The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania - Investing in Nature

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Meet the Judges

Cindy Adams Dunn
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Cindy Dunn is deputy secretary for conservation and technical services with Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. She has lead DCNR’s work in landscape conservation and administers the bureaus of Recreation and Conservation, and Topographic and Geologic Survey.
Prior to her current position, Adams Dunn was executive director and vice president of Audubon Pennsylvania, based in Harrisburg, for six years and led the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s Harrisburg office for 10 years. She also had served as director of community relations and environmental education for DCNR from its inception until 1997.

Adams Dunn holds master and bachelor's degrees in biology from Shippensburg University.

John C. Dernbach
Widener University Law School

John C. Dernbach is Distinguished Professor of Law at Widener University in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Prof. Dernbach teaches environmental law, property, international environmental law, international law, and a seminar on climate change. His scholarship focuses on environmental law, climate change, sustainable development, and legal writing. Professor Dernbach has written more than 30 articles for law reviews and peer-reviewed journals, and has authored, coauthored, or contributed chapters to 11 books. He is the editor of Agenda for a Sustainable America (Environmental Law Institute fall 2008) and Stumbling Toward Sustainability (Environmental Law Institute 2002), comprehensive assessments of U.S. sustainable development activities that include recommendations for future efforts. He coauthored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 18 prominent climate scientists in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency. He is a council member for the ABA Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources, and former chair of the ABA Committee on Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Ecosystems, and Climate Change.

Before taking his teaching position at Widener, he worked in a variety of positions at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. He graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1978, where he was legislative notes editor of the Journal of Law Reform, and summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1975.

Tom Olenzak
Robin Hood Ventures

Mr. Olenzak has 20 years of investment banking, venture capital, financial, and senior management experience in the information technology, health care, life sciences, and environmental industries. He is the Vice Chairman of the Pennsylvania Board of Trustees for The Nature Conservancy.

Mr. Olenzak is an active angel investor with Robin Hood Ventures and is currently a founding partner and Managing Director of Fountainhead Venture Group, a new venture capital fund investing in high growth companies in the Healthcare IT arena. He was a managing director with a technology-focused investment banking firm, formed and managed a corporate health care venture capital fund for First Consulting Group, and was a Vice President for Corporate Development and Strategic Planning for First Consulting Group and for Integrated Systems Consulting Group, a public predecessor to FCG that focused on technology for the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Olenzak was also President, Chairman, and a founder of Cutting Edge Computer Solutions, Inc., an information technology consulting firm that he sold in 1997. Mr. Olenzak has a BA in economics from Princeton University.

Robert M. Scaer
Gannett Fleming, Inc.

Robert M. Scaer is a registered professional engineer and the president of Gannett Fleming, Inc., an international planning, design, and construction management firm based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. With more than 25 years of professional experience at Gannett Fleming, Mr. Scaer has held a variety of leadership positions. He currently serves as president and chief operating officer and is a member of the firm’s board of directors overseeing the firms operations and developing corporate strategy. As chief information officer, Mr. Scaer oversees the IT Division that maintains the corporation’s enterprise information technology (IT) system for 2,000 employees and 50 offices nationwide. Previously, Mr. Scaer was the president of GeoDecisions, a division of Gannett Fleming that specializes in geospatial/IT solutions.

Mr. Scaer’s contributions have extended beyond the corporate community. He testified before the U.S. Congress on the use of geospatial technology for homeland security. He is a member of the board of directors for the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania and an advisory board member for the Information, Sciences, and Technology program at The Pennsylvania State University. Additionally, Mr. Scaer is a member of the board of trustees for the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. As an ongoing effort to give back to the local community and inspire youth, Mr. Scaer serves as a Junior Achievement instructor at the elementary school level, a judge at the Future Business Leaders of America’s Annual State Leadership Conference, and a keynote speaker at educational institutions. Mr. Scaer is a charter member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Mr. Scaer holds a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Purdue University and a master of business administration from The Pennsylvania State University.