2025 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Raye-Lee McDonald - a 2024 graduate of McKean High School and a member of the 2023-2024 YES! student leadership team - is currently a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of ethicloset.co, an affordable online thrift shop allowing youth to buy and donate clothes that suit their favorite fashion sensations. As someone naturally interested in fashion and popular culture, she hopes to promote sustainable shopping while reducing textile waste by imitating the trendy appeal of flourishing fast fashion brands. In this era of mass consumption and microtrends, Raye-Lee strives for ethicloset.co to become a go-to website for inexpensive but stylish clothing.

Heather White is the founder of OneGreenThing.org and author of Eco-Anxiety: Saving Our Sanity, Our Kids & Our Future (HarperCollins 2024), 60 Days to a Greener Life (HarperCollins 2024) and One Green Thing (HarperCollins 2022). Heather directed environmental education advocacy at the nation's largest conservation organization, served as executive director to an environmental health watchdog in Washington, DC, and led the nonprofit partner to Yellowstone National Park. She worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative counsel to U.S. Senator Russ Feingold and a presidential campaign staffer to Vice President Al Gore. Heather graduated with a J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee College of Law and earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar. She's a frequent spokesperson in the national media on environmental issues and has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS, PBS, ABC, and quoted in the New York Times, The Guardian, and Teen Vogue.

Adam Schellhammer is the Mid-Atlantic Region Director at American Rivers, where he leads impactful conservation efforts to protect and restore rivers across the region. With over a decade of experience in environmental and sustainability management, Adam’s work has taken him from the vibrant watersheds of Philadelphia and Virginia to the far reaches of New Zealand and China. He’s had the privilege of collaborating with incredible communities, including indigenous leaders and grassroots organizations, to advance innovative solutions like nature-based strategies and climate resilience projects.

A passionate adventurer both in his career and personal life, Adam holds advanced degrees in natural resource management and global sustainability. He has spearheaded programs ranging from stormwater management in New Zealand to dam removal initiatives in the United States. Adam’s journey reflects his belief that bold actions and collaborative spirit can transform communities and ecosystems for the better.