Our Leadership

Lorrie Kline Kaplan (Co-Founder, President) has 20+ years nonprofit leadership experience in the Washington, D.C., area, including 10 years as CEO of the National Home Infusion Association and 8 years as CEO of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Her expertise includes communications, organizational development, advocacy, and community organizing. Since 2016, Kaplan has focused her energies and personal development on accelerating adoption of climate solutions at the local level. She’s delighted to be living in Ashland with her husband Bob Kaplan since 2019.

Richard Barth (Co-Founder, Treasurer) is a 20+ year Ashland resident. Prior to moving to Ashland with his wife and young daughters he spent 20+ years in Silicon Valley working in research, development, and leadership positions. While living in Ashland, Rick has served in leadership and advisory capacities with multiple local nonprofit and government organizations. He currently serves as a member of Ashland’s Climate and Environment Policy Advisory Committee (CEPAC).

Susannah Cole (Secretary) is a native Ashlander who is deeply rooted in the Rogue Valley community, working in non-profit administration and communications since she returned to the valley in 2019. Susannah’s expertise includes marketing, grant writing, non-profit management, event production, volunteer management, strategic planning, bookkeeping and financial management, book publishing, web development, and social media. She is passionate about bringing people together through community and shared experiences. Susannah currently is Director of Operations for The Hearth, a local nonprofit focused on using the power of storytelling to combat disconnection, despair, and isolation.

Sharon Dohrmann (Board Member) is a dedicated volunteer for Streets4Everyone and a member of Ashland’s Climate and Environment Policy Advisory Committee (CEPAC). In the past, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, West Africa and as an organizer for the Women’s March Southern Oregon. 

Sharon’s professional background is in IT and web development. She was the co-owner of Cypress Technology, an IT consulting company in San Francisco, before she moved to Ashland with her husband and two children in 2014. She currently works as the IS Coordinator for American Promise.

Chris Byrne (Board Member) is the Sustainability Manager at the Ashland Food Co-op. In 2005, Chris completed a GreenMBA and became a certified Permaculture Instructor in 2006. Since then, he has used these frameworks as a Green Business Development and Integrated Site and Systems Design Consultant. He is also on the Rogue to Go advisory team.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Chris left shortly after college and has lived in Vail, CO, San Francisco, Sonoma County, CA, and Tokyo Japan, among other places. He originally came to call Ashland home in 2005, developing a deep love for the Rogue Valley biome and its people.

Candace Turtle (Co-Founder, Board Member Emeritus) has a background in communications and development. She served as a reporter and an award-winning editor for The Miami Herald and San Jose Mercury News, as well as in management positions. She later managed communications and marketing for Trend Micro, Inc. in its start-up phase. Locally, Candace has served as executive director of Ballet Folklorico Ritmo Alegre and managed communications and development for the Ashland Independent Film Festival. She currently heads Rotary of Ashland’s Environment & Sustainability Committee and sits on the board of the J.F. Kapnek Trust.

Erin O’Kelley Muck (Executive Director) spent 22+ years as the owner of Ruby Slipper Designs, an award-winng web and marketing firm specializing in nonprofits. In 2024, good fortune opened the door at the Ashland Climate Collaborative, where she joined as their first Executive Director. Her optimistic outlook, creative brainpower, and belief in the power of community engagement are the perfect ingredients for this new role. She’s thrilled to energize her beloved community of Ashland Oregon to work together on climate solutions. Since 2019, Erin has focused on climate work, amassing strategies for communicating the power of individual action. She is especially thankful to SOCAN and is a graduate of their Master Climate Protector course. She loves living in beautiful Ashland with her husband Chris Muck.

Isobel Whitcomb (Communications Assistant) has 5+ years of professional experience as a magazine journalist and science communicator, with writing published in The New York Times, Sierra Magazine, High Country News, Scientific American, Canary Media, and more. Their award-winning work covering conservation, the climate crisis, and land-use has appeared in two editions of the Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology. Born and raised in Ashland, Isobel joined ACC in 2022. They’re passionate about the importance of change at a local level to advance global climate solutions and believe that by responding to climate change, we have the opportunity to build overall more resilient, equitable communities. 

Tonya Graham
Executive Director, GEOS Institute;
Current Mayor, City of Ashland

Stu Green
Policy Manager, Forth Mobility; former Climate and Energy Analyst, City of Ashland

Becs Walker
Operations Director, Institute for Applied Sustainability, Southern Oregon University