Environmental Advisory Council

Act 152, 07/02/21 establishes the Environmental Advisory Council. The Council serves as a liaison between the Director and the public on matters concerning ecology and environmental quality. The Council monitors the progress of state, county, and federal agencies in achieving the State’s environmental goals and policies and publishes its findings in its annual reports. The Council also conducts forums for various outreach activities. Any questions for the Council can be submitted online.

Meetings

The Environmental Advisory Council meets according to Hawaii Administrative Rules 11-201 Environmental Advisory Council Rules of Practice and Procedure. Council meetings fall on the first Tuesday of every month and are open to the public. Agendas (including those for the Rules, Exemption, Information/Outreach, Legislative, and Annual Report Committees) are posted here approximately one week prior to the meeting to conform with sunshine requirements. Submissions for the Council’s consideration on an agenda item should be submitted before the day of the meeting so that Council members may have an opportunity to review them.

Meeting minutes, monthly recordings of the Council and Committee meetings are archived.

Members

The 15 Council members are appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to assure a broad and balanced representation of educational, business, and environmentally pertinent disciplines and professions, such as the natural and social sciences, the humanities, architecture, engineering, environmental consulting, public health, and planning; educational and research institutions with environmental competence; agriculture, real estate, visitor industry, construction, and media; and voluntary community and environmental groups.

To apply to be on the Council, submit an online application under Department of Business, Economic Development, & Tourism - Environmental Advisory Council.

	Dawn Hegger-Nordblom Vice-Chairperson Maui Interim term expires 6/30/2027	Dawn Hegger-Nordblom received her Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree with a focus in Community Planning from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a BA degrees in Psychology and Social Behavior and BA in Environmental Analysis and Design from the University of California, Irvine She worked for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands as the Senior Planner and ran Contested Cases, Enforcement Cases, and processed Conservation District Use Application permits with accompanying Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements. She worked for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, the Hawaii Community Development Authority, and the Hawaii Army National Guard as the National Environmental Policy Act Coordinator. She served on the Office of Planning’s, Marine and Coastal Zone Advocacy Council, Ke Kahu O Na Kumu Wai, and was a member of the West Maui Community Plan Advisory Committee. She started Ke Kai Planning LLC in 2017. Clients include federal, state, and county agencies, private sector firms, and include non-profit or community organizations in need of pro-bono services. Dawn and her husband live on Maui’s west side with two teenagers attending Lahainaluna High School. Dawn notes Hawaii’s natural resources need to be protected and preserved and also be able to face the challenge of Sea Level Rise and Climate Change.
	Michele Lefebvre Hawaiʻi Term expires 6/30/2026	Michele has a PhD in biology from the University of Utah and bachelor’s degree in biology from Boston University. She is an environmental scientist and project manager at Stantec Consulting Services Inc. Since 2005, Michele has been preparing environmental assessments and environmental impact statements for a variety of applicant and agency projects. Her experience includes complying with NEPA and HEPA statutes, rules, regulations, and applicable orders and decisions. She taught the Environmental Impact Assessment undergraduate course at UH-Hilo for two semesters. She and her husband are raising their 2 daughters in Hilo. Michele also enjoys playing tennis, swimming, and traveling.
	Rachel Sprague Chairperson Lānaʻi Term expires 6/30/2026	Dr. Rachel Sprague is the co-Director of Conservation for Pūlama Lānaʻi. The Pūlama Lānaʻi conservation program received the 2018 Business Leader Award from the Hawaiʻi’s Invasive Species Council for protecting seabirds and other native wildlife on Lānaʻi from invasive predators, and the company's biosecurity efforts to prevent new species introductions. Dr. Sprague received her B.A. from Bowdoin College in Maine, and her Ph.D. in wildlife biology from the University of Montana studying physiology and behavior of Laysan albatross (in Hawaiʻi). Through her 20+ years of conservation work with coastal and island wildlife, she has been particularly interested in scientific and public communication, stakeholder and community engagement, conflict transformation, and long-term partnership building, including co-authoring a book chapter on the role of language in framing and driving human conflict about wildlife. Rachel also enjoys volunteering with other conservation organizations: she is the Region 12 director (HI, NV, CA, and Guam) on the board of the National Wildlife Federation, past-president of Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi (the National Wildlife Federation’s state affiliate) and the Western Section of The Wildlife Society, and current chair of the Pacific Seabird Group.
	Jay Stone Oahu Interim term expires 6/30/2028	Jay Stone was born and raised in Kailua on Oʻahu. He is a graduate of Maryknoll High School. Jay received Mr. Stone is Bowers + Kubota Consulting’s Principal-in-Charge of Civil Engineering. He holds bachelor’s degrees in English and Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and is a licensed civil engineer in Hawai‘i. He is also a board-certified environmental engineer in water supply and wastewater with the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, Certified Floodplain Manager, Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control, Certified Professional in Storm Water Quality, and LEED Accredited Professional. He is a former instructor with the University of Hawai‘i Outreach Program Water Technology Education Program. Jay is the principal-in-charge of the Civil Engineering department at Bowers + Kubota Consulting, Inc. With over 31 years of experience, Mr. Stone’s design expertise includes stormwater treatment and inspections, ecosystem restoration, wastewater collection and treatment, water treatment and supply systems, and drainage improvements. He also has extensive experience in environmental permit processes at federal, state and county levels as related to waterfront projects, including Department of the Army permits, Section 401 Water Quality Certification, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, and resource agency (NOAA, USFWS, SHPD, DLNR-DAR and DOFAW) consultations.