Featured Speakers

Dr. Carol A. Couch
Dr. Carol A. Couch is the current Director of the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) within the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Appointed by Governor Perdue and the Board of Natural Resources in October 2003, Dr. Couch is the first woman to lead EPD in its 34-year history. As Director, she is responsible for an 800-person agency that implements and enforces 26 state and four federal laws designed to protect, conserve and restore Georgia's environmental resources. Before joining EPD, Dr. Couch was Chief of the Ecological Synthesis Program for the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program, leading nationally distributed, multidisciplinary teams of engineers, hydrologists, chemists, and biologists in the design, conduct, and reporting of the ecological components of water resource investigations. Prior to that, she served as Southeastern Regional Biologist in the Southeastern Region, and as Hydrologist in the Georgia District, of the USGS Water Resources Division. Dr. Couch has her Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Georgia, as well as Master's and Bachelor's degrees from the University of South Carolina and the Georgia Institute of Technology, respectively. She is a Georgian, raised in Columbus.

Ms. Pamela Knox
Ms. Pamela Knox has served as the Assistant State Climatologist for Georgia since 2001. The State Climatology Office is located at the University of Georgia in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. In that position she provides weather and climate data and analysis to a wide variety of users across the southeastern United States. In the past she also worked as the Wisconsin State Climatologist and in the National Weather Service. She has also previously served as President of the American Association of State Climatologists and on the American Meteorological Society as Board of Applied Climatology. Ms. Knox holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics from Calvin College and a Master's degree in Meteorology from the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Dennis Ownby
Dr. Ownby is Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine and Head of the Section of Allergy and Immunology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. He received his B.S. degree, cum laude, from Ohio University in 1969 and his M.D. from the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo in 1972. He did both his residency in pediatrics and fellowship in allergy, immunology, and pulmonary disease at Duke University Medical Center. He was a faculty member at Duke University until 1979 when he moved to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. While at Henry Ford Hospital, Dr. Ownby held clinical faculty appointments at the University of Michigan and at Case Western University. In 1998 he moved from Detroit to his present position at MCG. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Dr. Ownby is listed in "Best Doctors in America," and in "America's Top Doctors." He has published over 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals in addition to more than 40 book chapters, reviews, and editorials. Dr. Ownby has previously chaired the Allergenic Products Advisory Board of the U.S. FDA, and he currently serves on the Data Safety Monitoring Panel of the National Institutes of Allergic and Infectious Diseases. His primary research interest is environmental factors affecting the development of asthma in children.

Dr. Judith Curry
Dr. Judith Curry is Professor and Chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Curry received a Ph.D. in atmospheric science from the University of Chicago in 1982. Prior to joining the faculty at Georgia Tech, she has held faculty positions at the University of Colorado, Penn State University, and Purdue University. Dr. Curry's research interests span a variety of topics in climate; current interests include air/sea interactions, climate feedback processes associated with clouds and sea ice, and applications of satellite data to interpreting recent variations in the climate data record. Dr. Curry currently serves on the National Academies Climate Research Committee and the Space Studies Board, and the NOAA Climate Working Group. Dr. Curry is author of the book "Thermodynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans" and is editor for the Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences. She has published over 130 refereed journal articles. Her research has been recognized by receipt of the Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation and the Henry Houghton Award from the American Meteorological Society. Dr. Curry is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union.

Ms. Elizabeth Sparrow Robertson
Ms. Elizabeth Sparrow Robertson is the Director of the Division of Energy Resources of the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA), which is the Georgia State Energy Office. Through Executive Order by Governor Sonny Perdue, the Division is currently developing a comprehensive energy strategy for the State of Georgia. Also through Executive Order, the Division is establishing a statewide program and advisory council for purchasing natural gas and electricity for over 12,000 facilities statewide. The Division hosts the Energy and Environment Integration Task Force for state government and provides program management for the Clean Air Campaign, in addition to implementing the federally funded State Energy Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program. Ms. Robertson is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and serves as treasurer of the organization. She is on the Energy Committee of the Keystone Center, the Advisory Board for the Georgia Industrial Technology Partnership, and the Energy and Environmental Management Center of the Georgia Institute of Technology. A native Georgian, Ms. Robertson has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Georgia and a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University. She is a graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute and the Governor's Executive Leadership Institute and is in Class IV of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership (IGEL).

