About Us

President of OVEA

Frank, a proud resident of Follansbee, West Virginia in Brooke County, is deeply connected to his community's rich industrial history. In the late 19th century, the city was a hub for the iron and steel industry. In 2022, the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel coke plant was shut down after a century of operation, leaving the community to breathe the cleanest air in a lifetime.

However, Frank found himself at the forefront of a new challenge in December 2022 when a proposed medical waste facility aimed to establish itself on a brownfield site from the previous industrial era. Frank rallied alongside his neighbors to ensure the health and well-being of their families were protected.

Frank recognizes that Follansbee and other designated fossil fuel industrial zones along the Ohio River on both the West Virginia and Ohio sides are in need of revitalization. To achieve positive environmental change and promote health, economy, and equity for all, Frank believes it is crucial to unify the community's voice.

Managing Director of Freshwater Accountability Project

Leatra Harper received her graduate degree in Organization Development from Bowling Green State University and her undergraduate degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Toledo. Harper is a certified Success Unlimited Network life coach and author of Energetic Coaching; Being and Doing with Spirit. Harper has worked as adjunct faculty teaching business classes and has a corporate background as project manager for large government contracts. She has been a long-time environmental and child advocate and is currently the Managing Director for a statewide nonprofit called FreshWater Accountability Project, dedicated to protecting and preserving Ohio’s fresh air and water for future generations in the face of fracking, the planned petrochemical buildout on the Ohio River, and climate change.

Dr. Eric Beckman sustained a strong research portfolio and developed new technologies that expanded the frontiers of sustainability. He fostered mutually beneficial linkages with industry to create partnerships, collaborative research, and technology transfer, facilitating contract work and the commercialization of intellectual property. A key focus of his work was the development of the innovation and translation program for a circular economy. As Director Emeritus, Eric provided strategic counsel to the Center.

Eric received his BS in Chemical Engineering from MIT in 1980 and a PhD in Polymer Science from the University of Massachusetts in 1988. He joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 1989, becoming an associate professor in 1994 and a full professor in 1997. He received numerous accolades, including a Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation in 1992 and the Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 2002.

Eric co-founded the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation in 2003 and Cohera Medical Inc. in 2005. He took an entrepreneurial leave from the University in 2007-2009 to help bring surgical adhesive technology to market. His research group focused on using molecular design to address problems in green product formulation and materials for tissue engineering. Eric published over 175 papers and held more than 40 US patents.

Dr. Randi Pokladnik was born and raised in the Ohio Valley. She earned an associate degree in Environmental Engineering, a BA in Chemistry, and an MA and Ph.D. in Environmental Studies. She is a retired research chemist and teacher. Dr. Pokladnik is an active writer and a member of FaCT, a faith-based organization educating people about fracking and climate change. She is also a volunteer teacher for Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action and a volunteer for Save Ohio Parks. She has received several environmental awards, including the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition’s Fracktivist of the Year. Dr. Pokladnik has been an environmental activist in the Ohio River Valley for over 50 years. She resides with her husband in an eco-log home on Tappan Lake.

Joanne Martin is the Executive Director of Reimagine Beaver County (RBC), a grassroots initiative working to catalyze green economic development in the Ohio River Valley. Joanne’s early career as a commercial banker and co-founder/President of an international metals company was inconsistent with sustainable and regenerative systems. The lessons learned from working in extractive and fossil fuel industries motivated her to explore healthier alternative options.

RBC was one of the earliest community visioning projects in the region. Residents identified a range of businesses that prioritized the environment as highly as economics. The participants researched various raw materials and selected industrial hemp, an alternative to plastic packaging with applications in a wide range of other industries. The next steps for RBC are to bring together farmers, manufacturers, investors, entrepreneurs, and others to launch this industry, championing human health and environmental stewardship while creating jobs to support families.

Joanne has been a driving force behind visioning a new regional paradigm that challenges the old top-down development approach and involves regular people in their communities. Her definition of innovation transcends technologies and includes heart, imagination, and the willingness to bypass the old way of doing business. Home life involves a lot of outdoor time with her animal family.