What is the Smart Great Lakes Initiative?
The Great Lakes region has an opportunity to be more connected than ever. By leveraging technology innovations and advancing data management and analysis, we can improve our understanding, use, and management of the lakes.
This is the Smart Great Lakes vision.
In 2019, the Smart Great Lakes Initiative (SGLi) began to encourage participation and foster collaboration between organizations interested in making this vision a reality. Partners are a binational, cross-sector group of volunteers representing resource management, government, academia, the private sector, and more.
The Smart Great Lakes Initiative is a collaborative consortium that is organizing the region’s technology ecosystem and network of partners around common policy goals to improve monitoring, data management and analysis, advance research, and spur technology innovation.
SGLi partners work toward three goals:
- Developing a Smart Great Lakes Common Strategy.
- Serving as a regional forum for addressing information needs.
- Fundraising to propel innovative projects.
SGLi partners participate on various committees including:
Leadership Team
- Develops strategic goals for the initiative.
- Approves policy positions.
- Represents stakeholders.
- Fundraises.
Steering Committee
- Oversees writing of the Common Strategy.
- Advises the Leadership Team.
- Encourages the participation of regional partners.
- Distills policy questions.
Issue Area Strategy Teams
- Advises on 3 priority areas:
- Science and innovation
- Data and information
- Policy and management
- Contributes to the Common Strategy.
Join an Issue Area Strategy Team [PDF]
Current Partners
Leadership Team
Mark Fisher (co-chair) – Council of the Great Lakes Region
Kelli Paige (co-chair) – Great Lakes Observing System
Aaron Fisk – University of Windsor
Aaron Packman – Northwestern University
Bhaleka Persand – University of Waterloo
Bryan Stubbs – Cleveland Water Alliance
Christopher Hilkene – Pollution Probe
Dean Alonistiotis – Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Office of Commissioner Kim du Buclet
Jeanette Schnars – Regional Science Consortium
Jennifer Boehme – International Joint Commission
John Robinson – Mazarine Ventures
Leon Carl – U.S. Geological Survey
Steering Committee
Warren Currie (co-chair) – Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Michael Twiss (co-chair) – Clarkson University
Andrew Bramburger – Environment and Climate Change Canada
Dean Alonistiotis – Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Office of Commissioner Kim du Buclet
Deborah Lee – NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
Jeff Moon – Portage Network
JC Nelson – U.S. Geological Survey
Joel Brammaier – Alliance for the Great Lakes
Kat Kavanagh – Water Rangers
Krysha Dukacz – McMaster University
Mark Leggott – Research Data Canada
Mike McKay – University of Windsor
Tom Hollenhorst – EPA Office of Research and Development, Toxicology and Ecology Division
Tom Miller – SpinDance
Issue Area Strategy Teams
Science and Innovation
John Lenters (co-chair) – Michigan Technological University
Kat Kavanagh (co-chair) – Water Rangers
Aaron Fisk – University of Windsor
Aaron Packman – Northwestern University
Andrew Barnard – Michigan Technological University
Alice Dove – Environment and Climate Change Canada
Ann Rosen – Global Affairs Canada
Awoke Dagnew – Environmental Consulting and Technology (ECT)
Benjamin Miller – WeatherFlow, Inc.
Bob Sterner – University of Minnesota Duluth, Large Lakes Observatory
Chris Vandergoot – Michigan State University, Great Lakes Telemetry Observation Network
Craig Hill – University of Minnesota Duluth, Large Lakes Observatory
Ivette Vera-Perez – Mitacs
Jay Austin – University of Minnesota Duluth, Large Lakes Observatory
Jeanette Schnars – Regional Science Consortium
Jennifer Grieser – Cleveland Metroparks
Jeremy Holden – Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Joe Ortiz – Kent State University
John Robinson – Mazarine Ventures
Laura Bourgeau-Chavez – Michigan Tech. Research Institute
Madeline Magee – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Maggie Xenopoulos – Trent University
Max Herzog – Cleveland Water Alliance
Nathan D. Zgnilec – OHM Advisors
Ngan Diep – Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Shelby Brunner – Great Lakes Observing System
Steven Cai – StormSensor
Svetlana Taylor – Current
Tom Hollenhorst – EPA Office of Research and Development, Toxicology and Ecology Division
Data and Information
Krysha Dukacz (co-chair) – McMaster University
JC Nelson (co-chair) – U.S. Geological Survey
Terry Brown – EPA Office of Research and Development, Scientific Computing and Data Curation Division
Andy Chartier – Linked Technologies
Awoke Dagnew – Environmental Consulting and Technology
Carolyn DuBois – The Gordon Foundation
Benjamin Miller – WeatherFlow, Inc.
Carolyn Foley – Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
Clinton Little – Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Craig Hill – University of Minnesota Duluth
Don Arcuri – Great Lakes Fishery Commission US Committee of Advisors
Guy Meiri – IoSight
Hannah Ramage – Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve
Jeremy Holden – Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Joe Ortiz – Kent State Untiversity
John Lenters – Michigan Technological University
John Robinson – Mazarine Ventures
Katelynn Johnson – Real-time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network (RAEON)
Kelly Knee – RPS Group
Linden Brinks – Great Lakes Observing System
Madeline Magee – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Maggie Xenopoulos – Trent University
Marylee Murphy – University of Wisconsin-Superior, Great Waters Research Collaborative
Max Herzog – Cleveland Water Alliance
Ngan Diep – Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Peter Colohan – Internet of Water
Rick Wilson – Conservation Ontario
Steven Cai – StormSensor
Tom Hollenhorst – EPA Office of Research and Development, Toxicology and Ecology Division
Vidya Balasubramanyam – Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
Policy and Management
Dean Alonistiotis (co-chair) – Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Office of Commissioner Kim du Buclet
Mary-Claire Buell (co-chair) – Trent University
Chad Lord – National Parks Conservation Association and Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition
Don Arcuri – Great Lakes Fishery Commission US Committee of Advisors
Jennifer Grieser – Cleveland Metroparks
Joel Brammaier – Alliance for the Great Lakes
Katie Rousseau – Great Lakes Observing System
Laura Rubin – Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition
Madeline Magee – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Matt McKenna – Northeast-Midwest Institute
Sophia Green – EPA Office of Research and Development, Toxicology and Ecology Division
Ryan Wilson – Metropolitan Planning Council
Tom Rayburn – Lake Carriers’ Association
Vidya Balasubramanyam – Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
Interested in learning more?
Email Smart Great Lakes Liaison Katie Rousseau at katie@glos.org.
