Who We Are

Earth Talks Foundation is guided by a committed group of environmental advocates, educators, and professionals who share a dedication to environmental stewardship, education, and service.

Our Board of Directors provides governance and fiduciary oversight to ensure the Foundation remains mission-aligned, accountable, and compliant with nonprofit standards. Our program and operations team supports the implementation of educational initiatives and day-to-day activities that advance our purpose.

As a growing organization, we are intentional about building strong leadership, clear roles, and responsible systems—principles that shape how we operate and steward charitable resources.

Board Directors

Laurie Zuckerman

Chair, Co-Founder

Laurie Zuckerman is Chair and Co-Founder of the Earth Talks Foundation, where she provides strategic leadership and governance for a global environmental nonprofit advancing planetary and human health. A third-generation member of a four-generation Rotary family, she brings decades of experience in environmental communications, education, fundraising, and volunteer leadership—building platforms that connect people, ideas, and practical solutions to inspire meaningful climate and sustainability action worldwide.

Karin Tome

Vice Chair, Co-Founder

Growing up near the Hudson River just north of NYC, Karin Tome spent a majority of her time wading in the water, lifting up rocks to see what creatures hid below, hiking in the woods and thoroughly learning from and enjoying the world outside. As a Jill-of-all-trades, Karin has incorporated her love of the environment in all jobs – from children’s library storyteller to Mayor of a small MD city to ice cream proprietor. She volunteers to share her knowledge, passion, and optimism with others.

Taesun Conners

Secretary, Co-Founder

Taesun is a University of Minnesota undergrad graduating in May 2026 with a Bachelor’s
Degree in Strategic Communications (advertsing). She is graduating with two minors, Korean Studies and Interdisciplinary Design. She had been part of ESRAG designing social media posts and is now stepping up in a new role as Secretary of the Board.

Maggie Spizzirri

Board Director, Governance, Co-Founder

Maggie Spizzirri (she/her) is the Executive Director of the Exposed Wildlife Conservancy and leads organization’s strategic growth and policy/advocacy efforts. She brings over 15 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, ethical marketing, and social impact strategy. She holds a BBA and is completing her Master’s in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Carleton University. A passionate advocate for science based coexistence and systems change.

Owen Berkholtz

Board Director, IT Chair

My name is Owen Berkholtz, and I serve as the IT Chair and a Board Director for both the Earth Talks Foundation and Rotary Earth Network Club. I am pursuing a degree in Computer Science and Cybersecurity at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where my academic experience, combined with self-driven learning, has given me a strong technical foundation. I am currently expanding my skills through hands-on projects and certifications, including CompTIA Security+ and Google’s Cybersecurity Professional Certificate, which have strengthened my analytical thinking, communication, and ability to develop secure and efficient software solutions. I am on track to graduate next December. During the summer, I reside in my hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and I also have experience working with environmental action groups through Rotary International, including ESRAG.

Program & Operations Team

Nagjyoti Bollapragada

Community & Program Lead, Co-Founder

Nagjyoti Bollapragada is an environmental engineer with professional expertise in water, wastewater, and industrial environmental systems. Trained in Industrial Electronics and Civil & Environmental Engineering, she has led environmental impact assessments, effluent treatment projects, and field monitoring across India’s Krishna River basin. A Rotarian and International Projects Lead, she brings multilingual, cross-cultural experience and deep commitment to collaborative environmental service.

Eva Patrashkova

Event Coordinator, Co-Founder

Besides her work for the Earth Talks Foundation, Eva Patrashkova is the founder of EP Consulting – advising international clients on sustainability issues. Previously, she spent over a decade working with the European institutions in Brussels. Her primary areas of focus surround the European Union’s policies on the environment, climate change, and energy and agricultural policies. During the course of 2016, Eva served as a senior diplomat for the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU and was chair of the Council working party on the environment. In 2022, she lectured a course on EU and US environmental policies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill as an adjunct professor.

Janna Berkholtz

Operations & Systems Lead

With over 25 years of experience in IT consulting for Fortune 500 companies, I am a seasoned leader who aligns technology with organizational strategy to create world class outcomes. I‘ve been a Rotarian since 2022 and enjoy using my skills to advance Rotary’s mission. My special interest is in Rotary’s Environment Focus Area. I live in Minneapolis, MN.

Bradley Johnson

Web Master

Bradley Johnson graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2025 with a B.S. in Computer Science. He has experience as a full-stack developer and enjoys creating visually polished and user-friendly websites. Motivated by sustainability, he hopes to use expertise with technology to support and protect the environment.

Founding Visionaries

Karen Kendrick-Hands

ESRAG Co-Founder

Karen Kendrick-Hands, is a member of the Rotary Club of Madison, WI, USA, D6250 since 2012, and co-founder of the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG). She has synergized her passions for Rotary Service, protecting the environment, and mitigating climate change by always seeking ways for like-minded Rotarians to collaborate.

She has served as ESRAG’s Chair, Director of Communications, and Director of Projects, and supports the Task Forces. In 2025 at Rotary’s International Convention in Calgary, she helped bring climate scientist and communicator Katharine Hayhoe to the General Session stage, coordinated all the activities of the Environment Hub in the House of Friendship, and chaired the preconvention ‘Building a Better World’ Conference.

As a member of Rotary International’s first delegation to the UNFCCC climate talks, she attended COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, November 2021. She also attended COP24, as RI’s first observer delegate in December 2018. In February 2020, Karen presented to the Rotary Foundation’s Environmental Issues Task Force, on behalf of ESRAG. Rotary International’s Directors and the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation accepted the Taskforce report unanimously and have created a seventh Area of Focus: Protecting the Environment. Since ESRAG’s recognition by RI in 2015, it has grown to include over 1800 members in 13 Regional Chapters from nearly 100 countries and over 330 Rotary Districts. Karen is a member of the Arch Klumph Society and was recently appointed to serve as a TRF Major Gifts Initiative Gifts Adviser for the Environment from 2024-27.

As an attorney, Karen has worked as a volunteer public interest advocate for cleaner air, climate action and mobility and transportation choices, including serving on various local, state, and regional advisory bodies, for over 30 years. A passionate knitter and designer, she also created City Knits, the first yarn store in the city of Detroit, Michigan after 20 years without one and continues to create community with knitting.

Karen is blessed to have been a Rotary Youth Exchange student in 1967-68 to Australia. Karen and her husband Larry Hands, also a Rotarian and former ESRAG Board member, have been married for 52 years, and have two married sons and three grandchildren. Together, Karen and Larry have built a carbon-neutral home and are restoring prairie and savanna habitat on 80 acres in southwest Wisconsin, USA.