January National Call

7PM (Eastern) | 4PM (Pacific)

Robert E. Yuhnke, Yale Law School (’72) — Mr. Yuhnke formerly worked as the Assistant Attorney General representing the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources to achieve steel industry compliance with the Clean Air Act. He was Senior attorney at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), created clean air program to stop acid rain, and EDF’s transportation program to meet air quality standards in cities. Working with members of Congress, he drafted or negotiated key provisions of 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. After EDF, Mr. Yuhnke created transportation program for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) working with state legislatures to pass electric vehicle bills, and with metropolitan planning organizations to reduce metro VMT growth and congestion. In 2019, Mr. Yuhnke, representing Elders Climate Action, co-chaired the U.S. Climate Action Network transportation subcommittee to develop transport strategies to achieve IPCC zero CO2 targets for 2050.

Elizabeth Bunn is the Policy Director and Maryland State Director for the Labor Network for Sustainability (LNS), a labor-climate advocacy organization which works to build bridges between the labor, environmental and climate justice movements. She has held that position since 2018. 

From 2010-2017, she was the Director of the Organizing Department for the AFL-CIO. From 2002-2010, she held the position of Secretary-Treasurer of the International Union, UAW. This is the highest position held by a woman in UAW history. As Secretary-Treasurer, in addition to her duties as the chief financial officer for the UAW, she oversaw the UAW’s non-manufacturing organizing initiatives. 

Ms. Bunn is a member of the National Writers’ Union, Local 1981 of the UAW. She holds a BA degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Wayne State University Law School.