We take on projects that address these areas of focus.  
To learn about our efforts, click on the link to our "Current Projects" page.

Our Staff

Sara Pesek (Director): Sara focuses on program design and delivery, and has experience in the areas of environmental finance, environmental policy, green building, green infrastructure, project management, environmental communication and engagement, information technology, public outreach, and program development. She is part of a Technical Advisory Committee for a new ICLEI and USGBC program, the STAR Community Index, which will be a metric system for community sustainability. Sara has led work in the following areas: green job program development, agricultural markets, green infrastructure design, pharmaceutical by-products in water, biomass to energy programs, waste management, municipal carbon footprint assessment, infrastructure management, wind energy regulation, and development of a city-wide energy reduction strategy. In graduate school, she led a capstone project for USDA Rural Development that identified challenges for establishing water/wastewater asset management systems in rural communities. She has presented at conferences in India and across the United States. Sara also delivers seminars for the National League of Cities at their Leadership Training Institute. She received her Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and has undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry.

Khristopher Dodson (Communications and Program Manager):  Khris has joined us with responsibility for outreach and education on water and land-use BMPs, among other programming subjects including stormwater management, Great Lakes science, policy and economics, alternative energy and Smart Growth. He will also be leading our strategic communications activities. He has direct experience in a number of communities in which the EFC works, and has established relationships with a number of key organizations in the area. Khris has a Master of Professional Studies in Environmental Communication from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a Master of Arts in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism from the Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.

Melissa Young (Program Manager):  Melissa’s focus at the Environmental Finance Center is on rural community sustainability, and managing training events for technical assistance providers and community representatives. These responsibilities include building close relationships with local leaders in developing programs that support local infrastructure and agricultural issues. In addition, she developed both nyfoodtrader.org and nyagtrader.org, two websites intended to encourage support for rural economies. In doing so, Melissa has met with a variety of individuals and organizations to develop the website. Melissa has participated in several farming and food conferences to outreach and network with New York State producers and others in the local agricultural community. She is the Vice Chair of the Slow Food Central New York Chapter. She joined the EFC staff in 2008 after completing her Master of Science degree at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and completed her undergraduate degree in environmental studies and philosophy at SUNY Binghamton.

Evan Newell (Program Manager): Evan will be working to support the rest of the program team while moving into several new areas including innovative financing tools, community sustainability planning, and carbon footprint inventories. Evan has interned with us since last fall as he was completing his Master of Public Administration at Syracuse University. Among the myriad skills he brings to the job are specific experiences working and researching in the following areas: waste to energy, electronic waste, climate change policy, green jobs programs, and green purchasing policy, the last from having worked with Onondaga County's Purchasing Department on the development of green and sustainable purchasing policies. Evan has worked in other nonprofits in the past and brings a collaborative attitude. He received his undergraduate education at Northwestern University.

Eva Rippeteau (Associate Program Manager):  Eva is expanding our programs throughout EPA Region 2. She focuses on programming in New York’s Hudson Valley, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico.   Her fluency in Spanish is an asset to our efforts in Puerto Rico. Before coming to the EFC she worked for New York State Senator Martin Connor as both a community correspondent for the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and as an aide in the Albany legislative office. She has experience with water quality issues in the St. Lawrence Seaway and in researching municipal composting programs. She is completing her Master of Public Administration at the Wagner School at New York University, receiving a degree in international studies with a concentration on environmental studies. She holds Bachelors of Science degrees in Political Science (with Honors) and Spanish Language, Literature & Culture from Syracuse University.