Amber Banks
SPARC Fiscal Sponsorship Program Lead
Amber Banks has been an educator for almost ten years, specializing in working with children with autism and other marginalized populations of children. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and recently moved to Seattle to pursue research related to education leadership, policy, and reform. Amber currently has a Master’s degree in Special Education and a B.S. in Print Journalism with a focus in Cultural Anthropology. She has worked with children K-12 in public, non-public, and private settings, in addition to piloting inclusion and community-based programs for children/teens, designing curricula, and teaching and conducting research in Latin America. Amber is passionate about writing, gardens, helping communities become the agents of their own change, and bridging the opportunity gaps in our communities and schools. Amber became interested in sustainability through her experiences with pioneering various grassroots community-based projects in both Los Angeles and Seattle and a series of research projects conducted throughout the United States, Cuba, and Central America. Amber feels right at home here in Seattle with its plethora of outdoor activities, vibrant multicultural elements, and delicious restaurants.

Rangsima Bunthatip, MBA
Marketing Coordinator
Rangsima was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand. She recently moved to Seattle and graduated with an MBA in 2009 concentrating in Marketing and Management from Kennesaw State University, GA. During her graduated studies, she also worked as a research assistant at the Department of Political Science and International Affairs in the study of international environmental treaties and related areas. Rangsima is excited about pursuing the next phase of her career with Sustainable Seattle.

Ada da Silva
Social Justice Coordinator
Dedicated to issues of social justice, da Silva has volunteered as an ESL tutor for Proyecto Saber, served as a mentor to a Burmese refugee family with the International Rescue Committee, worked with immigrant preschoolers through AmeriCorps’ Jumpstart program, and volunteered as a translator for the American Red Cross’s language bank.  Ada has lived in Brazil, speaks French and Portuguese and is proficient in Spanish.

Tanushree Chowdhury
Sustainabilty Indicator Researcher
Tanushree was born and raised in Calcutta, India. She is pursuing a doctorate in Environmental Planning in SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, NY. He research focuses on community water resource management of developing countries with a view to other environmental issues, especially energy and sustainability. She bring experience working for Greenpeace, UNICEF and WWF (India) on carbon sequestration to public health, urban ecology and marine conservation plan. She has also worked for the government as an urban planner consultant preparing development plans.

Tysan Dutta
Sustainable Seattle Recognition and Awards Lead
Tysan is a graduate of Vassar College and the Antioch Seattle Environment and Community Masters.  Her work within the wine and restaurant industry has included operations for restaurants in New York, Portland and Seattle.   She has been an instructor for the International Sommelier Guild, educating on viticulture and vinification—including organic and biodynamic vineyard practices—and accrediting Sommeliers in LA, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver BC.  She has focused on sustainability in the hospitality industry, working most notably for five years as the Sommelier at the acclaimed Herbfarm Restaurant in Woodinville.  She recently opened Fonté café in Seattle with level 2 Green Restaurant Certification.

Charles Fritz
Community Development GIS Lead
Chas moved to Seattle from Kalamazoo, Michigan where he graduated with a B.S. in Geography, concentrating on Urban and Regional Studies. Though declared as, and devoted to being a student of the city, Chas discovered his interest in Geographic Information Science. During his last year and a half of undergrad studies he received a position as a GIS technician at the W.E. Upjohn Center for the Study of Geographical Change where he plied his trade. He has now brought his experience to S2, developing data, maps, and indicator content for the B-Sustainable project. When he isn't working, he enjoys rock climbing, and playing soccer.

Eldan Goldenberg
Director of Operations / Sustainability Training And Resources program Lead
Eldan comes to Sustainable Seattle with experience as a training manager at EOS Alliance, and as a teacher of I.T. skills to jobseekers.  Along the way, he earned a Master's in Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems, and rode a bike around New Zealand.  When he's not at work, Eldan tries to spend as much time as possible hiking, sailing and skiing around Cascadia, and photographing everything.

Candace Goodrich
PHOCUS Intern
Candace is currently completing a M.A. degree in Climate and Society from Columbia University. Her studies have focused on climate science and the social, political, and environmental implications of climate change and variability. For the past year Candace has been conducting research to assess the use of local policy as a tool for mitigating global climate change, through the case study of Seattle and initiatives within the transportation sector. Living in New York City has made Candace an advocate for mass transportation and efforts to reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles and expand urban public transportation systems. She earned a B.A. in Comparative Sociology from University of Puget Sound where she pursued research on perceptions of sustainability among various urban populations in the United States and Brazil. Candace is primarily interested in urban issues and is passionate about working to create sustainable cities.

Nathan Jackson
Communications and Outreach Director
Nathan Jackson graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in Secondary English teaching and began working in various educational positions including AmeriCorps, pre-kindergarten and college level teaching.  He has always had a desire to help others reach their full potential and see that their limitations are only what they set for themselves. He brings experience in non profit organizations, social outreach and communication.  He is especially effective with interpersonal relationships and pragmatic problem solving.  Nathan has a deep commitment to social justice, health equity and education for all. He believes that no real change can happen if someone is over dependent on others and is not fulfilling their own promise.  Change happens when someone learns how to fend for themselves using their own natural talents, education and access to services that empower and free them.

