Brunswick, NJ. Jared has been involved in non-profits since 2005. He’s served as a team lead or fundraiser for the NJ Epilepsy Foundation, American Heart Association, MS Society, and now serves on the board of the Clean Air Council for the purpose of improving our environment and creating a sustainable future.

Eric Langenmayr is currently a consultant with the Math and Science coalition of the Philadelphia Education Fund where he co-founded a volunteer STEM Tutor Program in Philadelphia. He is working to expand the program in addition to participating in the program as a volunteer STEM tutor at the Kensington Health Sciences Academy. Previously, Dr. Langenmayr was president of Whirl Associates, a startup company developing advanced materials for the digital imaging industry. Dr. Langenmayr worked for almost 30 years as an R&D scientist for the Rohm and Haas/Dow Chemical Company working in research, manufacturing, project management and technical service capacities. He developed an interest in environmental issues at an early age when his father’s fish camp on the Withlacoochee River in Florida was negatively affected by the construction of the Cross Florida Barge canal. Dr. Langenmayr holds a PhD degree in Chemistry from the University of Florida and completed a 2-year Wharton Management Program in business administration.

David Mindel is an engineer with 42 years of experience at Cisco Systems and IBM, developing solutions with a focus on security and cellular wireless (5G). He developed an interest in environmental issues at college and joined the board through his association with other board members and the Clean Air Council’s successes in protecting clean air and water. David holds a BA from Temple University in Computer Science and professional certifications in security and networking. For 25 years, he has volunteered as a judge for Odyssey of the Mind creativity competition. He is also a board member of the Bucks County Country Gentlemen chorus and sings in 2 performing quartets.

Evan Pappas is a Partner at the law firm Shumaker Williams, P.C. in its Litigation Department and Intellectual Property Group. Mr. Pappas received a Bachelors of Arts from Lehigh University and Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, from Widener University School of Law. Mr. Pappas worked for the Council from 1998 to 2002 as a Policy Analyst and Program Coordinator focusing on renewable energy. He serves on the Board of the Crime Stoppers of Dauphin County.

Over the past many years, Ganesh Swaminathan has actively been involved in the social impact and cleantech space. His interests started with an education in Chemical Engineering (BS Johns Hopkins, MS Stanford) and an MBA at Wharton, UPenn. At Wharton, Ganesh led the formation of its first student-led impact investing fund; he also worked with Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, a spinoff from Alphabet, investing in sustainable technology infrastructure such as the plastics recycling industry. Currently, Ganesh is a strategy consultant with Boston Consulting Group in New York City, helping companies across multiple industries in the US, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia develop their digital and growth strategy. He has also been involved with the Impact Investment Exchange in Singapore, his hometown, identifying and performing diligence on microfinance institutions and impact enterprises in Southeast and South Asia. Outside work, Ganesh enjoys playing squash and indulging in art history!

Oscar Wang founded College Together in 2013 much to the chagrin of his parents, who assumed that “non-profit” meant that he would never take a salary. After calming their fears, he then neglected to tell them that he did not have office space and proceeded to start the organization by stealing WiFi at a mix of boba tea and coffee shops across Philadelphia.

Oscar was the founder of E.M. Stanton Elementary School’s Civics and Rhetoric Program and the 2012 Samuel S. Fels Fellow for the School Reform Commission. His public education experience includes time at the Philadelphia Public School Notebook, the office of the Chief Financial Officer of the School District of Philadelphia, and Superintendent William Hite’s Strategy Delivery Unit. Oscar is a graduate of Haverford College with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Education Studies. He is a member of Sunday Breakfast Club and the Corporation of Haverford College. He is also an alumnus of New Leaders Council.

A native of San Marino, California (where the Eagleton scenes in Parks and Recreation were filmed), Oscar has fallen in love with Philadelphia. He has a controversial pick for best cheesesteak in town and, in his free time, enjoys eating lots of food, reading, meeting new people, seeking out happy hours, and doing impressions of random famous people. And yes, he still frequents those boba shops.

Laren Pitcairn was Clean Air Council Board President from 1985 to 1988 and from 1993 to 1996.  He served as Board President for a total of six years, which is the second longest tenure for this position behind current President Russ Allen.  During his time as President the organization experienced much growth in its staff size, annual revenues, and programs of work. He continued to serve on the Council Board until his death in 2018. In his professional capacity, Pitcairn was the President of the Beneficia Foundation.

Steve Preston currently works as the Chief Program Officer at Share Food Program, the largest-distributing food bank in the Philadelphia region. As Chief Program Officer, Steve oversees all of Share’s distribution efforts and educational programs. Before his role at Share Food Program, Steve Preston served in Mayor Kenney’s administration in multiple roles, including First Deputy Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Kenney, where he helped lead efforts to pass the City’s beverage tax. Preston also previously served in various roles focused on community organizing and politics, including Mayor Kenney’s successful 2015 campaign, NextGen Climate New Hampshire’s efforts to re-elected Senator Jeanne Shaheen in 2014, Organizing for Action, and the Obama Campaign in 2012.