Meg loves bringing change makers together to make our world a better place. She currently focuses her work on social impact networks and building capacity to advance sustainability initiatives among local governments across the United States. Meg is the Director of the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network (SSDN) where she has worked since 2015.
Meg has extensive experience in network building and network direction. In 2016 she supported the Regional Partner Networks Program for the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), and served as interim director of the Green Cities California network from 2017 to 2018. With a background in city planning, Meg provides expertise in community engagement, sustainable development, and smart growth planning practices. She has consulted with the internationally recognized urban economics firm, Urban3, and is experienced in rural economic development and local food system economies. Her food systems work includes coordinating the City of Austin’s first Urban Agriculture Program, consulting with SCALE, Inc. to complete food hub feasibility studies. Meg’s experience in local economic development spans from coordinating small town revitalization programs with HandMade in America to directing the northern Arizona office of Local First Arizona, the largest local business coalition in the country.
The sum of this experience results in optimistic thinking and determined problem solving that helps connect people, move projects forward, and develop place-based solutions.
Riyza leads SSDN's peer network and learning efforts, connecting communities at varying stages of success in implementing their diverse sustainability programming. Since joining SSDN in 2021, she has been a key resource for accelerating relationships between our members and strengthening their capacity to achieve their goals.
Authenticity, justice, and intersectionality are core elements of Riyza’s personal code. Her background includes supporting LGBTQIA+ policy goals alongside local stakeholders in Florida, engaging the public as volunteers and donors with a Feeding America food bank, advocating for safer and smarter transit and streets, and even gaining support for her own 501(c)3 which worked to empower underserved refugee students and families in her hometown of Tampa, Florida. She holds a B.A. International Studies, M.A. Global Sustainability Policy, and Graduate Certificate in Community Development via the University of South Florida. Equipped with an intensive profile in community engagement and equity, Riyza champions inclusive and participatory methods for building trust between governments and residents. She is personally passionate about equitable political representation, developing culturally relevant and community-led solutions for resilience, as well as disaster risk reduction.
On any given day, you can count on Riyza to be savoring a bowl of spicy noodle soup and re-watching her favorite episodes of Star Trek and animated sitcoms. Riyza is also excited to have recently joined the ranks of her fellow North Carolinians!
Ann has consistently taken an entrepreneurial approach to developing and implementing leading edge solutions to sustainability issues facing communities, regions, and states since earning both a Juris Doctorate and an Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Environment, Policy and Society from the University of Colorado in 2000. She has served as the Land Use Attorney for Environment Colorado; Director, Center for Communities by Design at the AIA National Chapter; Boulder County Sustainability Coordinator; Program Manager for State and Local Engagement at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), Principal Planner in Sustainability for Fort Lauderdale; and as a Climate Advisor for the City of St. Petersburg, FL prior to joining the SSDN team as Policy Director. Ann has worked collaboratively with multiple levels of government, utilities, the private sector (including technology firms, trade allies, and financial institutions), advocacy groups, Federal Laboratories, the US Department of Energy, and state energy offices among others.
She has served on the City of Boulder and Xcel Energy Task Force (focused on municipalization and alternative partnership options), as President of the Colorado Green Building Guild, as Vice-President of the Environment Colorado Research and Policy Center Board of Directors, and on numerous other advisory boards and work groups. Ann was named as a Person of the Year by the Boulder Weekly (2009), Sustainability Champion (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2010), and Forty Under Forty by the Boulder County Business Report (2010).
Ann is a 5th generation native Floridian—her love of natural Florida inspired her to pursue a career in sustainability and remains a source of motivation today.
In August 2021, SSDN welcomed Michael to serve as the Southeast Sustainable Recovery Center Manager. In his role, he works with communities across the Southeast to ensure local governments and the communities they represent have the opportunity and support to access and be awarded funding to advance sustainability and resilience efforts. He serves as a liaison between members and federal opportunities, and key partners who provide additional support under the Center’s umbrella.
Michael joins SSDN after a career at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. While with the EPA, he served within the Administrator’s Office to oversee a $1.2 billion annual grant program, coordinate agency-wide climate change adaptation efforts, and support disaster preparedness and emergency response efforts. He has also worked as a federal grantee through his role as a Finance and Grants Manager for the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, an independent special district of the State of Florida focused on local water quality protection. He is located in Sarasota, Florida and holds a Master’s of Public Administration from Columbia University in New York City. As both a former federal government grantor and a local government grantee, he looks forward to using this insight to help communities across the Southeast become more competitive in accessing and attaining funding to pursue their sustainability priorities.
