About Us
Ecolibrium3’s mission is to lead and inspire change towards an equitable and sustainable future.
We accomplish this mission through two areas of focus.
The first is serving as the neighborhood convening organization in Duluth’s low-income Lincoln Park neighborhood, working on all aspects of sustainable revitalization that advance opportunities for residents and businesses.
The second is a focus on community sustainability and resiliency including aspects of energy transition, housing stock improvement, economic security, and health.
We excel at understanding high-level challenges and then designing and implementing programs, partnerships and projects that address those issues.
Our work has been nationally recognized for excellence in programming and community impact.
White House Champion of Change for Building Resilient Communities Award
US Environmental Protection Agency’s Seeds of Change Award
US Conference of Mayors Outstanding Achievement Award
National Main Street Forward Award for COVID-19 Response
Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership Climate Adaptation Award
Board
Carole Newkumet, Community Volunteer, Retired Public Health, Chair of the River Corridor Coalition, Chair/Board Treasurer
Karl Wagner, Engineer, Fitment Group
Njoki Kamau, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota Duluth
Rebecca Bischoff, Technician, American Engineer Testing, Inc.
Sara Cole, President and CEO, Duluth Area Family YMCA
Staff
Jodi Slick, Founder and CEO
Jodi Slick is the founder and CEO of Ecolibrium3, leading the organization’s community resilience and sustainability work. Jodi previously founded Common Ground Construction, a green affordable housing social enterprise. She received her Master of Educational Administration and BS in Broad Field Science (Chemistry and Physics) from the University of Wisconsin Superior. She has also completed training with the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University in Social Entrepreneurship. Jodi was named a White House Champion of Change for Building Resilient Communities in 2013.
Lora Wedge, COO
Lora Wedge is the COO of Ecolibrium3, helping direct the organization’s operations and climate change work. Lora has previously served in a number of leadership roles at social change organizations at community, national, and international levels. Lora has also taught as adjunct faculty in the Department of Studies in Justice, Culture, and Social Change at the University of Minnesota Duluth and has a B.A. in Women’s Studies and a M.A. in Consciousness and Transformative Studies.
Adam Kurowski, Community and Energy Projects Manager
Adam is Ecolibrium3’s Community and Energy Projects Manager. He oversees the work at Legacy House, the Grocery Store, and the updates to the Lincoln Park Community Center. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography from Plymouth State University and a Master’s degree from Ohio University, focusing on Geographic Information Systems and Urban Planning. Adam spent ten years working with local governments, and he also has several years of experience in nonprofit work. Adam is dedicated to sustainability and equity in his work and personal life. He loves weekend trips in his van with his life partner and travel cat, finding joy and wonder in many remarkable landscapes and their geologic creation.
Angela Johnson, Director of Grants and Strategic Partnerships
Angela Johnson is Ecolibrium3’s Director of Grants and Strategic Partnerships. In this role, Angela oversees grant administration, ensuring compliance with funding requirements and managing reporting and deadlines. She also collaborates with volunteer groups to build community partnerships and works to develop fundraising efforts and sponsorships that help expand Ecolibrium3’s mission. Angela has over a decade of experience working in the private sector at local retail giant maurices, where she developed business skills and a strong appreciation for the impact of philanthropy in communities. Angela enjoys the outdoors by hiking and spending time at the lake with family.
Cameron Kadlubowski, Community Energy Transition Specialist
Cameron Kadlubowski is Ecolibrium3’s Community Energy Transition Specialist. In this role, he supports the work of the Eco3 Energy Program to ensure an equitable energy transition for the region. Cameron has lived in the Midwest his whole life, starting in Illinois, then Wisconsin, and now Minnesota. He graduated from Northland College in 2022 with a degree in Sustainable Community Development. Prior to his current role, Cameron served as an Eco3 Climate and Energy VISTA member, helping community residents access energy efficiency upgrades. Cameron is a passionate climate advocate and spends much of his free time in the woods or on the water.
Charlie Danielson, Farm Manager
Charlie is Ecolibrium3’s Farm Manager, overseeing operations and programming at the Eco3 Urban Farm. In this role, Charlie oversees operations and programming at the Eco3 Urban Farm, including growing and production, restorative agricultural practices, educational events for all ages, community building through growing food, and developing the Farm site to be accessible to all. Charlie has extensive farming experience, including designing systems, building infrastructure, and developing soil at many local farms and gardens. He has also worked in food access and farming education for over a decade. Charlie loves spending time observing nature. He fosters the curiosity of his inner child by exploring how the world works and sharing that passion with his daughter.
