Vision and Mission
Sustain Dane’s vision is a thriving and inclusive community with a sustainable environment and economy we are proud to pass on to future generations. Our mission is to inspire, connect, and support people to accelerate equity and sustainable actions for community wellbeing.
Sustain Dane’s holistic definition of sustainability includes a healthy environment, a just economy, and equity & social well-being.
Meet Our Team
Claire Oleksiak
Executive Director
As Executive Director Claire (she/her) aims to accelerate a sustainable environment and economy that benefits all members of our community. Claire is passionate about innovation, collaboration, and social impact. Prior to joining Sustain Dane, she worked as the Community Services Manager for the City of Madison Parks Division. In that role, she facilitated partnerships with public and private organizations, managed community facilities, and implemented the Connecting Children to Nature Initiative. Claire also worked on local community and economic development in Washington, DC for 10 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree from Oxford University. She grew up in Madison, WI. Reach out to Claire about strategic partnerships, your thoughts on sustainability opportunities and challenges, and any other questions related to Sustain Dane overall
Lorenza Zebell
Program Manager
Lorenza (she/her) develops and manages programs at Sustain Dane including our Accelerate Sustainability workshops, one-on-one assistance, and tracking of our partner’s sustainable impacts. She believes taking sustainable actions large and small can create a more secure, fair, and prosperous future for our community and beyond. Lorenza was a dedicated volunteer with Sustain Dane for years before accepting this position. She holds a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Operations and Sustainability. Prior to her work with Sustain Dane she ran WSUM 91.7 FM Madison’s student radio station. Reach out to Lorenza for more information on engaging with sustainability at your organization.
Lucia Hunt
Development & Partnerships Manager
As the Development & Partnerships Manager at Sustain Dane, Lucia (she/her) leads membership outreach and engagement, grants, community partnerships, and program sponsorship. Previously, Lucia worked with REAP Food Group to promote a more equitable and interconnected local food system in South Central Wisconsin. Before that, she worked as a project manager for Epic Systems. Lucia holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Macalester College, and she is passionate about analyzing and engaging with the layered systems and actors that play into urban sustainability. Reach out to Lucia with questions related to membership, donations, or sponsorships.
Maggie Radl
Communications Specialist
In her role as Communications Specialist, Maggie (she/her) aims to promote environmental conservation on all levels while continuing to uphold the vision of Sustain Dane. Maggie graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a focus on Environmental Studies, Geography and Chinese. Her prior environmental work at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies as well as her brief time interning on an organic farm in Shanghai helped solidify her passion for environment, and after teaching English in China post-graduation she is eager to help engage the community of Dane County in their mission of sustainability. In her free time you can always catch Maggie outside, whether it’s fishing Lake Wingra, pulling invasive plants at her neighborhood park, or soaking up the sun kayaking in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Reach out to Maggie for more questions or information regarding Sustain Dane and Relay Network Communications.
Valora Gutierrez
Efficiency Navigator & NOAH Outreach Specialist
Valora (she/her) engages directly with community members as the Efficiency Navigator and Natural Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) Outreach Specialist. She advocates for energy efficiency in low-income and workforce housing, in order to foster economic and environmental sustainability. With a holistic vision of environmentalism, she is committed to serving under-resourced residents of Dane County. Growing up in California, environmental justice issues are quite literally close to home for her. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she double majored in Environmental Studies and Geography with an emphasis in People-Environment Interaction Studies. While there, Valora was a Chancellor’s Scholar. Prior to her work with Sustain Dane, she researched habitat conservation and mitigation banking in UW-Madison’s Geography Department. More recently, she managed environmental health and safety campaigns within the Wisconsin Environment and WISPIRG nonprofit network. Reach out to Valora for questions about energy efficient home upgrades and how we can build a more equitable, resilient future.
