Staff and Faculty
Kelly Altizer
Kelly Altizer provides project management, facilitation, stakeholder outreach, and community engagement for a wide range of projects, which have included issues of coastal resilience, agricultural, environmental justice, forestry, and conservation, among others. In her current role, she serves as Director of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute (VNRLI). She received a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University, and a B.A. in Government and Environmental Thought & Practice from the University of Virginia.
Marcus Comer, Ph.D
Dr. Marcus Comer currently serves as Associate Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist at Virginia State University, teaching and developing outreach programs for farmers, ranchers, and landowners. He has developed and constructed 4-H programming for youth, community development, research, and serving on College of Agriculture, departmental and university committees. Prior to his time at Virginia State University, Dr. Comer was employed by North Carolina A&T as Professor of Agricultural Education for undergraduate and graduate students. Teaching courses including instructional technology, adult education, leadership, curriculum, program development, public policy, and program evaluation. Dr. Comer Graduated from Tennessee State University in 1997, earning a Master of Science Agricultural Education, before completing his Doctorate in Philosophy, Career, and Technical Education-Concentration in Agricultural Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2002.
Tanya Denckla Cobb
In 1997 I found a professional “home” at IEN for my passion for bringing people together to discover common ground and create solutions for mutual gain. Beginning as a Senior Associate, then Associate Director, I was privileged to be appointed Director in 2015. Through the years my work has covered a broad range of challenging environmental, agricultural and community issues. Now, as Director, working with a talented and collaborative team, I strive to be a servant leader while providing vision and strategic direction. As we build on IEN’s rich history to continue tackling the tough issues with integrity, our team seeks to meet the evolving needs of our times, through innovative leadership in our field and engaging stakeholders in ways that are fresh, focused, relevant and effective.
Frank Dukes, Ph.D.
I have been privileged to work for the Institute for Environmental Negotiation (IEN) since 1990, and served as its Director from 2000-2015. As a mediator and facilitator, I seek to help individuals and groups address complex public problems and conflicts in ways that strengthen communities rather than tear them apart. Each year I work on average on a dozen or so projects involving environment and land use, contaminated sites, community development, education, and health. I have also facilitated many difficult community conversations on topics ranging from faith and homosexuality, to education, to reparations for slavery.
Mike Ellerbrock, Ph.D.
Professor, Extension Specialist and Director of the Center for Economic Education at VT. Mike has been teaching environmental economics, environmental ethics and environmental theology for 24 years. Mike participated in the Kellogg Foundation’s Natural Resources Leadership Institute at the University of Kentucky. He served on the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Environmental Education and drafted the final report. Mike has received seven major university teaching awards, including the Congressionally-Sponsored USDA National Award for Teaching Excellence for all fields of Agriculture, Natural Resources, Human and Veterinary Sciences. Mike serves as Special Assistant to the Provost for undergraduate education. He has taught twice in UVA’s Semester-at-Sea program.
Craig R. Nicol
Raised on an Ohio Century Farm, Craig made his way to Virginia through the US Navy, He serves as Regional Director for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Tidewater Office. In his current role, Craig strives to be a servant leader by engaging the next generation of environmental leaders, within his community, DEQ, and those enrolled in IEN’s Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute (VNRLI). As a Certified Mindfulness Facilitator, he encourages others to expand their understanding and use of mindfulness in leadership. Craig has a B.S. in Environmental Science from Ferrum College and a MALS from Hollins University. When not working, he spends his free time creating art, cooking, and investigating the environment (and people) around him.