wmeac Staff

Sharlene Kipfer

Director of Development

skipfer@wmeac.org
(616) 451-3051 ext. 124

Shar joined WMEAC in January 2023 by way of Indianapolis but has been visiting the lakeshore for years and is thrilled to call Muskegon County home.

Her environmental advocacy has its roots in the rural northern Ohio agricultural community near Lake Erie where she was raised, and in the field canvassing for renewable energy adoption and “good neighbor” environmental justice campaigns.

She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Kent State University and an MPA with a concentration in nonprofit management from Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, where she also studied environmental management and ecology, served as a liaison to faculty and staff on behalf of the IU Office of Sustainability, was immersed in state rulemaking with the Humane Society of the United States, and managed grants for Girls Inc. of Monroe County. Working most recently with Newfields and the Hoosier Environmental Council, Shar brings over a decade of fund development experience to WMEAC.

Shar also serves as an Advisory Member for Conservation Dogs Collective, Inc. and volunteers at Big Lake Humane Society in Muskegon. She enjoys plant-forward cooking and baking, gardening, and learning new skills with her dog, Helix, who has joined us as a “co-woofer” at the WMEAC office.