Phone: 206-292-2850 x22 Tom Carpenter is the Executive Director of the Hanford Challenge. He brings decades of experience in organizing, litigating, and policy oversight in the nuclear field, much of it devoted to Hanford. He is an attorney, a graduate of Antioch School of Law, and has a Masters in Organizational Design and Renewal from Seattle University.
Tom worked as the Director of the Nuclear Oversight Campaign for the Government Accountability Project from 1985 to 2007. He founded Cincinnati Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) , which challenged plans to open the defect-ridden Zimmer Nuclear Power Plan. Tom also served on the Cincinnati Mayor’s Environmental Advisory Council.
Through his work at GAP and Hanford Challenge, Tom has visited dozens of nuclear sites in the U.S. and Russia, hosted international conferences on protecting nuclear whistleblowers and examining the legacy of highly-contaminated nuclear facilities, and focusing on the Hanford Nuclear Site in southeastern Washington State.
Tom helped establish and is a Board member of the Hanford Concerns Council (and its predecessor, the Hanford Joint Council) to mediate and resolve difficult and complicated issues relating to Hanford.
Tom has represented numerous whistleblowers and workers at various nuclear sites around the nation, including at commercial and military nuclear production facilities, such as Hanford, Los Alamos, Knolls Atomic Power Lab, Pantex, Lawrence Livermore, Fernald, Mound and others. He has authored numerous reports and articles on the effects of nuclear production on workforce health and safety and the environment, and established and participated in independent environmental sampling programs at Hanford, Los Alamos, and Russian nuclear sites.
Liz Mattson is the Program Coordinator with Hanford Challenge. She brings a refreshing spirit of creativity and reflection to the problems posed by Hanford. Liz has worked closely with Hanford workers to address safety and health problems they are facing, particularly from chemical vapors in the tank farms. She meets with state regulatory agencies and site management to influence their approach to safety issues and their response to injured workers with a goal of having workers’ experience respectfully acknowledged and addressed.
Liz is very active on the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) where she is the chair of the Public Involvement and Communications Committee, encouraging a more strategic approach to public involvement at Hanford. Liz is also involved on the River and Plateau and Tank Waste Committees of the HAB.
Liz helped launch Inheriting Hanford, a regional Hanford mentorship community, empowering young people to become dynamic participants in Hanford cleanup.
She is a strong advocate of working collaboratively to address the problems posed by Hanford. Dealing with decades of contamination will require an intergenerational, multi-stakeholder approach. By building relationships, encouraging openness and trust and working to understand divergent points of view, the broader community of stakeholders will be better equipped to confront the uncertainties and challenges that face remediation efforts.
Liz graduated from Haverford College in 2003, a small Quaker school in Pennsylvania, and has been living in the Northwest since 2005.
Meredith Crafton, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
Email: meredithc@hanfordchallenge.org
Phone: 206-292-2850 x26
Meredith Crafton returned to Hanford Challenge after completing her studies at Vermont Law School where she received her J.D., a certificate in Energy Law, and a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy. Before law school Meredith worked with Tom at the Government Accountability Project (GAP) Nuclear Oversight Program coordinating conferences and events as well as investigations. Her desire to understand and use our legal systems to further her commitment to the safe and effective cleanup of nuclear waste directly stems from her work at GAP and helping to start Hanford Challenge. While in Vermont, Meredith was a research associate at the Institute for Energy and the Environment, publishing several articles and a book chapter on national and global energy policies. Meredith worked as a legal intern at the Environment and Natural Resources Law Clinic and at the Conservation Law Foundation on numerous environmental law cases. She also provided legal aid to low income Vermonters through her work at the South Royalton Legal Clinic. Meredith has a Bachelor of Arts degree in sustainability studies and social justice from Hampshire College.
In addition to working towards environmental and social justice, Meredith loves growing food, “circusing around,” and outdoor adventure. She has worked on several organic farms and is excited to be back in western Washington where she can grow greens year-round. Meredith is also a world champion rope jumper who has also performed acrobatic jump rope around the world, including with Cirque du Soleil, Special Events. She has climbed Mount Rainier several times and is happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest where she can easily run away to play in the rivers and mountains.
Kathryn brings years of experience in fundraising, development and donor relations to the organization. Her work with other organizations such as the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Atlantic City, as well as the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, brings a depth of knowledge to Hanford Challenge that will help grow and sustain the organization for future generations.
Kathryn earned her B.A. in Political Science from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and her J.D. from New York Law School. Originally from New Jersey, she moved to Seattle last year and has been enjoying all of the natural splendor the Pacific Northwest has to offer. She looks forward to working with Hanford Challenge to ensure the health and safety of Washington’s citizens and preserving our unique environment. In her spare time, Kathryn enjoys reading and arguing about the feasibility of time travel.
Nikolas Peterson, Staff Attorney & Environmental Health Coordinator
Nikolas Peterson returned to Hanford Challenge in 2013 after completing his studies at Seattle University School of Law. Nikolas interned with Hanford Challenge as the 2011 Matthew Henson Environmental Law Fellow where he worked with nuclear whistleblowers. While at Seattle University School of Law, Nikolas also served as the Research & Technical Editor of the Seattle Journal for Social Justice, represented at-risk youth in King County Juvenile Court, and authored an article on Human Trafficking in Washington state.