Hannah Burmeister, Energy Navigator and Office Administration Specialist
Hannah Burmeister is Ecolibrium3’s Energy Navigator and Office Administration Specialist. In this role, she assists community residents through all steps of the home energy assessment process, and also handles scheduling coordination for the energy team. Additionally, she provides general administration support for ongoing programs and projects within the organization. Hannah holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. She has many years of customer service experience, is passionate about environmental equity, and is excited to be serving the community. In her free time, Hannah enjoys painting, cooking, spending time at Duluth’s small businesses, and hiking up the North Shore with her partner and their puppy.
Helen Davis, Community Outreach Specialist
Ms. Helen Davis is Ecolibrium3’s Community Outreach Specialist. She is fiercely protective of the people she serves, and she feels most fulfilled when she’s helping improve people’s lives and bringing positivity to them. Ms. Helen has an Associates of Arts degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Lake Superior College and has previously worked with Chum, Family Freedom Center, and True North AmeriCorps. She also served as a security officer for Chicago Public Schools for 30 years and Essentia Health for 6 years.
Jackie Stewart, Grocery Store Developer and Manager
Jackie Stewart is the Grocery Developer and Grocery Store Manager at Ecolibrium3. In this role, she oversees the new Eco3 Grocery store and all organizational tasks related to it. Jackie holds a B.A. in Organizational Leadership from the University of Massachusetts Global. She has years of experience as a public school teacher and as a pathway coach that creates internships and job opportunities for graduating students. She enjoys serving the community to create more opportunities, resources and increased quality of life for people. In her free time, Jackie enjoys spending time with her two children and husband, kickboxing, being outdoors, and reading books.
Jennifer Hansen, Director of Main Street Lincoln Park and Business Sustainability
Jennifer Hansen is Ecolibrium3’s Director of Main Street Lincoln Park and Business Sustainability. Jenn works with local businesses to promote sustainability and vitality, in Lincoln Park and throughout Duluth. Jenn holds a B.A. in Business & Sustainability, and has worked in community development and communications in Duluth and on the West Coast. She envisions an intertwined community between the residents and the businesses, and she believes that sustainability is only possible if the entire community benefits. Jenn enjoys sailing, skiing, cold water plunges, and walking her Bernese Mountain Dogs.
Kevin Anderson II, Environmental Justice and Special Projects Developer
Kevin Anderson II is Ecolibrium3’s Environmental Justice and Special Projects Developer. In this role Kevin supports all of Ecolibrium3’s program areas, advancing a new citizen-led environmental justice effort and promoting projects with a focus on equity. Kevin has over fifteen years of organizing, coaching, and diversity and equity training experience, including his time as executive director of the Family Freedom Center. Kevin is experienced in developing new community programming designed to address environmental justice disparities and access issues for the American-Black community in Duluth. Outside of work, Kevin runs a homestead farm with his wife and children and has his own lifestyle brand to celebrate the unique culture of Duluth.
Laec Lekander, IT and Database Coordinator
Laec Lekander is Ecolibrium3’s IT and Database Coordinator. Being raised within the beautiful northern Minnesota, Laec has developed a deep sense of pride for his community and a desire to see his community grow and prosper. In 2021, he graduated from Lake Superior College with an Associates of Arts, and seeks to continue his education further to benefit his community. Prior to Ecolibrium3, Laec worked as a special education paraprofessional for both Northern Lights Academy in Cloquet and for Benton Stearns Education District in St Cloud. In his free time Laec likes to juggle several projects including (but not limited to) game development, cooking, art, and learning new skills.
Philip Duket, AmeriCorps VISTA Program Coordinator
Philip Duket is serving Ecolibrium3 as AmeriCorps VISTA Program Coordinator. Having served as an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer in 1977-1978 and again in 2022-2023, he continues his work life—always being of service to others. Philip has a great deal of experience as a preventionist, with a focus on systems level change. He believes in empowering people, giving them the knowledge and tools to address the challenges being faced. Philip enjoys working with the VISTA cohort members to support their initiatives and build capacity to address poverty in multiple strategies of change.
