About Us

The role of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission is to preserve Lake Erie’s natural resources, to protect the quality of its waters and ecosystem, and to promote economic development of the region by ensuring the coordination of policies and programs of state government pertaining to water quality, toxic substances, and coastal resource management. The Commission also oversees the management of the Lake Erie Protection Fund.

Commissioners

The Commission is comprised of the directors of six state agencies including the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the departments of Natural Resources, Health, Agriculture, Transportation, and Development. There are five additional Commission members appointed by the governor and two board members of the Great Lakes Protection Fund who serve as ex-officio members of the Commission.

Laurie A. Stevenson, Director, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Chair)

Mary Mertz, Director, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Secretary)

Jack Marchbanks, Director, Ohio Department of Transportation

Lydia Mihalik, Director, Ohio Department of Development

Bruce T. Vanderhoff, M.D., Director, Ohio Department of Health

Dorothy Pelanda, Director, Ohio Department of Agriculture

Jim Stouffer, President and CEO, Catawba Cleveland Development

Bill Wolf, retired

Crystal Davis, Vice President for Policy and Strategic Engagement, Alliance for the Great Lakes

Danielle Giannantonio, Legislative Affairs Manager, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Diane Miller, Vice President of Government Relations, University of Toledo

Richard Hylant, Ex-Officio, President, Hylant

Kate Bartter, Ex-Officio, Director, Sustainability Institute, The Ohio State University

Staff

The Ohio Lake Erie Commission staff advises the Governor and the Commission on the development, implementation, and coordination of Lake Erie programs and policies; provides representation of the interests of Ohio in regional, national, and international forums pertaining to the resources of the Great Lakes; assists in the implementation of the Coastal Zone Management Program and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; facilitates compliance with the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the Great Lakes Toxic Substances Control Agreement; and manages the distribution of money from the Lake Erie Protection Fund.

Joy Mulinex, Executive Director

Sandra Kosek-Sills PhD, Environmental Specialist

Lynn Garrity, Program Administrator

Nicole Mieske Knab, Environmental Communications Specialist