Staff

Left to Right: David Manthos–Communications Director, Teri Beibel–Office Administrator, Paul Woods–Chief Technical Officer, and John Amos–President. December 2012 

Staff:

John Amos, President: John is an “expert” in the use of satellite images and other remote sensing data to understand and communicate local, regional and global environmental issues. Educated as a geologist (University of Wyoming – MS, Cornell University – BS) he spent 10 years applying image processing, image analysis, and digital mapping techniques to conduct environmental, exploration and resource assessment studies for the energy and mining industries and government entities. In 2001 John founded SkyTruth, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to strengthening environmental conservation by illuminating environmental problems and issues through the use of satellite images, aerial photographs, and other kinds of remote sensing and digital mapping. As President, he directs day-to-day operations, develops and manages projects and programs, and is responsible for fundraising and administration.  Prior to founding SkyTruth, he worked as an exploration geologist for Advanced Resources International and Earth Satellite Corporation.

Paul Woods, Chief Technology Officer: Paul is a serial software entrepreneur with 25 years experience in software development and software startup companies.  Beginning at the University of Maryland before moving on to Washington DC-area startups Compass Point Software, CareerBuilder, Intelligenx and GeoStellar, Paul has developed a broad range of software and web-based applications and managed globally distributed teams of technology “professionals”.  A lifelong commitment to environmental conservation and a passion for improving the world via applied information technology solutions has led him to serve as SkyTruth’s CTO, with a particular emphasis on leveraging emerging online technologies to expand SkyTruth’s reach and enhance its core mission of promoting environmental awareness.

Teri Biebel, Office Administrator: Teri comes to us after a long career in the casino industry, where she worked on both the customer service side and the administrative side. Teri grew up in Wildwood, along the Southern New Jersey coastline and attended the former Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) before leaving to work in the bright lights of Atlantic City. After 24 years, she decided to make a major career change and wanted to work in a much more positive environment. She has been involved in other non-profit organizations including the Girl Scouts Council of the Nations Capital as a Girl Scout leader. Teri lives in Shepherdstown with her husband Don, her daughters Jennifer and Amanda, and her dogs Henry and Cosmo. She is an avid runner and completed the Goofy Challenge (Half-Marathon & Full-Marathon in one weekend) in January 2012.

David Manthos, Communications Director: A native of Garrett County, Maryland, David Manthos became interested in environmental issues impacting Appalachia, particularly focused on unconventional shale gas development and watershed issues from past and present extractive industries. After receiving his B.A. in Geography and Environmental Studies from Bucknell University, he returned to the Appalachian Mountains near his home to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer In Service To America) for Friends of the Cheat in Kingwood, WV. At Friends of the Cheat, David worked to expand  community water quality monitoring, assist in Acid Mine Drainage reconnaissance and mitigation, and engage with the community through environmental education. At SkyTruth, David works to tell the SkyTruth story to the world and build relationships with the public and our “professional” partners. David is committed to caring for our natural habitat , planet Earth, and sharing with its occupants the big picture of our impact through a variety of lenses and narratives. In his spare time, David is an amateur photographer, occasional writer, and studies political science vicariously through his wife Vaida, a Ph.D. candidate at West Virginia University.

Egil Möller, Software Developer: Egil is a programmer and activist from Gothenburg, Sweden. At SkyTruth he develops GIS processing pipelines and GIS web applications and tools. In particular he’s the primary developer of SkyTruth’s FrackFinder projects and crowdsourcing platform. Egil cares about the environment, free software, democracy, free speech and privacy.

Egil started programming when he was 14 and has worked with many different programming languages and environments, from Assembly and C to Scheme and Python. The last 14 years, he has worked nearly exclusively with Free Software. You can check out his code and contributions at https://github.com/redhog. Besides Egil’s work for SkyTruth, he is actively involved in local and national politics focusing on privacy, open government, democratic safeguards and intellectual property criticism.

Kevin Wurster, Geospatial Systems Engineer:  Kevin is a native West Virginian with an interest in furthering  environmental conservation, preservation, and sustainability with the aid of high tech systems.  At SkyTruth he uses his background in efficient large scale processing of remotely sensed data to develop systems, processes, and tools focused on automating data analysis, production, and publication in order to free up human time for more complex projects.  Outside of SkyTruth, Kevin enjoys hiking, biking, and a variety of other outdoor activities.

Yolandita Franklin, GIS Analyst: Yolandita is a certified drafter working toward her B.S. in Environmental Sustainability at Shepherd University. She is an active member of Rotaract and V.P. of U.S. Green Building Council, Shepherd University chapter. Her work at SkyTruth includes creating 3D models and videos that illustrate environmental impacts. She is married to Erik Franklin, a Senior Airman of the U.S.A.F. She is from New Jersey and her hobbies are reading, swimming, and volleyball.  

Kristy Cherry, Outreach Coordinator: Kristy is a native of Western Pennsylvania currently residing in Shepherdstown.  She teaches at Shepherd University in the Department of Contemporary Art + Theater.  Kristy is the Festival Coordinator for the American Conservation Film Festival.  She is also a founding member of collabAttack– a collaborative arts organization focusing on connecting with communities to create participatory works for positive action.  She received an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis in 2004.

Bjorn Bergman, Analyst: Bjorn has previously worked in a research lab and in collecting biological data on commercial fishing boats in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. At SkyTruth he works to track fishing activity in the Pacific and understand it within a complex framework of international regulations. Bjorn has traveled extensively throughout Latin America, particularly in Peru where he spent time as a child and returns frequently.

Tom Jones, GIS Analyst:  Tom is interning at SkyTruth for the Summer of 2014 for his capstone research project at Shepherd University.  Tom is from Towson, MD and is in his final year at Shepherd as a Environmental Sustainability major.  He is applying his GIS skills learned at Shepherd to investigate updating SkyTruth’s Mountaintop Removal (MTR) Mining Footprint database through innovative analytical tools from Google. Outside of work and school Tom enjoys reading, traveling, watching football, gaming with friends, and taking part in community service.

Alex Yates is a student at Shepherd University majoring in Environmental Sustainability. His work with SkyTruth involves developing a system to quickly and effectively georeference satellite images . This is his first work with GIS systems and he is finding it a fun and challenging experience. Alex comes from Baltimore, MD where he was born and raised. He first became interested in protecting the environment in high school where he studied environmental science.

Marc Levitt’s daytime job is an archivist at the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies in Shepherdstown, WV.   He’s had a long and varied academic career: he began with a B.A. in Political Science Pre-Law (Michigan State University), an M.A. in History (Villanova University), and most recently an M.I.S. in Archives and Records Management (University of Michigan). At SkyTruth, Marc is very excited to have found a way to combine his interests in preserving the environment with his enthusiasm for corporate accountability, especially in the wake of the BP Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010. Marc is currently examining satellite images in conjunction with NRC reports to determine the latter’s veracity.