Nikolas earned his B.A. in History from Walla Walla University (Senior Thesis: U.S. Dept. of Energy & Washingtonians: A Toxic Dose of Mistrust) and his J.D., cum laude, from Seattle University School of Law. Nikolas was born and raised in Walla Walla, WA and feels great responsibility to those who call the Pacific Northwest home to help ensure a safe and effective cleanup of Hanford. In his free time, Nikolas enjoys playing pickup soccer games, gardening, traveling, cooking, and playing bass guitar.
Eric Ruthford comes from South King County, where he hikes, bicycles and takes pictures in the foothills of the Cascades. His experience includes newspaper reporting for local publications including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Tri-City Herald, financial management of a homeless shelter in San Francisco, and serving in the U.S. Peace Corps as a volunteer teacher of English as a foreign language. At present, he also serves as the finance manager of the Northwest Natural Resource Group, another environmental non-profit based in Seattle that specializes in forestry. He has a bachelor’s degree in communication from Pacific Lutheran University and a master’s degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. He is married to a zookeeper who works with endangered Clouded Leopards at the Point Defiance Zoo. A major annual event for him and his extended family is the Ride Around Washington, a six-day bike ride put on by the Cascade Bicycle Club that takes a different route each year to tour the back roads of Washington state.
Our Mission
To help create a future for Hanford that secures human health and safety, advances accountability, and promotes a sustainable environmental legacy.
Staff
Tom Carpenter, Executive Director
Email: tomc@hanfordchallenge.org
Phone: 206-292-2850 x22
Tom Carpenter is the Executive Director of the Hanford Challenge. He brings decades of experience in organizing, litigating, and policy oversight in the nuclear field, much of it devoted to Hanford. He is an attorney, a graduate of Antioch School of Law, and has a Masters in Organizational Design and Renewal from Seattle University.
Tom worked as the Director of the Nuclear Oversight Campaign for the Government Accountability Project from 1985 to 2007. He founded Cincinnati Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) , which challenged plans to open the defect-ridden Zimmer Nuclear Power Plan. Tom also served on the Cincinnati Mayor’s Environmental Advisory Council.
Through his work at GAP and Hanford Challenge, Tom has visited dozens of nuclear sites in the U.S. and Russia, hosted international conferences on protecting nuclear whistleblowers and examining the legacy of highly-contaminated nuclear facilities, and focusing on the Hanford Nuclear Site in southeastern Washington State.
Tom helped establish and is a Board member of the Hanford Concerns Council (and its predecessor, the Hanford Joint Council) to mediate and resolve difficult and complicated issues relating to Hanford.
Tom has represented numerous whistleblowers and workers at various nuclear sites around the nation, including at commercial and military nuclear production facilities, such as Hanford, Los Alamos, Knolls Atomic Power Lab, Pantex, Lawrence Livermore, Fernald, Mound and others. He has authored numerous reports and articles on the effects of nuclear production on workforce health and safety and the environment, and established and participated in independent environmental sampling programs at Hanford, Los Alamos, and Russian nuclear sites.
Liz Mattson, Program Coordinator
Email: lizm@hanfordchallenge.org
Phone: 206-292-2850 x21
Liz is very active on the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) where she is the chair of the Public Involvement and Communications Committee, encouraging a more strategic approach to public involvement at Hanford. Liz is also involved on the River and Plateau and Tank Waste Committees of the HAB.
Liz helped launch Inheriting Hanford, a regional Hanford mentorship community, empowering young people to become dynamic participants in Hanford cleanup.
She is a strong advocate of working collaboratively to address the problems posed by Hanford. Dealing with decades of contamination will require an intergenerational, multi-stakeholder approach. By building relationships, encouraging openness and trust and working to understand divergent points of view, the broader community of stakeholders will be better equipped to confront the uncertainties and challenges that face remediation efforts.
Liz graduated from Haverford College in 2003, a small Quaker school in Pennsylvania, and has been living in the Northwest since 2005.
Meredith Crafton, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
Email: meredithc@hanfordchallenge.org
Phone: 206-292-2850 x26
In addition to working towards environmental and social justice, Meredith loves growing food, “circusing around,” and outdoor adventure. She has worked on several organic farms and is excited to be back in western Washington where she can grow greens year-round. Meredith is also a world champion rope jumper who has also performed acrobatic jump rope around the world, including with Cirque du Soleil, Special Events. She has climbed Mount Rainier several times and is happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest where she can easily run away to play in the rivers and mountains.
Kathryn Sain, Development Director
Email: kathryns@hanfordchallenge.org
Phone: 206-292-2850 x27
Kathryn earned her B.A. in Political Science from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and her J.D. from New York Law School. Originally from New Jersey, she moved to Seattle last year and has been enjoying all of the natural splendor the Pacific Northwest has to offer. She looks forward to working with Hanford Challenge to ensure the health and safety of Washington’s citizens and preserving our unique environment. In her spare time, Kathryn enjoys reading and arguing about the feasibility of time travel.
Nikolas Peterson, Staff Attorney & Environmental Health Coordinator
Email: nikolasp@hanfordchallenge.org
Phone: 206-292-2850 x25
Nikolas earned his B.A. in History from Walla Walla University (Senior Thesis: U.S. Dept. of Energy & Washingtonians: A Toxic Dose of Mistrust) and his J.D., cum laude, from Seattle University School of Law. Nikolas was born and raised in Walla Walla, WA and feels great responsibility to those who call the Pacific Northwest home to help ensure a safe and effective cleanup of Hanford. In his free time, Nikolas enjoys playing pickup soccer games, gardening, traveling, cooking, and playing bass guitar.
Eric Ruthford, Finance Manager
Email: ericr@hanfordchallenge.org
Phone: 206-292-2850 x25