Reese Van Houten, AmeriCorps VISTA Program Coordinator
Reese Van Houten is serving Ecolibrium3 as AmeriCorps VISTA Program Coordinator. Reese has a B.A. in International Relations with a concentration in Urban Studies, and a Master’s in Natural Resources and Global Sustainability. Prior to her current position, Reese served both as an AmeriCorps VISTA and VISTA Leader at Ecolibrium3. Before coming to Ecolibrium3, Reese worked with the Center for Disease Control, researching the health outcomes of PFAS exposure through drinking water in Parchment, Michigan. In her free time, Reese enjoys practicing yoga and mediation, bird watching, and hanging out with her cat Bigfoot.
Starr Brainard, Farmer in Residence
Starr Brainard is Ecolibrium3’s Farmer in Residence. She supports all farm operations at the Eco3 Urban Farm. Starr has devoted her career to sustainable agriculture for a decade, researching and working on farms around the world in Egypt and Canada before settling in Duluth. Starr worked with the Duluth Community Garden Program for five years as the Land Stewardship Coordinator, and she runs her own diversified vegetable farm in Lincoln Park, called Saltless Sea Urban Farm. Starr loves drawing, playing in her rock band, and spending time with her two dogs, a husky and a rescue street dog from Egypt.
Toussaint Stewart, Food Access and Community Wellness Specialist
Toussaint Haki Stewart is Ecolibrium3’s Food Access and Community Wellness Specialist. In this role, Toussaint is helping develop the new Eco3 grocery store and facilitating educational programming for community members centered around holistic health and wellness. He is a holistic health and wellness practitioner specializing in whole food, plant-based nutrition, body weight strength training, flexibility, breath work, meditation, and nervous system regulation. He is also the author of Plant Based 101: Whole Food Whole You. He writes and performs spoken word poetry, plays West African percussion, and loves the outdoors, especially swimming in lakes and hiking. Toussaint is excited to serve a community that hasn’t had access to a local grocery store for decades and use his expertise in holistic health and wellness to create programs that contribute to the longevity and quality of life for community members.
Tracy Bibelnieks, Special Projects and Data Strategy Coordinator
Tracy Bibelnieks is Ecolibrium3’s Special Projects and Data Strategy Coordinator. In this role, Tracy supports many different program areas in planning and implementing data strategy, collection, and analysis. Tracy has decades of experience in applied mathematics and academia; she has a unique expertise in using data science to support programs and projects targeted at disparity reduction, environmental justice, and community resilience. Tracy has previously taught at Augsburg University, served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota High School Mathematics League, taught at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and worked as a data scientist for Hennepin County. Tracy and her family love the outdoors and enjoy hiking, adventuring and spending time north of Grand Marais on the lakes and trails of the BWCA.
Tristen Eberling, Community Energy Specialist
Tristen Eberling works as Ecolibrium3’s Community Energy Specialist. Originally from Litchfield, Minnesota, he graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa with a major in Environmental Studies and a minor in History. After serving two years with Green Iowa AmeriCorps doing home energy audits in Northeast Iowa, Tristen moved to Duluth in 2016 to continue his focus on sustainability and local energy. He is a BPI certified Home Analyst, and Ecolibrium3’s go-to for making Duluth homes energy efficient. Tristen enjoys fly fishing, hunting, mountain biking, skiing, and hiking around Duluth and the North Shore, as well as spending time with his beautiful black lab, Sadie.
*Ecolibrium3 also hosts multiple AmeriCorps VISTA members. Meet them here!
Our History
Ecolibrium3 has a rich history of serving northeastern Minnesota.
Ecolibrium3 began as Common Ground Deconstruction Services and Reuse Center in 2004 to train low-income individuals in the trades while recovering building materials. Over the course of its first eight years, as the social enterprise of the 501(c)3 nonprofit, Northern Communities Land Trust, Common Ground expanded its role from deconstruction to green affordable housing construction.
Common Ground completed 124 single-family new constructions and extensive remodels, a national demonstration project of the Green Communities standards with solar for affordable housing, two multi-family buildings for veteran transitional housing, and development of the community-scale Duluth Energy Efficiency Program (DEEP).
In 2011, when Common Ground’s parent nonprofit merged with another housing agency, Common Ground spun-off half of its staff, board, and programming to form Ecolibrium3. Under the new, non-affiliated 501(c)3, Ecolibrium3 staff and board have been able to expand its community impact in areas of residential energy efficiency, environmental protection, and sustainable economic development. Ecolibrium3’s CEO, Jodi Slick, is the founder of both Common Ground and Ecolibrium3.
