Brian Czech, Executive Director
Brian Czech is the founding president of CASSE (2003), and signed on as executive director in 2017. Czech served as the first conservation biologist in the history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1999-2017, and concurrently as a visiting professor of natural resource economics in Virginia Tech’s National Capitol Region. He is the author of several books including Supply Shock, Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train, and The Endangered Species Act: History, Conservation Biology, and Public Policy, as well as over 50 academic journal articles. His primary contributions to ecological economics pertain to the trophic theory of money, the process of technological progress, and the political “steady state revolution.” Czech is a frequent speaker, moderator, commentator, and regular contributor to the Steady State Herald. He has a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin, an M.S. from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Brian has been designated an “eco-champion” by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, an “eco-hero” by Ecohearth, and one of the “top 100 inspirational leaders” by the Post-Growth Institute. Contact Brian.
Greg Mikkelson, Ecological Economist
Greg Mikkelson has lectured and published in fields ranging from ecological science to philosophy of science, environmental ethics, and finally ecological economics. He served as a tenured professor of environmental studies until his university’s board defied an overwhelming campus mandate for divestment from fossil fuel. Recent work concerns the intrinsic and instrumental value of diversity and equality in nature and society, the fundamental conflict between economic growth and ecological health, and the roles that various types of organization have to play in making progress toward a better future. Greg holds a B.A. in International Affairs from Trinity University, an M.S. in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Conceptual Foundations of Science, also from Chicago. His natural habitats include woods in two ecoregions – the Upper Midwest forest-savanna transition and the New England-Acadian forest – and a city in a third, the Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests. Contact Greg.
Gary Gardner, Managing Editor
Gary Gardner is an editor, writer, and researcher on global sustainability issues. He joined CASSE as the Managing Editor in January 2023. For more than two decades, he authored short- and long-form pieces on sustainability challenges at the Worldwatch Institute and at GreenFaith, and served as an editor at the International Council on Clean Transportation. Gary has authored several books, including The Earth Cries Out. He has spoken at global conferences hosted by institutions ranging from the United Nations to the Vatican. An aficionado of language and cultures, Gary speaks Spanish, reads French, and loves exploring diverse cultures. Contact Gary.
Daniel Wortel-London, Policy Specialist
dissertation, retitled “The Menace of Prosperity” for publication by the University of Chicago Press. A native of Hoboken, New Jersey, Dan will be working out of West Orange, NJ, with periodic policy work in Washington, DC. Twitter handle: @dlondonwortel. Contact Daniel.
In Memoriam
Herman Daly, Economist Emeritus
Herman Daly, 1938-2022, was (and is posthumously) the unquestioned champion of steady-state economics. Throughout his career, Daly swam courageously upstream in the river of political economy. Not content to bequeath his brilliance solely to the academic realm, he spent seven years as a senior economist at the World Bank for policy reform in the real world. He also wrote books popular with concerned, serious citizens around the world, including For the Common Good (with John Cobb) and Beyond Growth. His textbook, Ecological Economics: Principles and Applications remains the gold standard for steady-state economics.
Daly served as the Economist Emeritus (an unpaid, advisory role) at CASSE from 2017 until his passing in 2022.