Ciannat Howett
Associate Vice President, Sustainability, Resilience and Economic Inclusion Adjunct Associate Professor, Emory University
Ciannat founded Emory’s first Office of Sustainability Initiatives in July 2006 before assuming her current role as Associate Vice President in 2019, managing an enterprise-wide effort to ensure that Emory’s actions and policies support environmental, social, and economic systems that provide a healthy, productive, and meaningful life for current and future generations. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health and Emory College’s Environmental Sciences Department and a Senior Faculty Fellow with Emory’s Center for Ethics. Ciannat attended Emory as an undergraduate, receiving her B.A. in 1987, and she received a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1992. She practiced environmental law with Kilpatrick Stockton for four years and was Senior Attorney with the Water Enforcement Division the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. for six years before serving as Director of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Georgia and Alabama office until 2006. She is a Trustee for the R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation, the PATH Foundation, and serves on the Advisory Board of Emory Law School’s Turner Environmental Law Clinic and the National Council on Competitiveness. She received the 2002 U.S. EPA Gold Medal for Exceptional Service, the 2004 Environmental Hero Award from The Wilderness Society, the 2010 Pillar of Sustainability Award from EARTH University, the 2013 Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award from Rollins School of Public Health, a 2014 Award of Distinction from Emory, and a 2020 Woman to Watch award from the U.S. Green Building Council. She is a co-founder of the Greater Atlanta Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development of the United Nations. She is a frequent regional and national speaker on sustainability issues, and, for four years, was named a “Georgia Super Lawyer” by Atlanta magazine.
Cyrus Bhedwar
Director of Sustainability
Cyrus joined the Office of Sustainability Initiatives team in 2023. His career has focused on advancing energy efficiency and sustainability at the local, state, and regional levels. As the Director of Energy Efficiency Policy at the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, he worked with state and local policymakers to advance energy efficiency across the Southeast. He spends his time thinking hard about how we create the understanding, connections, and infrastructure needed to advance a clean energy future in a region where grits and/or sweet tea are in plentiful supply, truly a perfect fit for Emory! After 18 years of experience working in energy and sustainability, he’s an expert at stakeholder facilitation and strategic thinking, meaning that post-its, markers, and flip charts are on “subscribe and save". In between his busy work schedule, he finds time to give back to the community as a board member of the Decatur MLK Service Project.
Erik Edwards
Educational Garden Project Coordinator, Office of Sustainability Initiatives
Erik grew up on a family farm outside of Athens, GA. As a child, he had a passion for plants and gardening with some of his fondest memories being outside with his parents and grandparents working in the dirt of his family’s garden. Erik graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S.A in Horticulture in 2013 and took a job managing 5 acres of floriculture greenhouses in Denver, Colorado. In 2017, he and his wife moved back to Georgia as he took on the position of research greenhouse manager for Emory’s biology department. During his time as the research greenhouse manager, he assisted with the garden project by growing the plant starters and volunteering his time. In June of 2019, he was able combine his position as the greenhouse manager with coordinating the OSI garden project.
Mindy Goldstein
Faculty Fellow
Clinical Professor Mindy Goldstein is director of the Turner Environmental Law Clinic and director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program at Emory Law School. Her work focuses on matters related to sustainable energy and climate change, land use and conservation, sustainable agriculture and urban farming, protection of natural resources, and access to information.
Rebecca Philipsborn
Faculty Fellow
Dr. Rebecca Philipsborn is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. In research and in medical education, she focuses on the intersection of climate change and health, especially child health, and implications for health equity, clinical practice, and healthcare delivery.
Eri Saikawa
Faculty Fellow
Eri Saikawa is an Associate Professor in Environmental Sciences at Emory University. She conducts interdisciplinary research on the environment, and her main research questions are related to the source and the magnitude of emissions linked to air pollution, ozone depletion and global warming, as well as the impacts of these emissions on humans and on society.
Lydia Fort
Faculty Fellow
Lydia Fort is an Assistant Professor in Theater Studies at Emory University. Her work focuses on the intersection of performance, social change and the environment. She is the co-founder of Atlanta Green Theatre Alliance (AGTA) and a founding member of Climate Commons. Ms. Fort is an alum of Creative Climate Leadership, an international group of artists and cultural workers, and artEquity’s National Facilitation Training for DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). At Emory she teaches a course on Eco-theatre, co-leads an annual workshop on interdisciplinary between art and science, and has hosted Earth Matters On Stage New Play Festival, Climate Change Theatre Action, and the “Theatre and the Environment: Representations of Climate Change on Stage” event.
Anna Brachey
Climate and Sustainability Program Coordinator
Anna joined the Office of Sustainability Initiatives team in 2023. As a Climate Solutions Fellow, she will facilitate the completion of Emory’s annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory, collaborate with student and community groups to advance climate resilience, and support Emory’s research into climate mitigation and adaptation innovations. She earned a B.A. in Anthropology and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Georgia in 2020, then graduated in the inaugural class of Columbia University’s Climate School with an M.A. in Climate and Society in 2022. In her research, Anna uses social and environmental sciences to better understand how climate and conservation solutions can be most effective and just in practice.
