A Network of People Who Get Things Done
At MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance, our strength comes from people who understand both the challenges and the opportunities within the communities we serve. Our team brings together experience in environmental work, community engagement, and project implementation, all grounded in a practical, solutions-focused mindset.
We are not just advisors. We are collaborators, connectors, and doers who work alongside communities to move ideas forward.
Jennifer Wendt
Executive Director
Jennifer Wendt is an environmental professional with more than 30 years of experience spanning analytical chemistry, municipal sustainability, and regional project management. With a technical foundation in pollutant analysis and over a decade in municipal government, she has led sustainability initiatives that balance environmental goals with real‑world economic constraints. Jennifer has managed complex projects both municipally and with BFA Engineering, consistently advancing practical, science‑based solutions. She empowers communities across Middle America to reduce pollution through collaboration, data‑driven strategies, and capacity building. Jennifer serves as Clean Water Director for the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative (MRCTI), where she leads the Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative and represents the region in national and international efforts to reduce plastic pollution. Her leadership bridges science, policy, and community action to drive measurable environmental progress.
Tiara Lumas
Operations and Program Manager
Tiara Lumas brings a strong background in Human Service Management and Business Administration, along with extensive experience in community engagement, project coordination, and multisector partnership building. She supports resource conservation, environmental justice, and regional collaboration across MidAmerica. Previously, Tiara served with MRCTI as Operations Manager, contributing to local government support, pollution reduction and resilience efforts along the Mississippi River. Her earlier work with the Saint Louis Development Corporation strengthened her expertise in operations, communications, and minority business development. Tiara is deeply committed to equity, sustainability, and improving outcomes for underserved communities.
Caran Hanks
Community Engagement Specialist
Caran Hanks is a committed community engagement and neighborhood development professional with a strong focus on environmental justice, equity, and capacity building. She brings deep experience in relationship‑building, community education, and cross‑sector collaboration, grounded in a genuine respect for community knowledge and lived experience. Caran currently serves as a Housing & Commercial Development Analyst with the St. Louis Development Corporation in alignment with the City’s Economic Justice Action Plan. She previously managed neighborhood transformation strategies at SLDC, supporting revitalization efforts, small business growth, and access to resources. Caran is known for her calm, steady leadership, her ability to identify and address inequities with clarity and compassion, and her unwavering dedication to underserved communities. Her work continues to strengthen local resilience, expand opportunity, and elevate community voices across the region.
Brent Batliner
Recycling Market Development
Brent Batliner is a fourth‑generation recycling professional with nearly four decades of experience in operations, marketing, and materials management. He began his career in his family’s business in Kansas City and went on to hold leadership roles at Midwest Shredding, BFI, QRS, and Republic Services, where he served as General Manager until retiring in 2024. Brent now applies his deep industry expertise to advancing plastic recycling across MidAmerica, continuing his lifelong commitment to innovation, sustainability, and environmental responsibility.
Linda Howdeshell
Accountant
Linda has over 20 years of experience in public accounting including audit, tax, and consulting work principally with not-for-profits, governmental, and service industries. In addition to her public accounting experience, Linda has a wealth of practical day-to-day accounting and management experience drawing from over 15 years of experience working for not-for-profit and for-profit entities. Linda works with clients in such areas as internal control and quality control of financial operation systems to improve efficiency of systems and security of assets. Linda served on the Not-for-Profit Committee of the Missouri Society of CPAs for over 15 years. Linda is also a Certified Internal Auditor. She attends training sessions on a yearly basis to keep updated on the latest reporting requirements. Linda also served as a Fiscal Volunteer with the United Way. Linda received her Bachelor of Science from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Regional Facilitators
Thomasina Joseph
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Remelda Lewis
Location: Greenville, Mississippi
Tiffany Levy
Location: Blytheville, Arkansas
Nora Preston
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Aniyah Martin
Location: Greenville, Mississippi
Angela Davis
Location: Greenville, Mississippi
Caden Nelson
Location: Greenville, Mississippi
A Collaborative Approach
Our team is intentionally built to work across sectors. We partner closely with local governments, nonprofit organizations, environmental groups, and community leaders to ensure that every project reflects the needs and priorities of the people it serves.
Rather than applying one-size-fits-all solutions, we listen first, then co-create strategies that are practical, scalable, and rooted in local realities.
Board of Directors
The MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance Board of Directors helps guide our mission to advance practical environmental solutions across Middle America by connecting science, communities, and industry and turning bold ideas into measurable progress.
Purpose-Driven Leadership for Practical Impact
By bringing together leadership from across sectors, the board helps position MACFA as a trusted regional partner capable of translating complex environmental challenges into practical, scalable solutions.
How the Board Supports MACFA
Strategic oversight
Helps guide long-term priorities that align mission, projects, and regional impact.
Community-centered governance
Supports an approach that listens first and builds with communities, not for them.
Partnership development
Strengthens relationships across local governments, industry, philanthropy, and community organizations.
Accountability for results
Keeps MACFA focused on measurable outcomes, implementation, and responsible growth.
