gogreeninstyle : MyBlogHer Profile

For Mandy, sustainability is vocation and an avocation.  She is committed to issues surrounding the environment and preserving natural resources in her professional and personal life. Who else names a Labrador retriever Caretta, after the scientific name for loggerhead sea turtles? It was a given that Mandy’s wedding would be green. She and her fiancé Sean are planning a totally green, high style wedding and document it at GoGreenInStyle.com.

In her professional life, Mandy is the Director of Sustainability for the City of Atlanta.  This initiative is a major focus of the administration of Mayor Shirley Franklin.  It is aimed at improving the city’s green programs and policies such as water and energy conservation, reducing our solid waste, reducing emissions, and improving the rates of recycling.

Mandy is proud that she was part of the team that launched the BeltLine, an initiative to create a 22-mile loop of parks, trails and greenspace in the city of Atlanta. The best thing to come out of her experience at the BeltLine was Sean.  Thanks to a special matchmaker, they met while Mandy was working for the project and Sean was volunteering.

Other work experience includes working for Ahmann, TopRight, Weeks Properties Group and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Mandy’s thought leadership has been reflected in her publications, which include the “Proceedings of the 2004 American Water Works Association Conference.” 

A passionate environmentalist, Mandy co-founded the Duke University Greening Initiative and, also at Duke, the nation’s first graduate degree program in energy resource management and policy. She serves as Secretary for the League of Women Voters of Georgia, and serves on the Board of the Atlanta Chapter of Ducks Unlimited.

Mandy graduated from Duke University with a master’s degree in environmental management. She also earned a law degree and a bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental studies from Emory University. Her international experience includes studies in China and Peru.