Consultants
Dorreen Carey
Environmental Consultant
DORREEN CAREY (Environmental Consultant on the Grand Calumet Task Force) has extensive environmental consulting experience working with businesses, municipalities and communities. Dorreen has served as Environmental Director for the city of Gary Indiana, she was the Director of the Grand Calumet Task Force, a local community-based urban environmental organization in Northwest Indiana that worked towards to monumental task of cleaning up 100 years of pollution in the Grand Calumet River. She also served on several national and local environmental advisory boards including the Steel Sector Workgroup of the Common Sense Initiative appointed by former EPA Administrator Carol Browner and local environmental advisory committees including the IDEM CARE Committee for the Grand Calumet River Remedial Action Plan, the U.S. Steel CITE Committee, and the Environmental Management Policy Committee of the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission. She currently works with the Department of Natural Resources.
Steve McShane
Historian/Author Archivist
STEPHEN G. MCSHANE (Historian/Author/Archivist) has served as the Archivist/Curator for the Calumet Regional Archives since 1982. He earned an M.A. in History from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, and a Masters in Library Science from Indiana University Bloomington. Steve has authored articles and co-edited books on Northwest Indiana history, ranging from Moonlight in Duneland, the book about the South Shore Line Railroad 1920s poster campaigns to Steel Giants: Historic Images from the Calumet Regional Archives, a book of images of the Calumet Region’s steel industry. Originally from Joliet, Illinois, Steve now resides in Valparaiso with his wife, Cindy. They have 2 grown children.
Dr. Ken Schoon
Indiana University Professor Emeritus/Author
DR. KEN SCHOON (Indiana University Professor Emeritus/Author) is a Northwest Indiana native and professor emeritus†of science education at IU Northwest. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology, a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. In 1990, after 22 years as a middle and high school teacher, he joined the faculty at Indiana University Northwest, partially retiring 23 years later. Dr. Schoon’s research interests center around science misconceptions and local studies. His book, Calumet Beginnings, came out in October, 2003 and Dreams of Duneland in 2013. He is a founding board member and past president of the Dunes Learning Center, a member of the Shirley Heinze Land Trust advisory council, and a member of the IU Northwest Science Olympiad steering committee. Ken is authoring a compendium book for the Shifting Sands film.
Chris Kustusch
Educational Consultant
CHRIS KUSTUSCH (Educational Consultant) is an educator, consultant, author, and documentary filmmaker, Chris Kustusch has an array of expertise in communicating science to the masses. He earned an undergraduate degree in Physics and Communications from North Park University and an MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University. Founder of the Chicago-based consulting company, Big Sci Communications, He works both in and out of the classroom to help connect people with science on a large scale. Chris enjoys playing volleyball in his spare time.
Jennifer Davies
Educational Consultant
JENNIFER DAVIES (Educational Consultant) is an educator with a degree in Elementary Education from Purdue University, who has worked to create educational curriculum for foundations and schools. Her work includes: The Legends’ Compass: A Collection of True Tales for Young Adventurers and Dreamer, for the Legacy Foundation, Everglades of the North, for the PBS film and currently she is collaborating on an educational curriculum for Shifting Sands: A Path to Sustainability. Through this curriculum, her hope is that young people will develop an understanding of the world greater than themselves.
Mitch Crawmer
Educational Consultant
MITCH Mitch (Educational Consultant) is an enthusiastic person who has a deep love for all things related to nature, science and the environment. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences from Illinois State University and a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from Roosevelt University. His professional experience includes teaching 8th grade Physical Science, 9th grade Biology and AP Biology. He has also worked as a zookeeper and has provided software application support within the insurance and human capitol management industries. In his free time he enjoys doing outdoor activities such as camping, canoeing, hiking, SCUBA diving or working in his yard. Mitch has also been a avid aquarist throughout his life.