RCE Fall 2022 Summit

Susan Alvarez

Assistant Director
Office of Environmental Quality & Sustainability
City of Dallas

Benjamin Magill, CEcD

Associate Vice Chancellor of Economic Opportunity
Dallas College

Ben Magill is Associate Vice Chancellor of Economic Opportunity for Dallas College. Ben has worked in economic and workforce development for municipalities, public schools, chambers of commerce and community colleges in North Texas since 2009. Ben holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Oklahoma State University and is currently pursuing an MPA at UT-Arlington. Ben is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) and serves on the board of Impact Ventures, Friends of Solar Prep, as well as the North Central Texas Council of Governments' Economic Development District Board.

Vidya Ayyr

Director
Community Social Impact
Parkland Hospital

Vidya Ayyr leads high-impact interventions to address the social determinants of health, with a commitment to health equity and improving the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable populations. As the Director of Social Impact, she provides strategic oversight to Parkland’s community outreach investments, promotes innovation in data analytics, and mobilizes a team of Community Health Workers to drive an integrated approach to population health management. Ms. Ayyr holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from University of Texas at Dallas and earned her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center, in 2011.

Avery McKitrick

Sustainability Coordinator
Sustainability and Energy Conservation
UT Dallas

Avery is the Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Texas at Dallas and RCE North Texas Youth Network Co-Chair. She is passionate about elevating youth voices in the environmental movement and fostering connection between youth and industry professionals.

Jennifer Sanders

Executive Director
North Texas Innovation Alliance

Jennifer Sanders is Cofounder and Executive Director of the North Texas Innovation Alliance, a 501c3 public-private partnership which is the largest such initiative in the U.S., with the mission of creating the most connected, smart and resilient region in the country. In 2015, she cofounded the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) a 501c3 public-private partnership dedicated to supporting Dallas’ smart cities strategy and serves as its Executive Director. While at the DIA, she has collated a network of over three dozen member organizations and over 20 departments within the City of Dallas. DIA’s Smart Cities Living Lab is the fastest-to-market smart cities initiative in the country. Currently the NTXIA is focused on cross-jurisdictional issues in financial models, connectivity, mobility, sustainability, data and economic development. Prior to these roles, she spent more than a decade in public affairs and change management consulting for clients in finance, energy, technology and economic development, among others. In 2019, she received the UN Day Global Leadership Award for advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). She has been named to the Dallas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and Top Women in Technology, State Scoop’s Top Women in Technology, the Tech Week 100, and the Dallas 500. She has been honored to speak to groups at conferences around the globe including South by Southwest, Smart Cities Week, IOT World Congress, IMPACT: Cities, and the Smart City Global Congress and Expo in Barcelona. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Psychology with a minor concentration in Economics.

Oriana Silva

Former Sustainability Intern
University of North Texas

Oriana Silva is a French and Chemistry BA student at the University of North Texas. As a former Sustainability Intern, she has experience working with the SDG Action Manager Tool, a self-assessment tool developed by B Lab, and in Sustainability Publishing. In 2020, she had the opportunity to found, along with other students at Dallas College, The Sustainable Age – Student Journal, the first student-led journal based on sustainability in the North Texas area with more than 30 articles published. As a Lab Technician at UNT, she is exploring how chemistry intersects several ecological fields, including Aquatic Ecology, Stable Isotope Ecology, and Food Web Ecology.

Stephanie Byrd

Marketing Director
Schneider Electric

Stephanie Byrd is passionate about energy and its role in reshaping industries, transforming cities, and enriching lives. She works for a 180+ year-old company called Schneider Electric who has always been a leading technology provider. She currently serves as a marketing director, helping customers understand their options for reducing energy waste and achieving their climate ambitions. Stephanie is a long-time Texas resident with strong ties to the I-35 corridor: growing up in San Antonio, studying marketing at Baylor University, and now establishing roots in DFW with her husband, pets, and two children.

Lauren McMinn Clarke

Founder and CEO
Turn

Lauren McMinn Clarke is the Founder and CEO of Turn. Lauren has degrees in Violin Performance from the University of North Texas, Strategic Communications from Columbia University, and Culinary Arts from Dallas College. She is a certified Master Gardener and Master Composter with Texas A&M AgriLife, and the 15 th woman in the United States to be a Certified Compost Operations Manager with the US Composting Council.

Sarah Luxton

Sustainability and Environmental Education Division (SEED) Supervisor
City of Plano

Sarah Luxton currently serves as the City of Plano’s Sustainability and Environmental Education Division (SEED) Supervisor. In recent years, she also served as the Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Denton and completed her Master’s in Public Administration for the University of North Texas focusing on local government. She currently serves on the Alumni Board for the Department of Geography at the University of North Texas and the Personal Development Committee for the Urban Management Association of North Texas (UMANT).

Janette Monear

President/CEO
Texas Trees Foundation.

Janette Monear is President/CEO of the private non-profit Texas Trees Foundation in Dallas, Texas which is dedicated to creating healthy communities using trees, technology, research, and education to empower individuals and support policy that mitigate environmental challenges and shift paradigms to support a sustainable future. Monear began her career in advertising for a large bank and she quickly transferred her skills to promote and advance forestry for the University of Minnesota Extension Service which led her to the nonprofit sector. The emphasis for urban forestry provides a platform for Ms. Monear to create partnerships that support programs and projects that improves the quality of life in communities. Since 1985 Ms. Monear has provided strong leadership through important research, reports, curriculum, and programming that helped set a national agenda for urban forestry to create cooler, greener, cleaner, and healthier communities that advance a national agenda for trees which underpins a global focus for sustainable development.

