Beyond Pesticides Staff

Jay Feldman, Executive Director, 202-543-5450 ext. 15, jfeldman@beyondpesticides.org
Jay is a cofounder of the organization and has served as its director since 1981. Jay dedicated himself to finding solutions to pesticide problems after working with farmworkers and small farmers through an EPA grant in 1978 to the national advocacy organization Rural America (1977-1981). Since that time, Jay has helped to build Beyond Pesticides' capacity to assist local groups and impact national pesticide policy. He has tracked specific chemical effects, regulatory actions, and pesticide law. He is very familiar with local groups working on pesticides and has helped develop successful strategies for reform in local communities. His work with media has helped to bring broader public understanding of the hazards of pesticides. Jay has a Masters in urban and regional planning with a focus on health policy from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1977), and a B.A. from Grinnell College (1975) in political science.

John Kepner, Project Director, 202-543-5450 ext. 20, jkepner@beyondpesticides.org
Having joined the Beyond Pesticides staff in September 1999, John now runs various projects including the National Pesticide Forum, the Dow Chemical Consumer Campaign and serves as the Beyond Pesticides webmaster. Prior to coming to Beyond Pesticides, John worked for his alma mater, Penn State University, as a lab technician/field scientist for the Horticulture Department and is a former certified pesticide applicator in the state of Pennsylavania. Throughout his life, John developed a love for the outdoors and a concern for the environment while travelling, backpacking, and biking around the country. This interest was further developed in college while studying in Penn State's Science, Technology, and Society (STS) program. While abroad in Costa Rica, John focused on insect herbivory during a study of agricultural areas adjacent to old growth forest. During his time at Penn State, John worked three summers with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Sharon Fried, IPM Project Director, 410-605-0095, sfried@beyondpesticides.org
Sharon has held a variety of both clinical and non-clinical positions in health care since 1980. Most recently, she was the Safety & Sustainability Specialist at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, where she was responsible for management of programs such as Integrated Pest Management, Hazardous Waste Handling and Reduction, Recycling and other Green Team initiatives. Additionally, Sharon maintains a working relationship with a human rights NGO in El Salvador, where she travels regularly for social justice projects. Closer to home, Sharon’s skills in coalition building and community organizing can be seen in her successful efforts the keep her diverse neighborhood safe, clean and green. And, as a lifelong advocate for homeless and neglected pets, she volunteers at her local animal shelter as a feline foster parent and adoptions counselor. Sharon earned both a B.A. and M.A. from College of Notre Dame of Maryland. She also has certificates in Leadership & Social Change and Nonprofit Management.

Kagan Owens, Senior Project Coordinator, 202-543-5450, kowens@beyondpesticides.org
Kagan joined the staff in 1997. She is the lead author of the Beyond Pesticides’ report, The Schooling of State Pesticide Laws, the collaborative report with Health Care Without Harm, Healthy Hospitals, and has been instrumental in developing national policy proposals. Kagan graduated from the School of Forestry, University of Montana with a B.S. (1996) in resource conservation. During her schooling, she worked with State Senator Vivian Brook on women's environmental issues, Women's Voices for the Earth on local environmental issues. After graduating, she worked for Montana Environmental Information Center during the 1997 Montana legislative session and with Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers and Women's Voices on chlorine and pulp and paper issues.

Nichelle Harriott, Research Associate, 202-543-5450 ext. 19, nharriott@beyondpesticides.org
With a B.S. in chemistry and environmental science (Morgan State University, 2005) and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy (George Mason University, 2007), Nichelle joined Beyond Pesticides as an intern in the summer of 2007, having previously worked with several conservation and public health issues, and then joined the staff as a research associate. Nichelle has also worked as a chemistry teaching assistant at GMU and co-authored a technical report on water quality issues in wetland systems.

Stephanie Davio, Public Education Associate, 202-543-5450 ex. 18, sdavio@beyondpesticides.org
Prior to joining Beyond Pesticides in July 2009, Stephanie applied her passion for public education and environmental sustainability in all aspects of her life, including her work as the assistant to the Executive at The Center for Food Safety and International Center for Technology Assessment in Washington, DC. She loves fresh, local food and currently spends her weekends administering food stamps to customers at a DC farmers market. She graduated with a B.A. inanthropology and environmental studies at Michigan State University in 2006, where she was very active in environmental justice and sustainable agricultural issues on campus and in the community.