Interns
Chlo Baumbach
Compost Intern
Chlo Baumbach (they/them) recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and People-Environment Geography. Their passions lie in community based work surrounding issues of environmental injustices, food sovereignty, and equitable access to healthcare within minority communities. In their free time, Chlo enjoys watching Stranger Things, making their own music, and playing with their calico kitty, Bia. Chlo is ecstatic to be working with Sustain Dane and the community this summer to help relocate waste into an environmentally beneficial system.
Alyssa Dorman
Development Fellow
As a Development Fellow for Sustain Dane, Alyssa (she/her) assists with operations related to grant writing, membership engagement, sponsorship initiatives, and programmatic work. Alyssa is passionate about environmental justice issues and values sustainability work focused on building strong, just, and resilient communities. She moved to Dane County to pursue her law degree at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she is involved with the Wisconsin Innocence Project (WIP) and Environmental Law Society (ELS). Previously, she spent 4 years at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) supporting scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates working to ensure the rights of all people to clean air and water, healthy homes and food, and green infrastructure and transportation. Alyssa holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Franklin & Marshall College. In her free time, she enjoys cycling, cooking meals with friends, and watching old movies.
Sophie Hammond
Compost Intern
Sophie (she/her) is currently a Senior at UW-Madison studying Biology with certificates in Environmental Studies and Global Health. After studying water quality and its impact on communities in Ecuador, she developed a passion for environmental justice and the connection between natural resources and community health. She has also worked for the DNR collecting road salt application data from across Wisconsin, with the goal of reducing its usage to protect our lakes and streams. Sophie plans to pursue a masters in environmental health or environmental science and aspires to help make Earth a cleaner place. In her free time she likes to connect with nature by hiking, kayaking, or camping and enjoys creating art, whether it be painting or making her own jewelry.
Jeanne Welch
Compost Intern
Jeanne(she/her) discovered the connection between the health of an ecosystem and the equity and wellbeing of the community during her time in the Peace Corps as a forestry volunteer in Mali, West Africa. She is a systems thinker who enjoys working together at the intersection of health and the environment, and seeks local opportunities to make a positive and sustainable impact. Jeanne has a B.S. in Natural Resources from Michigan State and a Masters in Public Health Education/Outreach from University of Hawaii, Manoa. She believes each person’s story adds value to the wellbeing of the whole community. Jeanne finds renewal by singing in harmony with others, listening to nature, and appreciating the abundant gifts the Great Lakes Region has to offer.
Liv Wuethrich
Compost Intern
As an intern, Liv (she/her) has interests in sustainability and supporting her community through business and volunteerism. She recently graduated with a biology degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – she swears she’s not one of the Illinois drivers you might be thinking of ;)! An interest in sustainability emerged in college after learning about food systems and nonrenewable energy, as well as working with a soybean geneticist. Some important, personal goals for Liv are the desire to reduce her plastic usage and reuse items that no longer serve their primary purpose! Currently, she works in quality control at IFF, a food production company in the east of Madison. When not testing products or collecting compost, Liv plays volleyball on a recreational team and is enjoying reading the Harry Potter series for the first time!
Siri Grund
Compost Intern
Siri Grund (she/her) is currently a sophomore at UW-Madison. She is working towards a double major in Environmental Studies and Health Equity & Health Promotion. She is passionate about the connection between food and sustainability, as well as environmental justice. In high school, Siri received the Girl Scout Gold Award by completing a leadership project centered around food sustainability. She wrote an article and created a Twitter feed informing her peers about changes they could make in their diets to be more sustainable. In her free time, Siri likes to run, hike, cook and bake.
Jake Pollastrini
Compost Intern
Jake’s (he/him) varied background in Energy, Manufacturing & “Big Food” gives him a unique perspective on large scale production & consumerism and the need for increased education around waste management and healthful alternatives. Jake’s obsession with holistic health & wellness for people and the planet continues to grow as he studies more about food systems, regenerative agriculture, and helps operate small, organic family farms. He hopes to build a sustainable home and produce much (if not all!) of his food supply through permaculture practices, local sourcing, and environmentally friendly technologies. Jake holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UW-Madison and currently runs a pre-accelerator program for aspiring student startup founders. To maintain mental & physical balance, he’s often playing sand volleyball, biking, practicing mixed martial arts, or learning something totally new!