Gary Cocke

Director
Sustainability and Energy Conservation
UT Dallas

Tony Pham is the community coordinator at Walkable Arlington, a student-led organization advocating for walkability, bikeability, and sustainability in the city of Arlington, Texas. Tony is currently a third-year architecture undergrad at UT Arlington and the co-chair at the University’s Bike Coordinating Committee. Thanks to his and the team’s work, Arlington has received funding to improve its infrastructure and increase accessibility to residents, students, and businesses alike. In his free time, Tony likes to bike, fold origami cranes, and make waffles.

Alex Pharmakis

Sustainability Manager
City of Farmers Branch

Dustan Compton

Conservation Manager
Tarrant Regional Water District

Dustan is the Conservation Manager at Tarrant Regional Water District with fourteen years of experience focusing on water conservation programs, community outreach and regional coordination. He has a master’s degree in Applied Geography from the University of North Texas with a water resources emphasis and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management from Northeastern State University.

Justin Ruths

Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering and Systems Engineering
UT Dallas

Kay Curtis

Architect
HKS, Inc.

Kay Curtis is an architect at HKS, Inc.’s hospitality practice and holds a Master’s of Architecture and Bachelor’s of Spanish from Tulane University. In her time at HKS, she has been fortunate to have the opportunity to explore design thinking through multiple outlets. This includes research about the global pandemic’s impact on the hospitality industry, involvement in Park For Floral Farms, a project centered on advocacy & community engagement in the pro-bono Citizen HKS Program, and leadership in the HKS Global Design Fellowship, an annual program that brings designers together to tackle pressing world issues. Her work has been exhibited at the 2020 Venice Biennale, the AIA Dallas Unbuilt Awards, and featured in Hotel Management.

Jennifer Harris

Broadband Program Specialist
Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth
NTIA

Jennifer Harris joined the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in August 2022 as a broadband program specialist with NTIA's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth. As a broadband program specialist, Jennifer works as a federal program officer for Texas where she helps with the implementation of NTIA’s grant programs. She engages with stakeholders including federal agencies, state and local governments, tribal organizations, educational institutions, membership organizations, and philanthropic organizations. She also offers technical assistance to Texas’s State Broadband Office. Jennifer started her career at the Texas State Capitol in 2005 holding a wide range of jobs in the public sector. Her professional experience includes legislative, public policy, communications, and government affairs work with the Texas Legislature, and policy and communications work for the Florida Department of Education, along with a variety of roles on local and statewide political campaigns. Following her work at the Texas State Capitol and the Florida Department of Education, Jennifer served for three years as the State Program Director for Texas for Connected Nation, a national non-profit organization which focuses on tackling the digital divide for more than 20 years. Appointed in January 2020, Jennifer served as an inaugural member of the Governor’s Broadband Development Council. Governor Abbott re-appointed her to the Council in March 2022 and named her Vice Chair of the Council, a position which she held until joining NTIA. Jennifer earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. She earned her Master's degree in Public Service and Administration from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

Lorraine Sheldon

Community Engagement Librarian
Gibson D. Lewis Library
University of North Texas Health Science Center

Lorraine Sheldon serves as the Community Engagement Librarian for the Gibson D. Lewis Library at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. In her role, Lorraine works to improve public health through access to quality health information. This role is accomplished through educational programming and materials designed for the public, technology solutions for access, and participating in community organizations' exhibits and committees. Her latest project is in collaboration with the HSC Office of Sustainability to help promote nutrition literacy through the perspective of sustainable practices.

Dr. David Hyndman

Dean
School of Natural Sciences
UT Dallas

Dr. David Hyndman, a scientist with 28 years of experience as a researcher, educator and academic administrator, is the dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at The University of Texas at Dallas. Before joining UT Dallas, Hyndman was professor and chair at Michigan State University. He received his undergraduate degree in hydrology and water resources from the University of Arizona and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Stanford University. His research focuses on process-based modeling of hydrologic systems to evaluate the effects of changes in climate and land use on water, energy, and food systems.

Bhargavi Jeyarajah

Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
UT Arlington

Bhargavi is the Sustainability Coordinator at UT Arlington and the co-chair of the RCE North Texas Youth Network. She has a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in Biology, specifically concentrating on Ecology and has a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University with an emphasis in Community-Based Environmental Management. As a young woman in the environmental movement, she has a good understanding of the challenges youth face when it comes to working in the environmental field and she focuses her work on finding common ground within the movement between, youth and experienced professionals across all sectors.

Meghna Tare

Chief Sustainability Officer
UT Arlington

As UT Arlington’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Meghna works collaboratively to foster partnerships among academic, research, and operational departments and promotes sustainability in areas of energy efficiency, waste management, transportation, education, outreach, and sustainability-focused curriculum. She has expertise in UN SDGs, public policy, CSR, climate change, equitable food systems, transportation, conservation, and social impact. Meghna is the Founder and Director of Regional Center of Expertise for Education in Sustainable Development ( RCE North Texas), a program of the United Nations University, and the North Texas Food Policy Alliance. She graduated with an MBA in Sustainable Management, MS in Environmental Science, and MS in Chemistry.

Julia Lindgren

 Assistant Professor
College of Architecture Planning and Public Affairs
UT Arlington

Julia Lindgren is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington where she teaches design-build studios and seminars focused on social equity, community engagement, and housing. Through practice, research and teaching, Julia explores the ways in which design processes can be used to restructure the distribution of power within cities.

Jeff Williams

Founder and Executive Director
Taste Project

Lori Clark

Program Manager and DFW Clean Cities Director
NCTCOG