Nick joined the SSDN team in August 2023 and leads SSDN’s Local Infrastructure Hub program. He is passionate about supporting the development of equitable, resilient and thriving communities. He loves helping bridge gaps and make linkages across disciplines and sectors to create innovative, equitable solutions to our stickiest challenges.
Nick has extensive experience in community sustainability and resilience, serving for nine years as the first sustainability director for the City of Savannah, Georgia. In that role, he partnered with regional, municipal and community representatives to address topics of environmental justice, racial equity, economic development, social determinants of health, energy burden, clean energy, environmental contamination, and coastal climate resilience. He has experience developing and managing workforce training programs through Step Up Savannah and incorporating green workforce training into municipal projects. Nick’s experience includes built-environment work at the University of Minnesota, where he supported development of the University of Minnesota’s first sustainable building standards and programs to lift the participation and capacity of DBE design and construction firms.
In his day-to-day life in Savannah, GA, Nick continues to serve and work closely on topics of health advocacy and environmental justice with local community organizations like Healthy Savannah and Harambee House. While equipped with a formal education in public policy, environmental studies, political science and communication, but most of what he has learned (and continues to learn) is from nature, neighbors, and kids.
Catherine joined SSDN’s team in February 2024 as Director of Federal Technical Assistance, providing support to EPA Region 4 communities with grant applications.
Environmental sustainability is the throughline in Catherine’s career and education. She has almost 20 years of work experience in urban planning and landscape architecture, with local governments and private design firms. She recently served as the first Sustainability Manager for the City of Sandy Springs in metro Atlanta (GA) where she developed the program and managed a multitude of green infrastructure, streambank restoration and urban forestry projects. She holds a Master of Urban Planning and undergraduate degrees in Landscape Architecture and Ecology & Environment, and she is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. She is a passionate advocate for nature-based solutions to climate change, native plant species and sustainable development.
Catherine finds happiness in hiking, yoga, and a multitude of art mediums. She loves to travel and her favorite destination is Montreal, her hometown.
In March 2022, Caitlin Rose joined SSDN's team as the North Carolina and Virginia Policy Program Manager. In this role, Caitlin helps to advance members' policy priorities through SSDN's State Policy Program, strengthens communications and resources about policy initiatives with members, and fosters sustained regional partnerships across the Southeast. Bolstered by a background in environmental science, atmospheric chemistry, and public health, Caitlin brings an interdisciplinary perspective to sustainability and local climate action.
Prior to joining SSDN, Caitlin gained valuable experience in state and local government in North Carolina through roles at Triangle J Council of Governments and the NC Department of Environmental Quality. She served as the Clean Cities Coordinator for the Triangle Clean Cities Coalition at TJCOG, where she managed federal grant funding, conducted outreach and education, and worked with fleet partners to support the deployment of sustainable transportations on a regional scale. During her time with NCDEQ, she worked in the State Energy Office, where she was part of the NC Clean Energy Plan development process and related initiatives. The sum of her professional experience has enabled Caitlin to form lasting relationships with state government officials, sustainability managers, advocacy groups, electric utilities, and municipalities around North Carolina while effectively communicating about complex climate and energy issues to a variety of stakeholders.
Caitlin holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, both from UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health. She looks forward to providing assistance related to state clean energy policy and building lasting relationships with SSDN's members.
In January 2023, Rachel Usher joined SSDN as the Georgia and Florida Policy Manager. Rachel works with members via SSDN’s State Policy Program to disseminate information and foster connectivity on climate and energy policy initiatives in the southeast. Rachel has built her career in Georgia with a focus on epidemiology, freshwater science, ecology, and climate action.
Previously Rachel worked as a Program Manager for the Georgia Climate Project, supporting a team of academics, students, and community partners to advance the understanding of climate change impacts and solutions in Georgia.
She has also served as a co-instructor for the Advanced Climate and Health Seminar in the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health. In 2020, she graduated with a Master’s in Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology at the Emory Rollins School of Public Health. She was awarded University of New Hampshire Sustainability Fellowship in 2019 to examine health benefits of climate change mitigation activities with the Vermont Department of Health. Previously, Rachel received her Bachelor of Science in Ecology from the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia in 2016.
