Our Team

Arturo Angeles is the Social Media and Development Associate at the Institute for Ecological Civilization. He has more than ten years of experience in environmental conservation in the non-profit sector, specializing in environmental communications. He is passionate about using multimedia and social media to educate, inspire and empower others to take an active role in natural resources preservation and environmental conservation.

Arturo earned a B.S. in Biology from San Diego State University and a M.S. in Resilient and Sustainable Communities from Prescott College, Arizona. When taking a break from work, you will find him somewhere in San Diego, California, at a park with his son, hiking, or at the beach.

Ebony Bailey is a researcher, photographer and filmmaker whose work explores cultural intersections, diaspora and food justice. She is interested in using communications as a means of telling stories that weave together diverse social causes. She received a B.A. in journalism at USC and recently completed her Master’s thesis documentary project at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Dr. Kelli Archie is an environmental social scientist, and has spent the past 12 years as an academic in New Zealand and the USA studying climate change adaptation and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Climate Change, Geography, Environmental Science and Environmental Studies.  She earned a Ph.D. and M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a B.A. in Economics from Colorado State University. As a native of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, she is particularly interested in alpine and mountainous regions and she has worked around the world in the United States, the Indian Himalayas, Vanuatu and New Zealand. Kelli is excited to about transitioning to the non-profit world where she hopes her work can make a more tangible difference.  Kelli currently lives on the side of a ski run in Grand County, Colorado with her husband Tim, their three young daughters and one very old dog. When not on the road learning as much as they can about our beautiful planet, the Archies can typically be found on or near a trail; skiing, biking, hiking, or rock climbing.

Jessica Mardock is a researcher, educator, and numbers guru, who is passionate about bridging the gap between research and practice by instituting social science and statistical best practices into real-life application. Jessica directs budgetary analysis and business development for the Institute for Ecological Civilization and financial business operations and compliance for ViviFi Planning, LLC. She earned a Master of Science from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor of Arts from Franklin College. Jessica is a dedicated steward of the environment and can often be found educating her daughter on the finer points of gardening, baking/cooking, and finding the best tree to hug whilst recharging in nature.

Tom Broad is a technology generalist who enjoys working with folks of all kinds. He is a technology researcher, educator, project manager, and absolute data nerd who is passionate about making technology simple — whether it is speaking in layman’s terms or implementing a new technology or business system. Since working for Apple, Inc, Tom enjoys continually keeping up-to-date on the latest technology trends, security flaws, and the latest technology risks. For more than 15 years, Tom has consulted in technology for a variety of different companies, non-profits, churches and entrepreneurs, working through their common technology issues in very methodical, systemic and simple, yet collaborative ways. Tom thoroughly enjoys all subjects outdoors and has a deep passion for preserving our world for many generations to come. Tom can often be found out hiking beautiful Ohio trails or camping with his wife and four kids, taking in some rest and relaxation in nature.

Philip Clayton, Ingraham Professor at Claremont School of Theology, has taught and written for several decades on relations between science, religion, and ethics. The author or editor of some two dozen books, he now researches on societal changes that are necessary for establishing sustainable forms of civilization on this planet.

Jeremy Fackenthal is a scholar, filmmaker, and teacher who passionately explores the intersection of arts, philosophy, and activism as a means of communicating what an Ecological Civilization could become.  He earned a MDiv at Christian Theological Seminary and a PhD in Philosophy of Religion and Theology at Claremont Graduate University, continues to do documentary film work, and writes on critical theory and process thought.

Jesse Knapp leads EcoCiv’s operations in the nation’s capital, connecting with partner organizations, coordinating media strategy with the EcoCiv publicity team, and setting goals and strategies for events around the world. He has a background in politics as well as media. He served as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson before studying film at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where he earned a master’s degree. Before joining EcoCiv, he worked as an independent film producer in Los Angeles. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.

Ellie Leaning is a recent graduate of Antioch University’s Environmental Studies Master’s Program with a specialization in Advocacy for Social Justice and Sustainability and a graduate certificate in Food Justice for Resilient Communities. Ellie has experience working with a variety of non-profit organizations and sectors including food systems, international affordable housing, global health, wildlife conservation, and environmental education in the U.S., Switzerland, and Southern Africa. Ellie obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Franklin University Switzerland in Environmental Studies with minors in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies, Political Science, and Psychology. She currently works a contract basis for a variety of different projects and splits her time between South Africa and the United States, mostly on the East Coast.

Austin Roberts is a doctoral candidate at Drew University in the Graduate Division of Religion. He is currently writing a dissertation on political theology, process thought, and the Anthropocene. After joining EcoCiv as a project manager in 2018, he collaborated with other team members to produce the EcoCiv Podcast. He now lives in Northern California where he teaches college courses in religion and philosophy.

Azra Tanović is a multi-disciplinary sustainability professional, private consultant and a recent graduate of Tufts University’s Master of Science program in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering (with a graduate certificate in Water: Systems, Science and Society). Since graduating from Tufts, Azra has worked as a private consultant in the public, private and NGO sectors, on a number of environmental and climate change projects with a particular focus on water quantity and quality issues. Azra obtained two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Miami, and currently splits her time between New York City and Europe.

Caisa Charleston is a filmmaker and video editor that wants to use her skills to help educate the people around her. As a video production assistant at Ecological Civilization, she puts her skills to work on EcoCiv project and helps articulate the connection between social and environmental constructs.

Caisa earned her B.A. in Media Arts at the University of North Texas. When she’s not on set or working behind the scenes, you can find her watching movies, playing video games, and playing with her dog.

Shelby Denckla is the Executive Assistant and Project Development Specialist for Ecological Civilization. She has extensive experience providing administrative support to executives and teams, as well as coordinating projects and events. Shelby has worked in the public, private, and non-profit sectors and enjoys learning about and facilitating engagements between industry and thought leaders. Shelby attended Franklin University Switzerland where she studied History and International Relations.