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 Coordinator for Climate and Sustainability Programs, she facilitates the completion of Emory’s annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory, collaborates with student and community groups to advance climate resilience, and supports 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.
Tim Brewer
General Sustainability Intern
Tim is a rising senior majoring in Environmental Science and Philosophy, Politics, and Law. He's from Cincinnati, Ohio and is passionate about environmental justice and waste reduction. Around campus, he's involved with the Emory Ecological Society, Orchestra, and Pep Band. In his free time, he enjoys running and making music. Tim is excited to work at OSI and help leave campus better than he found it!
Bella Flemma
General Sustainability Intern
Bella Flemma is a junior studying Environmental Science and Public Policy Analysis. She grew up in rural Connecticut but now lives in Winnetka, IL. Bella developed a deep appreciation for the environment at a young age and has been interested in conservation and sustainability for as long as she can remember. On campus, she is also a member of the Student Programming Council and joined the Gillespie research lab last year. Bella is returning to OSI as a summer intern after interning in the fall of 2024.
Alexandra Friedman
General Sustainability Intern
Alexandra Friedman is a senior majoring in Environmental Science with a concentration in Environmental Management and minoring in Sociology. Raised in Los Angeles, she saw the effects of inadequate public transportation, environmental injustice, and natural disasters up close, shaping her passion for sustainable urban development, ESG, and social impact. As a General Sustainability Intern at OSI, Alexandra is excited to support carbon emission reduction efforts, contribute to sustainability reporting, and help foster a greener, more resilient campus community.
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.
Josephine Noble
Educational Gardens Intern
Jo is a rising senior studying Environmental Science on the ECO track and Biology (BA). As a Summer Gardens Intern, Jo will primarily be working on tending the various gardens around campus, as well as participating in general tasks with the rest of the summer interns. She became passionate about plants and sustainability through composting, gardening, and tending to her family's chickens as a kid in her home state of New Jersey, and hopes to go into the conservation biology field after college. In her free time, Jo loves participating in her long list of hobbies, such as zooming around Atlanta on her thrifted bike, and her favorite outside plants to grow are tomatoes and potatoes!
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.