Dr. Roger Tutterow
In 2005, Dr. Roger C. Tutterow was named Dean of the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics at Mercer University. He formerly served as Chairman and Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance at Kennesaw State University's Coles College of Business. Dr. Tutterow also served as Director of the Econometric Center where he coordinated the development of statistical models as well as the Metropolitan Atlanta Consumer Confidence Survey. His analysis of the economic, business and political environments have been featured in a variety of media including Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Arizona Republic, Florida Times-Union, Kansas City Star, Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post and on CNN, CNBC, NBC, Bloomberg Television, NPR's "Marketplace" and "All Things Considered," and CNN-Radio as well as by regional electronic and print media. In addition to his work in academia, Dr. Tutterow has served as a consultant specializing in the application of quantitative analysis to economic, financial, and business problems. Since 2003, Dr. Tutterow has served as Chief Economic Advisor to the Henssler Financial Group. In addition, he has provided expert testimony on economic, financial, and statistical matters in state and federal court. Dr. Tutterow has given over 300 speeches to professional and civic groups on various topics in the economic, business and political environment. In 1997, he was selected by Georgia Trend magazine as one of the "forty under 40" rising stars in business, government and academia. In 2003, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Dr. Tutterow to serve on the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors. In addition, Dr. Tutterow serves as a member of the Board of Visitors at Berry College, the Board of Directors for Community Bank of West Georgia, the Board of Governors for the Vinings Club and the Advisory Board for Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Atlanta. A Georgia native, Dr. Tutterow holds a B.S. in Decision Science from Berry College and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Georgia State University. Prior to joining Kennesaw State, he was on the faculty at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. He has also served as a visiting professor at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and at the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies in Seoul, South Korea.

Mr. Harold Linnenkohl
Commissioner Harold E. Linnenkohl graduated in 1968 with a degree in Civil Engineering Technology from Southern Technical Institute in Marietta, Georgia. He immediately began his career with the Georgia Department of Transportation as a Civil Engineering Technologist, supervising asphalt construction in the metro Atlanta and north Georgia area. His time with the Department was interrupted to serve in the U.S. Army for two years, which included a tour in the Republic of Vietnam. After being honorably discharged he returned to the DOT. In 1983, Mr. Linnenkohl was promoted to Assistant State Bituminous Construction Engineer, having more direct supervisory responsibility for asphalt construction and design statewide. In 1985, he was promoted to State Aid Engineer, and in 1993 to State Aid Administrator, working with local governments on all local transportation needs. In 1995, he assumed the additional responsibilities of Executive Assistant to the Commissioner. Mr. Linnenkohl was named Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation in May 2000, during which time he also guided the Department's deliberations with State of Georgia elected officials. The State Transportation Board selected Mr. Linnenkohl as the Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner in September, 2003. Mr. Linnenkohl directs a department of some 5,800 employees and manages a budget of more than $2 billion as the DOT is the primary agency responsible for "safe and sustainable" transportation infrastructure in Georgia. Mr. Linnenkohl is a past recipient of the James F. Condron Award from the Federal Highway Administration and is the current President of the Southeastern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (SASHTO). He also is President of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Mr. Joel Cowan
Joel Cowan grew up in Cartersville, Georgia, and graduated from Georgia Tech in 1958. He owns Habersham & Cowan, Inc., an investment company based in Atlanta. His past major business interests have been in real estate development. He is the founder of Georgia's new town of Peachtree City serving as its first Mayor beginning in 1959. He was also the chief executive of its development company through 1976. Peachtree City is widely known for its innovative lifestyle features such as 80 miles of paved cart paths, 20% open space, and an effectively administered sign and land use ordinance. Mr. Cowan has also developed such projects as Phipps Plaza, Snapfinger Woods, and Palmetto Dunes. For the last several years his primary interests have been international. This involves both for profit and non-profit work in the The Netherlands and the emerging economies of Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Russia, and China. These activities focus on trade, technology transfer, and merchant banking. Education and leadership training are the focus of his non-profit activities. He is now a director of World Airways Inc. (WLDA). He was formerly a director of Continental Airlines (NYSE), Interstate General Company (ASE), and IRT Property Company (IRT). He currently is Adjunct Professor and holder of the Chair of Servant Leadership at Georgia Tech. He was the founding Chairman of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) and the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. He is a former at large member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. He was former Governor Joe Frank Harris' campaign chairman in his two elections and served as Honorary Chief of Staff throughout his two terms. He served in various unpaid capacities for Governor Harris including Chairman of the Governor's Growth Strategies Commission and Chairman of the Board of the Department of Community Affairs. He is a trustee emeritus of the Georgia Tech Foundation, former trustee of The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, and Chairman of the Community Foundation of Fayette County. He is a member of the board of the East-West Institute of New York and former Chairman of the Board of Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School.

Air Resources Engineering Center at Georgia Tech. Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0512