EWG Experts Available For Interviews

EWG senior staff scientists, attorneys and issue experts have been interviewed on dozens of broadcast news programs in almost every region of the country. They make the case that environmental issues can be explained in plain language and that these issues are important in consumers' lives.

Booking Requests

Please call a member of the EWG Public Affairs Department at 202.667.6982 to make arrangements for an interview.

Ken Cook, President
Cook on 60 Minutes
Cook on Good Morning America
Ken Cook co-founded EWG with Richard Wiles in 1993. In the 15 years since its founding, EWG has earned renown for its innovative, headline-making computer investigations of environmental problems. Prior to founding EWG, Cook served as the Vice President for Policy at the Center for Resource Economics. He also directed press and governmental relations at the World Wildlife Fund and Conservation Foundation. Both Cook and EWG have been the subject of profiles in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Chicago Tribune, Des Moines Register and the National Journal. Ken was recognized as one of Washington's top non-profit lobbyists by The Hill, and also named one of "Agriculture's 100 Most Influential Leaders" by Progressive Farmer. He is a board member of Environmental Media Services, Earth Day Network, and the Amazon Conservation Team. Cook earned BA, BS, and MS degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Richard Wiles, Executive Director
Wiles on CNN
Richard Wiles co-founded EWG with Ken Cook in 1993 and now supervises all staff. He is a former senior staff officer at the National Academy of Sciences' Board on Agriculture, where he directed scientific studies, including two that resulted in landmark reports: Regulating Pesticides in Food: The Delaney Paradox and Alternative Agriculture. Wiles is a leading expert in environmental risks to children, and under his direction, EWG has become one of the most respected environmental research organizations in the country. EWG's exposure and risk assessment methods are recognized as state of the art, and have been used by the EPA and the National Research Council. Wiles holds a BA from Colgate University and an MA from California State University at Sacramento.

Jane Houlihan, Vice President for Research
Houlihan on Fox 5
Houlihan on CNN Headline News
Houlihan on ABC World News Tonight
Jane Houlihan directs research programs at the Environmental Working Group. In spearheading work that exposes health risks from toxins in food, air, water and consumer products, Ms. Houlihan has propelled EWG to the forefront of debates on such critical issues as mercury in seafood, contaminants in drinking water, chemicals in personal care products, and the human "body burden," or what EWG calls "the pollution in people." She serves as a national spokesperson on issues of environmental health, appearing on such shows as 20/20, network nightly news and morning shows, and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. She brings a perspective that draws from her experience both as a researcher and a mother of two young children. Prior to joining EWG, she practiced as an environmental engineer for 10 years. She holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in engineering from Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

Renée Sharp, Senior Analyst, California Office
Renée has extensive experience researching the environmental and human health risks from toxic chemical exposures, and can speak effectively and with authority on a range of topics. Her portfolio at EWG includes perchlorate, arsenic, PFOA/teflon, fluoride, flame retardants, hexavalent chromium, and bisphenol A, among others. Renee has also conducted research on agricultural water subsidies, fishing subsidies, and the environmental impacts of electricity generation. Renee holds Masters degree in Biology from Pennsylvania State University, a Bachelors degree in Biology from Rice University, and sits on the External Advisory Committee of the University of
California Toxic Substances Research and Teaching Program.

Rebecca Sutton, staff scientist, California Office
Rebecca researches a broad range of toxic chemicals in widespread use in the U.S., including hormone-disrupting compounds that contaminate water and people, untested chemicals in cosmetics, air contaminants that form smog, and hazards in the health care industry. Rebecca is a frequent source for reporters and is regularly interviewed on camera for environmental news stories in the Bay Area. Sutton holds a Ph.D. in environmental chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and has authored numerous papers published in peer-reviewed journals.

Sonya Lunder, Senior Analyst, based in Colorado
Sonya on KSBY 6 Action News
Sonya’s extensive work experience on corruption of science and overall risks to children's health from exposure to toxics and pesticides have made her a frequent source for the media from across the country. In addition, Sonya often field’s reporter’s questions on air quality/standards, vehicle pollution, biomonitoring, and toy safety. Prior to joining EWG, Sonya ran a community health intervention at a Superfund site, and did cancer research for California's Environmental Health Investigations Branch. Sonya holds a Masters of Public Health from University of California, Berkeley in Environmental Health Sciences.

Michelle Perez, Senior Analyst
Michelle focuses on agricultural-environmental policy issues, specifically, the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico dead zones caused by farm pollution; soil conservation requirements for farmers receiving farm subsidies; Farm Bill conservation programs; and the impact of corn ethanol on water pollution, global warming and food prices. She has an undergraduate degree in biology, a Master’s in public policy, and is currently completing a PhD in agricultural-environmental policy at University of Maryland. Michelle and her work have been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Ethanol Producer‚s Magazine, and the Des Moines Register, among other outlets.

Dusty Horwitt, Senior Public Lands Analyst
Dusty leads EWG's investigations of oil and gas drilling and metal mining on public lands. He has testified before both the House and Senate on mining and public lands issues, and has been quoted or cited in dozens of publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Denver Post and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He is a lawyer, former Congressional staff member and journalist. Horwitt is a graduate of Brown University and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Dr. Anila Jacob, MD, MPH, Senior Scientist
Dr. Jacob on Good Morning America
Dr. Jacob is EWG’s physician on staff, and is a regular go-to source for many inside-the-beltway reporters looking for comment on a number of health-based environmental issues. Dr. Jacob routinely provides comments on behalf of EWG to government agencies, as well as congressional committees on a number of public health issues, and has appeared on such network news programs as Good Morning America and ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox affiliates. Dr. Jacob still dons the white coat, making rounds as a practicing internist. She completed her M.P.H. in Global Environmental Health from Emory University, where her thesis focused on environmental risk factors for cancer in state Comprehensive Cancer Control Plans.