Corey Jefferson
Community Development Action Catalyst Lead
Nurtured in an artistic household, all children and grandchildren in our family have learned three lessons: explore artistic creative expression, learn to work with peers, and give with purpose.  Given this household curriculum, beginning at age four, Corey  traveled to West Africa learning how to ‘give with purpose’. His grandfather  led groups (for over 15 years) of educators from New York to Dakar, Senegal annually in order to survey and exchange ideas on educating the youth.  Outstanding goals were to find parallels in student struggles traversing the trans-Atlantic communities of education, as well as to donate clothing, books, and other supplies that helped sustain their educational system. He was raised on the East Coast and travel there frequently, while broadening my social and professional spectrum in Seattle, WA. Currently, He is a candidate for a post-graduate degree in Global Management by Fall 2010. He is enjoying the opportunity to apply life experiences and new knowledge to a career in Community Development domestically and abroad.

Owen Martel
SPARC Videographer
Owen comes with a background combining video, theater, sustainability, religion, ethnomusicology, and insurgencies.  He is particularly interested in stories of perseverance, in the relationship of people to their natural and built environments, and in collaborative projects that synthesize ideas and methods from a wide variety of sources.  His work ranges from from 30-second experimental shorts to hour-long fiction and documentary pieces (made in conditions ranging from dedicated studios to sheep-haunted mountainsides). Click here to see more. He is a graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts and the University of Otago in New Zealand.

Marie Rangel Mendes
STARs PALS Program Lead
Marie Rangel Mendes has joined Sustainable Seattle to help spearhead community outreach through collaboration and sharing. A firm believer in knowledge is the key to success; she hopes that PALS can grow into a wonderful learning and resource forum for sustainable practices. From an early age she admired the works of David Thoreau; connecting with his “oneness” with nature. With an environmental engineering degree from Northwestern University and 10 years of experience in environmental consultation with expertise in air emissions, she aspires to merge sustainability into every facet of work and life. She has worked with P.W. Grosser Consulting for over 6 years and is currently the Branch Manager of the Seattle office. She has assisted numerous clients in handling their wastes properly and understand their environmental impact via carbon footprint and other assessments. She takes every opportunity to learn from others and offer insight to knowledge she has gained over the years. Inspired by her Peruvian and Norwegian heritage, Marie loves to travel, taste news foods, enjoy outdoor activities, and cultural dance.

Laura Musikanski    , JD, MBA, CEM, CELR
Executive Director
Laura Musikanski is a fifth generation Seattlelite with a daughter and grandchild born in Seattle. She is lawyer with an MBA and certificates in Environmental Management and Environmental Law and Regulations from the University of Washington. This is her version of a triple bottom line education. Laura is deeply committed to sustainability and the journey that we all are on towards a world. Prior to joining Sustainable Seattle as Executive Director, she was the Director of Sustainability and a Senior Consultant for a national environmental and natural resources consulting firm.  Laura helped private entities, non-profits and counties including McDonalds, Darigold, Chevron, Zurich Insurance, Cascade Designs, AHAC, WSDOT, the Quinault Indian Nation and Pierce County address sustainable development in a context sensitive manner.  She brings fifteen years experience running a small business. She taught at the UW MBA program, spearheaded a program to integrate sustainability into business school curricula in the Northwest, founded a club for second career students at her law school, and volunteers as a CASA, advocating for neglected and abused children, and at New Beginnings-Ending Domestic Violence.

Ania Pastuszewska, LEED AP
Dream a Sound Future Program Lead
Ania graduated from the University of Illinois in Chicago with a B.A. in Architecture and a minor in theater in 2006. She spent the last three years in Durango, CO practicing architecture and skiing a lot. Working in and enjoying the recreational benefits of rural Colorado enforced her strong commitment to protect the natural landscape as we attempt to accommodate our rapid population growth. In her practice, Ania hopes to design buildings that support the dynamics of a community, while addressing the issues of affordability, accessibility and environment, and considering the effect of a dwelling on productivity and happiness of an individual. She believes that for our society to be sustainable we must provide equal opportunities to every person, and this begins with creating a healthy built and natural environment as a stage to every day life.

Jie Sheng, M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering
BREATHE Program Lead
Jie has lived in a variety of places, including China, Thailand, Ohio, Washington and Pennsylvania.  Having spent over 15 years living in the Seattle area, she considers Seattle her home.  Jie received her Bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Washington, focusing on air and water treatment. At Carnegie Mellon University, she earned a Master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering, specializing in green design.  Jie believes that her background as an engineer is a valuable tool in developing and implementing innovative solutions for the negative environmental impacts of human activity, as well as alternative methods of development that are environmentally conscious and sustainable, while still meeting the needs of a resource and energy intensive society.  Her career goals derive from her belief that sustainable engineering and green design will not only have positive impacts on the environment, but also alleviate many economic and social problems  In her free time, Jie enjoys playing drums, guitar and piano, seeking out live music and watching football.

Amy Waterman
Amy comes to Sustainable Seattle with over fifteen years experience in the environmental field, working in the non-profit and local government arena on environmental advocacy, education, planning, and science.   Most of her work has been focused on water quality and watershed protection.  Examples of her work include helping to develop a protection plan for a bay off of Long Island Sound, doing wetland education and stormwater planning with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, enforcing environmental regulations for a town in the Hudson Valley of New York, and developing a curriculum for urban kids on the water cycle and water quality.  She has a masters in natural resource policy from Cornell University.  Since being an at-home mom and coming out to Seattle, she has done various volunteer positions, gotten a certificate in Wetland Science and Management from the University of Washington, and worked actively in her daughter's school, including a year bringing gardening to their mostly asphalt-covered school yard every Friday.   Passionate about the importance of the natural world in its own right as well as for human health and sanity, she would now like to broaden her work to deal with the intersection of social justice and the environment.   She would also like to bring the joy that the natural world can bring to those who have not experienced it and is very interested in urban agriculture as a way to do that.

Sustainable Seattle is a 100% volunteer organization working to create new & green paid jobs!