Over the past 15 years, I have worked for a number of environmental non-profit organizations, among them: EarthWatch Institude (www.earthwatch.org), LightHawk, the Environmental Airforce, (www.lighthawk.org), the Southeast Center @ Ocean Arks International (www.oceanarks.org) , SouthWings (www.southwings.org) and the Chattanooga Nature Center (www.chattanature.org).
I co-created the classroom Living Machine program while at the Southeast Center @ Ocean Arks International, have been published in the Hellbender Magazine, Instructor Magazine, and Annals of Earth, I have given program presentations at the Southern Man and Biosphere Conference, 2001, the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce Conference on Sustainable Development,1996, the Ecological Futures and Global National Conference, 1996, and the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, 1995. I have extensive experience in project and staff management, grant writing, business development, budgeting and program presentation.
I received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College in 1986, with a concentration in Political Science and Philosophy. I received a Masters in Environmental Science from the University of Dublin, Trinity College in 2000. My Master's thesis was titled "Quantifying Natural Capital Value in Two Agricultural Case Studies".
I am a licensed pilot, and am the current Board Chair of the Dogwood Alliance (www.dogwoodalliance.org) . I operate two businesses; Applied Energy Conservation Systems, an energy-savings design company, and O'Neil Innovating, a small business development company. I have three boys ages 18, 11 and 6, and I currently live on Lookout Mountain, Georgia. 
Greetings Steve,
A group of us are starting an effort to transition Chattanooga and the rest of Tennessee from the current model of society to one that is local in focus and sustainable for the generations that have yet to experience the wonder that is the Tennessee Valley region.
We are still in the very early stages of this effort and we need the vision of any and every one who desires to be part of this.
This is the link to our web site. http://transitiontennessee.ning.com/
Please take a few minuets to look at it and see if you would be interested in being part of the effort. If not yourself please pass the link on to others whom you think would.
Thank you for your time and attention
David