Weiyi Zhao
Compost Intern
Weiyi (she/her/hers) is a graduate student in the Environmental Conservation program of Nelson Institute at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. She is a very self-motivated and curious person, seeking to help in any way she can to tackle complex problems facing the urban sustainability realm. With a background in conservation and environmental science & engineering and while these remain passions of her, she is equally interested in broadening her experience, especially in the field of food waste management, energy efficiency, air quality, social justice, and community-based solutions for environmental issues. She is very excited to be working with Sustain Dane this fall to encourage more people to participate in composting activities including food waste donation and compost education. In her spare time, Weiyi enjoys reading literature books, singing, hiking, and visiting art museums.
Anna Jurena
Compost Intern
Job Opportunities
You can play a critical role in helping Sustain Dane achieve our vision of a thriving and connected community with a sustainable environment and economy we are proud to pass on to future generations. If there are no current open positions, feel free to reach out with your resume for future opportunities.
Sustain Dane Board
Robin Lisowski
Slipstream
Steve Whayland
President, Executive Committee
DC Engineering
Jim Bradley
Treasurer, Executive Committee
Home Savings Bank
Mark Richardson
Vice President, Executive Committee
Unfinished Business
Missy F. Tracy
Secretary, Executive Committee
Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison
Richard Heinemann
Boardman Clark LLP
Yvette Jones
designCraft Advertising
Angeline Mboutngam
Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association
Melissa Flores
Nordic Consulting
Dave Benforado
MG&E
Sandy Xiong
City of Sun Prairie
Abigail Corso
Elevate Energy
Tom Thompson
UW Health
Ben Reynolds
Reynolds Transfer and Storage
Amanda Goetsch
University of Wisconsin Sustainable Management
Annual Reports
Learn more about our work throughout past years. Sustain Dane’s Annual Report is a summary of our impact and partnerships with innovative organizations and individuals.
History
Sustain Dane was founded in 1999 by a group of Madison community members including Brian Joiner, Niki McGlathery, Jennifer Olsen, and Per Kielland-Lund to create a more sustainable future for Dane County. They used the internationally recognized science-based sustainability framework called The Natural Step as their guide. In 2003, Sustain Dane received 501(c)(3) status and was officially recognized as a nonprofit. Sustain Dane programs have evolved over the years, positively impacting Dane County sustainability and wellbeing.
Past Board Members
- Grant Abert, Kailo Fund, Sustain Dane Co-founder
- Sara Alvarado, Alvarado Real Estate
- Josh Arnold
- Craig Benson, UW-Madison Office of Sustainability
- Dave Boyer, MCD, Sustain Dane Co-founder
- Karen Crossley, Morgridge Center for Public Service
- Jonathon Foley
- Jac Garner, Webcrafters
- Jordan Hemaidan, Michael Best & Friedrich
- Michael Hernke, Sustain Dane Co-founder
- Joann Kelley, MGE
- Brian Joiner, Joiner & Associates, Sustain Dane Co-Founder
- Wendy Kuo, Shoutlet
- Niki McGlathery
- Annette Miller, EQT by Design
- Vanika Mock
- Rose Molz, EZ Office Products
- Michael Mucha, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District
- Sonya Newenhouse, Madison Environmental Group
- Leslie Orrantia, UW- Madison
- Angela Pakes, UW-Madison
- Jonathon Patz, UW Global Health Institute
- Lisa Peyton-Caire, Black Women’s Wellness & Summit Credit Union
- Erik Ranheim, UW Health
- Cate Ranheim, Meriter
- Rebecca Ryan, Next Generation Consulting
- Willa Schlecht, Agrace & Numbers for Nonprofits
- Ben Schmidt, Urban Land Interests
- Jen Voichick, Habitat ReStore