Current Board
Board President, Mike Sills-Trausch, and his wife moved to Phoenix in 1994. After working as a court administrator near Dayton, OH, he accepted a job offer with the Arizona Supreme Court as a court performance auditor. In 2001, he started working for the City of Glendale in roles that involved capital and operational budgets, writing reports for City Council, and program management to improve resident services. He retired in 2021 after 30 years of public service. Mike earned a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Dayton. His personal passions include watching his grown sons continue to mature into caring, thoughtful people and remaining physically active through playing basketball, backpacking, and, in the summer of 2022, completing a five-week bicycle ride. He considers humanity’s high carbon emissions a moral issue for present and future generations with solutions to be found through new national policies.
Sukhmani Singh is an environmental, natural resources, and energy attorney based in Phoenix, Arizona. She was raised in the Valley and earned both her undergraduate degree and Juris Doctor from Arizona State University. Her interest in sustainability developed early and shaped her academic and professional path. Sukhmani has previously worked with several organizations advocating for expanded solar adoption in Arizona, focusing on policies designed to make clean energy more accessible and economically viable. Raised in a Sikh family with strong values centered on service, responsibility, and community, Sukhmani views environmental work as both a professional commitment and a personal mission. She is driven by a desire to help make Arizona’s communities cleaner, greener, and more sustainable for future generations.
Rev. Dr. Lisa Graumlich stands at the crossroads of science and spirit in humanity’s most critical hour. She champions the urgent need for robust and transparent science in our climate crisis. As a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Ecological Society of America (ESA), and Past President of the American Geophysical Union, she wields decades of climate research to understand our changing planet. Ordained as an Episcopal deacon in 2004 and serving at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona, Graumlich bridges the worlds of rigorous science and sacred calling. She is building bridges between faith and reason communities as we forge an equitable, sustainable Earth where all people thrive. Her career dedication to understanding global climate change now serves a sacred mission: awakening both scientific and spiritual communities to our shared responsibility for creation’s future.”
Jason Lowry received his master’s in Sustainable Communities from Northern Arizona University. After graduation, he worked as a community organizer for nine years in Texas and Arizona where he worked extensively with interfaith congregations on community and statewide issues including flooding, public education, and community and workforce development. Since joining Local First Arizona in 2022 as the Director of Sustainability Initiatives, Jason has worked to increase the reach and impact of Local First Arizona’s statewide sustainability programs — the Green Business Boot Camp, Green Business Certification, and Green Lending Products, which support businesses and rural communities to save money by adopting sustainable practices.
Lori Bryant was born and raised in Northern California. In university, Lori pursued degrees in the health sciences and became a licensed Physical Therapist. She worked as a Physical Therapist for 30 years, moving from California to Tucson in 1990. During her time working in Tucson, Lori cofounded a non-profit organization that provided orthopedic surgeries to underserved populations in South America. She also received a Master of Fine Arts in Non-fiction from the University of Arizona, where she focused her writing on the natural and spiritual world. Living in the Sonoran Desert has ingrained in Lori the interconnectedness of all of nature, and she strives to bring this awareness to her everyday life and volunteer work with her church and various community organizations. Lori loves hiking, birding, reading, and spending time with her husband and their cat.
Born in CT, Bill Janiga was interested in sports and creating things from an early age. He graduated from college with a teaching degree in Industrial Arts where he met his wife Ellen. He taught Junior High for two years before leaving to pursue a BS degree in Engineering, and has subsequently worked for over 40 years with Honeywell as an aviation engineer. His work took him to AZ in 1995 and it has been a tremendous growth period for him, his wife and 3 children. He is active on several committees at his church, and a Big Brother. When not working or volunteering, he loves to read, run, design and build furniture, bike, and be a father/grandfather. His favorite place is their cottage on Cape Cod, reading on the lake in the summer. In 2019, he has made a commitment to do his best to make sure his children/grandchildren can enjoy this place called Earth.
