Augusta Isley, President
Augusta has served on the Board since 2013. She is a Proposal Manager in Sponsored Projects at Ball State. Isley holds an MS in Information & Communication Sciences and MA in Sociology. Augusta is passionate about the environment & volunteering in the Muncie Community. She currently resides in Muncie with her husband and six beautiful cats.
Dustin Jones, Treasurer
Dustin joined MDCB in December 2015 as Treasurer. He is a Ball State University graduate with a B.A. in accounting with 5 years of experience in public accounting and currently employed at Estep Burkey Simmons, LLC. Dustin is a native of Muncie and enjoys spending time with his wife and son.
Jason Donati
Jason lives in downtown Muncie with his fiancé Yvonne “Sasha” Roberts and their four children Deshawn, Destiny, Levi, and Legacy. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Roy C. Buley Center, the Upper White River Watershed Alliance, the Cardinal Greenway, and is President of the Urban Forestry Committee. Jason is an AmeriCorps alumni member and moved back to Muncie after living many years in Buffalo, New York working for a non-profit with in youth services and urban farming.
Chris Daniels
Chris joined MDCB in January of 2012. He is a graduate of Ball State with a B. S. in Wildlife and Conservation Biology. Although Chris is a Muncie native, he spent much of his childhood wandering the hills of Southern Indiana. In his free time Chris enjoys biking, bird watching, and spending time in the great outdoors.
Laurynn Thieme
Laurynn has been a member of the Muncie community since 2011. She graduated in 2016 with her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) and a BS in Natural Resources and Environmental Management from Ball State University. Her background is in horticulture and design. Recently she made the decision to go back to school in hopes of receiving dual masters in Geography and Natural Resources. Laurynn’s career goals include conservation and land stewardship, as well as restoration ecology. She enjoys hiking and loves spending time with her boyfriend and puppies.
Elaine Vidal, Vice President
Elaine Vidal is a horticulturalist, community organizer, and advocate for sustainable agriculture. She holds a Master of Arts in Natural Resources and Environmental Management from Ball State University, and is an accredited horticulturalist with the Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association. Her professional work history includes extensive experience in horticulture and outdoor education. She currently holds the position of Food Hub Coordinator for the Muncie Food Hub Partnership Project. In addition to MDCB, Elaine serves on the board of the Living Lightly Fair as Chair of the Children’s Activities Committee. She hopes to promote health, knowledge, and quality of life through sustainable food.
Melinda Messineo, PhD, Secretary
Melinda is Chairperson and associate professor of sociology at Ball State University. Messineo has received four teaching awards at her current institution and one from the North Central Sociological Association. She currently serves as Director of the Freshman Connections Program, an award winning living and learning community program targeting first year students. This program works with MDCB each year on the White River Cleanup as part of its community service and sustainability objectives. Melinda is a California native and loves running, riding and roller-blading on the trails of our community.
Derek Tulowitzky
Derek is a graduate of Ball State University where he majored in Sports History with a focus in Black Baseball. Derek’s civic work is varied but sits at the intersection of history, community, and technology. Along with Muncie Delaware Clean and Beautiful, Derek serves on the board of the Delaware County Historical Society. Nationally, he volunteers with Museum Computer Network and American Alliance of Museums Education Communications. Derek runs the appropriate amount of social media accounts, and prefers his bars to be on the historic register.
Adrienne Gruver
*Coming soon!*