Kendra Ding
Sustainability & Social Justice Fellow, Office of Sustainability Initiatives
Kendra Ding first joined the OSI team as a student intern in 2021 and now works as a Sustainability & Social Justice Fellow. She will help manage and develop frameworks for the Green Office program, Emory Farmer's Market, and Green Networking Events, as well as provide input for the Incentives Fund programs. Kendra graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.A. in Film and Media from Emory University in 2023.
Justin Bright
Sustainability & Social Justice Fellow, Office of Sustainability Initiatives
Justin Bright first joined the Office of Sustainability Initiatives as a General Sustainability Intern in Summer 2021. After graduating from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, Justin now works as a Sustainability Fellow. Justin helps run the OSI newsletter, Sustainable Events Program, and the Green Labs Program.
Mac Fabens
General Sustainability Intern
Mac is a junior majoring in International Studies and Economics in the College of Arts and Sciences. Spending lots of time in nature growing up has influenced him to care about the natural world, sustainability, and mitigating climate change. At OSI, he hopes to learn about the challenges and successes of sustainability goal implementation at Emory and the world as a whole. He hopes to find a career where he can make multiple actors collaborate on sustainability, conservation, and mitigating climate change. In his free time, he enjoys running, reading, and baking.
Natalia Freeze
General Sustainability/Green Office Intern
Natalia Freeze is a General Sustainability Intern with a specialization in the Green Office. She is a senior studying Environmental Science with a minor in Sustainability at Emory. She is interested in scientific communication to foster optimism and hope about protecting the Earth. Her most memorable experiences have been volunteering at a panda sanctuary in Ya’an, China, and participating in a field course in the Amazon rainforest in Iquitos, Peru. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing poetry, and gardening in her backyard.
Noa Mae Greenstein
General Sustainability Intern
Noa is a third-year with a major in Environmental Science and a minor in Math. She is from Brooklyn, New York. In her free time, she loves to sing, dance, and travel to experience different cities, cultures, and natural environments. Noa spent her childhood in the woods, catching frogs and bugs, and she has since striven to protect the ecosystems that she loves, along with the ones that she would love to see. In this internship, Noa will leverage her experience in biology research and science communications to advance Emory’s remarkable sustainability projects and work towards a cleaner, safer future for all.
Madelyn Hill
General Sustainability Intern
Madelyn is a Junior majoring in Environmental Science and completing a 4+1 program to obtain her MPH in Environmental Health. She is passionate about protecting the health of our environment, wildlife, and human populations. In her free time, Madelyn enjoy reading, traveling, spending time outside, and looking for interesting animals. As a part of OSI, Madelyn is incredibly excited to participate in interdisciplinary work and find innovative solutions to help the university reach and exceed its sustainability goals.
Isobel Li
General Sustainability Intern
Isobel is a sophomore studying Environmental Science and Applied Math/Stats. At Emory, she is involved with the Chinese Undergraduate Student Organization and the Saikawa Research Lab. In her free time, she enjoys concerts, being outside, and adding films to her Letterboxd watchlist without watching any of them. As an OSI intern, Isobel is excited to support Emory in achieving its sustainability targets and looks forward to working with the team this semester!
Eliana Liporace
General Sustainability/Green Labs Intern
Eliana is a General Sustainability Intern specifically focusing on Green Labs at Emory. She is a rising sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, thrilled to take on a proactive role in spearheading initiatives that promote eco-friendly practices within academic and research environments. Eliana is particularly drawn to the intersection of public health and climate change, recognizing the urgent need to address environmental health challenges facing disproportionately impacted communities. Eliana is eager to explore innovative methods for mitigating the effects of climate change and fostering a greener, healthier future for all.
Vyomini Manath
General Sustainability Intern
Vyomini is a sophomore Environmental Science major who has spent most of her life in Auroville, an experimental city in South India. From a young age, she worked on subsistence farms in her community, which ignited her deep commitment to creating a sustainable future. She is dedicated to integrating this passion into her career. Through OSI, Vyomini aims to educate others about environmental issues and gain valuable insights into the implementation of real-world solutions. One of her favorite hobbies is traveling to art museums around the world, and she collects postcards from every museum she visits.
Georgia Pineda
General Sustainability Intern
Georgia Pineda is a sophomore studying Environmental Science on the Ecology and Conservation track, with a minor in Quantitative Sciences. She also pitches for the Emory softball team. She is from Marin County, CA, and found a passion for nature through time spent exploring as a kid. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, surfing, and any time spent in the sun.
Yufan Wu
General Sustainability Intern
Yufan Wu is a Junior studying BBA and QSS. He is excited to join the OSI team and learn more about sustainability!
Skyler Zou
General Sustainability Intern
Skyler Zou is a junior majoring in Environmental Science on the Social, Science, and Policy (SSP) track with a double major in Economics. Her academic interests center on the intersection of environmental and economic systems, with a focus on exploring sustainable solutions. As an intern at OSI, she strives to expand her interdisciplinary experience while making a tangible impact on promoting Emory’s sustainability. In her free time, Skyler enjoys doing photography, cooking, traveling and thrifting.