STAFF
Sarah Lynn Cunningham,
Co-Founder & Exec. Director
Sarah Lynn is a licensed environmental engineer, educator and, for 50 years, activist. (She started young, and is older than she looks!) She holds two interdisciplinary degrees from UofL: a Bachelor in Applied Science in environmental engineering and an MS in environmental education and environmental history. After retiring from civil service, she began applying her practical experience to achieving clients’ energy efficiency and renewable energy goals. After joining the int'l Climate Reality Project and being licensed by Al Gore to give her version of "An Inconvenient Truth," she co-founded Louisville CAN. Besides teaching for LCAN, she teaches Building Operator Certification courses.
James Chism,
IT Manager and Much More
James retired after working 30+ years in the tech industry, ensuring that customers' telecommunication networks were working securely, kept up-to-date and meeting their needs. Now, James does the same for LCAN, and so much more. His role is especially important to our Services programming, because we necessarily need to have access to clients' private utility usage records. James also helps with maintaining LCAN's pollinator garden behind our office, follows up with clients on relamping projects and seemingly anything else we need.
Walter "Flip" Bell,
Contract Energy Assessor
Flip graduated with a BS and MS from the University of Kentucky (UK) and began his career teaching math and physics. He co-founded the Louisville Resource Conservation Council (LRCC) in 1990 to assist nonprofit and public agencies with improving their energy efficiency, including water use. He earned the Certified Energy Manager credential from the Association of Energy Engineers. For the City of Louisville, LRCC initiated the city’s first community-wide inventory of GHG emissions. On an as-needed basis, Flip assists LCAN with providing energy efficiency services to clients.
Monique Tilford,
Deputy Director
Over the past 25 years, Monique has worked as executive director for three environmental nonprofits, managing up to 20 staff, and helped raise tens of millions of dollars as development director or director of major gifts. She also co-authored The New York Times best-selling book, “Your Money or Your Life” (2008 edition). She has been on numerous boards, most recently serving as an elected elder at her church. She earned her BA from George Washington University. After spending much of her career in Washington, DC, she moved to Louisville in 2014 with her husband and two girls. In her capacity as LCAN's Deputy Director, Monique oversees Services programming and fundraising.
Roger Ohlman,
Energy Analyst
After 43 years in the banking industry, Roger felt called to focus on climate and anti-racism initiatives. He recently received a Kilowatt Crackdown award for his work with the Louisville Nature Center (LNC), where he first found ways to lower its utility bills, then assisted with installing solar panels, resulting in LNC achieving net-zero status! With a small team of church members, he now helps First Unitarian Church in similar ways. For LCAN, Roger analyzes clients’ energy usage to find ways to improve efficiency and lower costs.
Agastya Mishra, Kids' Projects Contributor
Agastya Mishra is a sixth grader at Meyzeek Middle School. His passion is protecting our planet. After reading about climate change and realizing his generation's future is at stake, he decided to make a positive difference. Lucky for us, his research led him to LCAN. He has helped to stock the virtual shelves of our Kids' Books and Videos web page. Now, he's planning Earth Day 2023 events for his school. Besides volunteering for LCAN, he spends his time on computers, music, sports, hanging out with his friends and "build stuff."
Glen Dentinger,
Energy Assessor-in-Training
After decades hands-on work in remodeling, Glen wanted to apply his understanding of buildings and their various systems to something that would aide our overheating planet. From LCAN's perspective, the best candidate for becoming an energy auditor is someone who understands how buildings are put together, what's behind their walls, how to make durable building upgrades, etc. In other words, Glen is a natural fit for our team. Though still in training, he's already making great contributions.
Phyllis Fitzgerald, Energy Conservation Educator
Phyllis has used her Bachelor and Master of Education degrees from UK and UofL, respectively, to teach energy conservation for decades. She has presented conservation programs on WAVE3 TV and WCHQ radio, and while working for the nonprofit Environmental Alternatives, Inc., LG&E and Metro Air Pollution Control District. Besides teaching weekly workshops at Dismas Charities St. Ann Center in West Louisville, Phyllis leads LCAN’s conservation workshops for renters, showing them no-to-low-cost techniques and lifestyle changes ways to cut their utility bills—and cool the planet.