The 2026 AOC Advisory Committee
The work of delisting the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern is directed by a committee of stakeholders representing community groups, businesses, government agencies and other organizations working for clean water, watershed stewardship and restoration.
The Committee’s role is to develop strategic priorities for removing Beneficial Use Impairments and delisting the AOC, and to advise Ohio EPA on measures to implement such strategies.
Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District is the facilitating organization that staffs the Advisory Committee.
The application period for the 2026-2028 term of the Cuyahoga AOC Advisory Committee has now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted an application. The Annual General Election will take place January 2026 (check the Events Page for more information).
Please visit this page again in the Fall of 2026 for the next call of applications. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@cuyahogaaoc.org.
Jennifer Grieser, Chair
Cleveland Metroparks
William Hughes, Vice Chair
Public Member
Sarah Barrow
Summit Soil & Water Conservation District
Carly Beck
Littoral Services, LLC
Zach Cebula
Cleveland Cliffs, Inc.
Megan Conklin
Cuyahoga County Board of Health
Pamela Davis
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency
Gabriella Eisel
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority
Pat Gsellman, P.E.
Public Member
Scott Hardy
Ohio Sea Grant
Jennifer Heard
Water Pollution Control
Emily Kao
Doan Brook Watershed Partnership
Tom LaPlante
Northeast Ohio Four County Regional Planning and Development Organization
Whitnye Long Jones
Organic Connects, Inc.
Samantha Martin
Cleveland Water Alliance
Erica Matheny
Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners
Elaine Price
Cuyahoga County Planning Commission
Bryce Pulley
City of Cuyahoga Falls
David Ritter
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
Megan Shaeffer
Summit Metro Parks
Megan Smith
Akron Water Supply Bureau
Meghan Tinker Paynter
Canalway Partners
Heather Ullinger
City of Akron
Katie Wells
Interlake Maritime Services
Christina Znidarsic
Davey Resource Group
Ex-Officio
Kristina Patterson
Ohio Lake Erie Commission
Hannah Boesinger
Ohio Lake Erie Commission
Brian Hinterberger
U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers
Ed Kender
National Park Service / Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Suse LaGory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Beth Sparks-Jackson
United States Geological Survey
Joshua Kosik
ODNR – Division of Wildlife
Amber Bellamy
U.S. Fish & Wildlife