Governance Values That Reflect Our Mission
MACFA’s board leadership is shaped by the same principles that guide our work in communities: authenticity, collaboration, practicality, and a commitment to lasting change.
Practical Solutions
We believe environmental progress must be realistic, locally relevant, and structured for implementation. The board helps keep MACFA focused on solutions that communities can actually use and sustain.
Regional Collaboration
Middle America’s environmental challenges require coordination across cities, towns, watersheds, and sectors. The board supports a collaborative model that brings science, industry, and community leadership together.
Lasting Community Impact
MACFA exists to create measurable environmental and economic progress over time. Board oversight helps ensure that projects move beyond awareness into durable outcomes that strengthen communities.
Board Responsibilities
MACFA’s board leadership is shaped by the same principles that guide our work in communities: authenticity, collaboration, practicality, and a commitment to lasting change.
Mission and Strategy
The board helps guide MACFA’s strategic direction, ensuring that programs and partnerships continue to advance plastic pollution reduction, watershed resilience, water quality improvement, reuse and recycling systems, and other community-driven environmental priorities.
Partnership and Advocacy
MACFA’s success depends on trusted relationships. The board supports strategic partnerships and helps strengthen the networks needed to connect local leadership, funding, implementation partners, and emerging opportunities.
Oversight and Stewardship
Board members provide governance oversight that supports organizational integrity, responsible growth, effective use of resources, and strong long-term stewardship of MACFA’s mission and public trust.
Scalable Regional Impact
The board helps ensure that MACFA’s work remains adaptable and scalable, supporting models that can be tested in one community, strengthened through collaboration, and expanded across multiple cities and river communities.
Meet the Board
Add your current board members below. The sample bios are written to match MACFA’s mission and can be edited once you have final names, titles, and credentials.
Dawn Temple
Board Treasurer
City of Moline, IL, Management Analyst/Grant Coordinator
Read Full Bio
Dawn Temple is a Management Analyst/Grant Coordinator for the City of Moline with over 20 years of experience turning big ideas into funded projects. Working at the intersection of strategy, funding, and sustainability, she has secured millions for environmental, infrastructure, and community initiatives. Dawn holds degrees in Economics and an MBA and is passionate about driving meaningful community and environmental impact.
Andrew Turnage
Board Secretary
LIV Group, Founding Partner
Read Full Bio
Andrew Turnage is the Founder and CEO of Liv Group LLC, bringing over 20 years of expertise in marketing, branding, and business development. A graduate with a BA in Marketing and an MBA in Advertising, he has supported St. Louis professionals through leadership programs and his signature 7-Step Brand Map, helping over 100 clients in 2024.
Mark Benfield
Board President
Professor Emeritus, Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
Read Full Bio
Mark Benfield is a Professor Emeritus in the Dept. of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University. His research interests include plastic pollution, microplastics, and deep-sea ecology. He received his B.Sc. from the Univ. of Toronto, M.Sc. from the Univ. of Kwazulu-Natal, and Ph.D. from Texas A&M followed by a Postdoc at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Board Member Name
Provides financial stewardship and oversight to help ensure that MACFA’s resources support high-impact projects, sustainable growth, and long-term community value.
Board Member Name
Brings expertise that strengthens MACFA’s work in community engagement, environmental resilience, project design, and solutions that create both ecological and economic benefits.
Board Member Name
Helps guide MACFA’s regional vision by supporting collaboration across communities, industries, and institutions working toward cleaner waterways and stronger local futures.
Working Together for a Cleaner, More Resilient Future
MACFA’s board helps guide an organization committed to tangible progress, lasting change, and community-driven solutions that protect waterways, reduce pollution, and strengthen the future of Middle America. If you are interested in partnering, supporting our work, or learning more about our mission, we welcome the conversation.
Who We Are
MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance (MACFA) is a regional environmental organization focused on turning complex challenges into practical, community-driven solutions.
We work across Middle America, supporting cities, towns, and river communities with the tools, partnerships, and strategies needed to create lasting environmental and economic progress.
Our approach is grounded in authenticity, collaboration, and a belief that real change happens when communities are equipped.
Our Mission
We exist to bridge the gap between science and community action.
MACFA helps communities move from awareness to implementation—transforming environmental goals into achievable, locally relevant outcomes. Whether addressing plastic pollution, restoring waterways, or building sustainable workforce pathways, we focus on solutions that are both effective and realistic.
We believe progress doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful—it just has to move forward.
What Makes Us Different
MACFA serves as a trusted regional partner, working across communities with varying levels of resources and infrastructure.
Our strength lies in:
Building and activating deep local networks
Connecting legacy industries with emerging opportunities
Designing projects alongside communities—not for them
Scaling solutions across multiple cities while staying locally grounded
From large metropolitan areas to smaller communities, we help create the conditions where environmental and economic revitalization can take hold.
Join us for a better life and beautiful future
At MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance, we believe real change happens when people come together with a shared purpose and a willingness to take action. Every step forward matters, whether it is supporting local initiatives, partnering on impactful projects, or simply choosing to care about the places we call home. By working together, we can create healthier communities, restore our natural resources, and open new opportunities for future generations to thrive.