Jerry Robinson was raised in Alabama and was fortunate that his family took annual trips to the Rocky Mountains on camping and hiking trips, providing the building blocks for a deep appreciation of nature. The science of climate change led him to be an early adopter of hybrid cars and LED lighting. He spent over 30 years working in a variety of project management positions supporting large federal government programs. He moved to the valley in 2018 when his youngest daughter decided to join her sister at ASU. In addition to working with AZIPL, he is a Red Cross volunteer and supports local Food Banks. He enjoys reading, snow skiing and hiking.
Chrissy Dart grew up in a family which valued home-cooking, gardening, upcycling, recycling, composting and producing little waste. Family outings generally involved relaxing with cows at a local dairy, picking seasonal produce or visiting the “honey man.” Living a liturgical rhythm both spiritually and with nature were and are a way of life. This love of living with the earth seeps its way into Chrissy’s other interests. She loves to teach, just about anything to just about anybody. Currently she teaches T’ai Chi, gentle movement, and oral storytelling. The more she teaches these subjects, the more she falls in love with Sister Earth and the more she realizes how deeply and profoundly all life is connected. Chrissy is honored to serve on the Board of AZIPL.
AZIPL Staff
Melanie Beikman (she/her) – Executive Director
Melanie has an idealistic but persistent hope for democracy, which has led to serving on a school board in her hometown of Tempe (2010-2014) and learning the craft of community organizing in various roles with Arizona Interfaith Network, both in Pinal County and in the Phoenix area. Before all that, her working life started in molecular biology and biochemistry research labs with a few short detours like teaching English courses at a German university. She enjoys camping and hiking with husband Tom and is quite happy to sit under a tree reading a book or spotting birds while he goes fishing. Melanie stepped into the role of AZIPL Executive Director in 2023 having previously served as the Program & Outreach Coordinator.
Ris Ruiz (she/her), Outreach Coordinator
Ris’s zeal for climate justice, along with her background in community outreach and non-profit experience, led her to fill the AZIPL Program & Outreach Coordinator role. Before joining the team in 2023, she earned her minor in political science, a certificate from Barrett, the Honors College, and a Master’s in sustainability solutions from Arizona State University. She hopes to use what she’s learned to mobilize young people to advocate for sustainability and ensure that the climate conversation is an inclusive one! Beyond all of that, Ris loves spending time with her family (those with paws included) and chatting over a warm cup of coffee.
Rev. Doug Bland (he/him), Ambassador
Doug is one of the founders of Arizona Interfaith Power & Light and served as the Executive Director from 2009 – 2022. He also is a member of the Board of Directors for the national Interfaith Power & Light. Besides his interest in connecting spirituality and ecology, Doug is passionate about the art of storytelling. He is adjunct faculty at the South Mountain Community College Storytelling Institute, where he has taught “Telling Sacred Stories,” “Storytelling & Advocacy,” “Storytelling & Healing.”
Gretchen Reinhardt (she/they), Program Coordinator
Gretchen comes to AZIPL with a non-partisan, interfaith commitment to supporting democracy, rooted in integrity and justice: a Quaker vision of “living in that Life and Power that takes away the occasion for war” and trusting “that of God” to be accessible to each of us in our daily lives. Gretchen has worked in schools and on community-building, served a range of communities on committees, boards and commissions, and advocates for peace, justice & climate action. Gretchen finds joy and relaxation with her husband and two adult children, in wild spaces, while gardening, and as an artistic creator. Gretchen holds degrees in Conflict Analysis & Resolution (MS) and Politics (BA).
Forest Redlin (he/him), Information Systems
Forest joined AZIPL in 2020 to provide technical support for virtual operations. Since joining, Forest has led the implementation of a new CRM software and redesign of the AZIPL website. After graduating Macalester College in 2017, Forest has moved between Kenya and Arizona working in construction, project management, and social entrepreneurship. When not working, you will find Forest hiking at the bottom of the Grand Canyon or high up a mountain cliff rock climbing.