When she is out of office, you can find this life-long Southerner shredding the trails on her bike, leading outdoor education, and sailing in coastal Georgia.
In November 2023, Daniel was welcomed to SSDN as our Florida Policy Manager. Daniel's role is dedicated to facilitating Florida members' statewide connection and engagement with Florida's legislative environment on climate and energy policy. His professional and academic background involves conservation education and community-oriented work that promotes equity and building sustainable communities. He is also passionate about the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, water and food security, and humanitarian assistance. Daniel holds a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance from the University of Florida.
Prior to joining SSDN, Daniel worked as a Program Manager for Greening Youth Foundation managing local, regional, and national programs that provided diverse youth with internship opportunities in federal land management agencies like the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. At Everglades National Park, Daniel worked with both Hispanic Access Foundation and Greening Youth Foundation to conduct cultural history research, develop educational programs, perform community outreach, and modernize the park’s digital communications. In 2022, Daniel assisted Florida Policy Institute with research on affordable housing and community development policy in Florida.
Daniel is a first-generation Cuban American from Miami, FL. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, writing, discovering new music, and reading about history and international politics.
Krista joined SSDN in January 2024. Prior to becoming part of our team, Krista built her career in environmental policy, resiliency issues, and water policy. Previously, Krista worked as the Coastal Resiliency Coordinator for the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, where she assisted the North Carolina communities in building their capacity to be more resilient to coastal hazards and storms. She coordinated with communities and contractors about pre-disaster planning and developing shovel-ready projects to strengthen the resilience of their natural and built environments. She also assisted with grant seeking projects during her time at NC DCM.
She has also served as an advocate and director for Environment North Carolina, where she managed their multiple environmental campaigns, including moving to 100% renewable energy and strengthening the policies regarding PFAS, and helped work towards a cleaner and greener North Carolina. Krista holds a Master of Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law and Graduate School, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Law and Natural Resources from The Ohio State University. She looks forward to assisting SSDN’s members and partners to increase the support for their sustainability and resilience priorities and to foster innovative and equitable sustainability solutions at the regional level. She resides in Beaufort, NC and spends her spare time trying out new hobbies, learning how to paddleboard and enjoying the beach with her dog.
Emily joined SSDN in February of 2024 as the Policy Coordinator for Virginia and the Carolinas. She is passionate about connecting and advancing sustainability efforts across her home region and beyond!
Emily found her start in field organizing: coordinating, recruiting, and maintaining a volunteer base to support sustainability and climate goals across the country. She led a team of three organizers to build a community of activists in Richmond and Northern Virginia with a specific focus on achieving Environmental Justice goals. She holds a B.A. in Government with a focus in Environmental Science and Policy from the College of William and Mary. Emily is passionate and excited to learn more about sustainability efforts across states in the Southeast and to serve as a resource to groups looking to forward their sustainability efforts.
In her spare time, Emily loves to be active outdoors - climbing, backpacking, hiking, and paddling. She is an avid reader and member of multiple book clubs. She is also an aspiring baker and fermentor, hoping to achieve the perfect sourdough!
Drew joined USDN and SSDN as Development Director in April 2022. In this role, Drew is responsible for building relationships with key supporters, supporting the long-term sustainability of each organization, and identifying opportunities for new partnerships to advance USDN's and SSDN's missions. Prior to joining USDN, Drew worked at SPUR, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association as the organization's Foundations and Grants Manager. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia where he worked on a community health project and received his MPA from University of Colorado, Denver with a concentration in environmental policy, management, and law. He resides in Oakland, CA.
SSDN Steering Committee
Ashlee Painter (Oldsmar, FL), Co-Chair 2021-2024
Casi Callaway (Mobile, AL), Co-Chair 2022-2025
Mary Pat Baldauf (Columbia, SC) 2021-2024
Catherine Mercier-Baggett (Sandy Springs, GA) 2022-2025
David Ingram (Wilmington, NC) 2022-2025
Lori Forsman (Orange County, FL) 2022-2025
Natalie Frendberg (Palm Beach County, FL) 2022-2025
Chandra Farley (Atlanta, GA) 2023-2026
Jeanette Johnson (Wake Forest, NC) 2023-2026
Jennifer Westerholm (Nashville, TN) 2023-2026
Laura Thomas (Richmond, VA) 2023-2026
Whit Remer (Tampa, FL) 2023-2026
Thank you to our dedicated Steering Committee members!
