

Mission
Our mission is to build a culture of daily cleanups and make outdoor volunteering more accessible for everyone.
Values
community-driven
We strive to give communities the tools they need to create and track their own cleanup efforts.
innovative
Our AI-powered platform makes the volunteer process both personally rewarding and globally impactful.
Action-based
There is a lot of disheartening environmental news; we focus on individual self-efficacy and daily action.
Measurable
Our volunteer platform makes it easy to track individual and collective progress toward our mission.
Program Volunteers

Josh rands
Co-Founder & President
Josh has a diverse background working on systems ranging from autonomous vehicles and lunar rovers to energy. Growing up in Minnesota, he developed a passion for sustainability and entrepreneurship while spending time outdoors camping, hiking, and exploring forests. Josh has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Colorado School of Mines, where he was heavily involved in leadership and innovation. His technical background and creativity have allowed him to bootstrap the Litter CleanUp platform. Josh also enjoys rock climbing, traveling, and tinkering with new technology.

Mikaela Rands
Co-Founder & Program Manager
Mik has a deep-rooted passion for protecting the environment and promoting public health. Having grown up in the beautiful state of Minnesota, Mik spent her free time on the lakes - swimming in the summer and skating in the winter. She holds a bachelor's in public health and a master's degree in nonprofit leadership and management. In 2020, she blended her passions in conservation and community work to co-found Clean Planet Project. With diverse experience across various nonprofit organizations, Mik brings her skills in nonprofit leadership, grant writing, outreach, and research to further the CPP mission.

Hannah niesen
Marketing Manager
With her emotional-support water bottle in tow, Hannah has an obsession for slow fashion, sustainable reusables, and how we change our actions to become a better steward for the earth. When she is not creating content for Clean Planet Project, she is constantly gathering more content. Hannah is frequently on the go, Northern Minnesota being her best and most favorite place for inspiration, and finds ways to road-trip through the rest of the United States. With a bachelor's in Art History and an associate's in Web and Graphic Design, Hannah crafts an undeviating aesthetic for CPP's imagery and narrative on social media platforms, website content, and whatever else she can get her hands on.

Angel tobin
Volunteer Manager
Angel has over three decades of experience in environmental education, interpretation, and volunteer management. Her passion is to bring awareness through education and to inspire others to take action towards sustaining the natural environment. She loves to engage and support volunteers who are dedicated to do the same. She enjoys walking, hiking, camping, traveling, music, dancing, and spending quality time with family and friends. Angel is very excited to work with volunteers and CPP in community-based conservation for a cleaner and healthy environment.

Nia-Nicole mitchell
Program Development Manager
With a background in environmental health, Nia is our Program Development Manager supporting new and existing programs at Clean Planet Project. Nia is passionate about engaging and creating meaningful experiences for our volunteers. Outside of work you can find her traveling, going for a run, or going to a farmers market.
Tech & innovation volunteers

GERALD KAUMA
Senior Software Engineer
With nearly 3 decades of software engineering experience, Gerry has provided valuable insights on the design and architecture of the Litter CleanUp platform. In addition to providing technical help, Gerry has been a generous donor to Clean Planet Project. CPP Would not be the organization it is today without Gerry's contributions!

TRACE DELANGE
Software Engineer
Trace has volunteered his time to further CPP's mission several times. A software engineer by trade, Trace has provided assistance with the technical development of the Litter CleanUp app and supporting web applications.
student volunteers

Anastasia Velychko
Software Engineer

minnie her
Software Engineer

jarret daffern
Software Engineer

connor mcgovern
Software Engineer

briar martin
Software Engineer

sean keeney
Software Engineer