Andrea Ruedy Trimble is the Sustainability Director at the University of Virginia and has been a leader in higher education sustainability initiatives for over thirteen years. Prior to joining UVA in November 2014, Andrea managed Harvard University’s sustainable building program, taught university courses in design and sustainability, and worked in architecture, historic preservation, and sustainability consulting fields. Andrea now leads a team of UVA Office for Sustainability staff in pan-university strategic planning, engagement, communication, analysis, sustainable building, and other initiatives across sustainability impact areas. Andrea is a member of the Better Buildings Alliance Higher Education Sector Group Steering Committee, Albemarle County Climate Action Plan Steering Team, the Board of Directors of City Schoolyard Garden, the Charlottesville PLACE Design Task Force, is Co-President of a local elementary school PTO, and coaches youth soccer. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech, a Master of Liberal Arts in sustainability and environmental management from the Harvard Extension School, and Master of Science in historic preservation from Columbia University.

Kristel Riddervold is an environmental professional with more than 20 years of relevant experience in scientific environmental research, environmental compliance, and the development of sustainability initiatives. Kristel has served as the Environmental Sustainability Manager for the City of Charlottesville, Virginia since 2002 when the City formally established an environmental program dedicated to environmental compliance, public education, pollution prevention, and environmental stewardship opportunities. The Division establishes and pursues projects and initiatives in support of the City’s environmental sustainability and goals (City Council 2025 Vision – “Green City”), develops and implements program, tools and solutions to support and promote climate protection, natural resources protection, resource efficiency and conservation, and provides internal support to a range of City programs. The division is routinely involved in community engagement at internal, local, regional, and national levels, with interactions of an educational, regulatory, and collaborative nature. Prior to working for the City of Charlottesville, Kristel was an Environmental Scientist and Project Manager with The Environmental Company, Inc. in (now CARDNO). Ms. Riddervold has a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.

Susan is the Executive Director of the Charlottesville Climate Collaborative. She has been advocating for environmental protection and justice for 25 years. After launching the Allegheny Defense Project in her native Pennsylvania in 1994, Susan helped to found the National Forest Protection Alliance and joined the staff as the Eastern Field Coordinator. She led their federal legislative efforts to protect national forests before ultimately serving as the organization’s executive director. In 2006, Susan pursued her passion for philanthropic work and became the Director of Development for the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville, Virginia and then a major gifts specialist. Susan returned to environmental work to join Appalachian Voices as the Director of Philanthropy in 2016. Excited to merge her passion for the planet and the community she loves, Susan joined C3 in 2019. She is a graduate of Clarion University in Pennsylvania and resides in Charlottesville with her husband Mike and their two nature-loving boys, Evan and Sebastian.

Andy Lowe is the Environmental Compliance Manager for Albemarle County Local Government Department of Environmental Services. Andy is responsible for environmental compliance and sustainability programs for the operations of local government. Since 2007, he has been instrumental in the past and most recent climate action planning. He works with staff from all departments like Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Community Development to implement programs that focus on environmental impacts of operations. Programs include climate action planning, energy and water conservation, sustainable material management, recycling, waterworks operations, and hazardous material management, to name a few. He is also on the Governance Board of the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP).

Chris was appointed to the position of Chief Deputy of the Department of Environmental Quality in June, 2018. In addition to helping run the daily operations of the DEQ, Chris provides strategic communications and policy support for the agency and works across the Administration to promote climate action and a comprehensive climate agenda. In this role, Chris focuses broadly on transportation decarbonization, environmental and climate justice, and finalizing Virginia’s carbon rule to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. A native Virginian, Chris recently moved back to the Commonwealth after spending eight years at the forefront of climate and clean energy policy in the Northwest - first working for Climate Solutions, a regional climate and clean energy advocacy organization, and then as the lead transportation decarbonization advisor for the City of Seattle. He received his undergraduate degree from James Madison University and his MPA from Seattle University and lives in Richmond with his wife and daughter.

Marta Schantz is the Senior Vice President for the Greenprint Center for Building Performance at the Urban Land Institute. She brings deep experience in the real estate sustainability market to lead and collaborate across organizations and stakeholders to achieve program goals and successes. Marta has strengths in project management and market analysis, concentrated in both qualitative and quantitative energy and policy analysis. She has deep experience in sustainability, energy efficiency, and large-scale program management. Marta is a LEED Green Associate and a Fitwel Ambassador. She holds a B.S. in Biological Engineering with a minor in Science Policy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Sandra Leibowitz is founder and Managing Principal of Sustainable Design Consulting, LLC (SDC) a prolific consulting and training firm operating from offices in Richmond, Virginia and Washington, DC. Prior to founding SDC, Sandra served as Sustainable Design Specialist for three Washington, DC-area architecture and consulting firms as well as Co-director of the Solar Information Center at the University of Oregon, where she earned a Master of Architecture degree. A LEED Fellow, Sandra draws from over 18 years of advanced experience with hundreds of sustainable design projects and dozens of organizational programs to serve municipalities, institutions, building owners, developers, architects, builders and facility managers with expert technical consulting and process management for projects of varying size and complexity. Sandra has authored numerous articles and guidance documents and speaks frequently on a wide range of sustainable design and development topics. Sandra currently serves on the Board of Directors of EarthCraft Virginia and participates in the U.S. GSA’s Center for Facilities Management and Hardware Sustainable Solutions Team. She is also a past Director of the James River Green Building Council and has served on the USGBC’s Education Steering Committee and Education Core Committee for Professional Development.