USDN Network Advisory Committee

USDN's Network Advisory Committee, consisting entirely of current USDN members, provide network insights into the successes and experiences of members, advise on programmatic and organizational member engagement, and assist with stewarding the health and programmatic relevance of the USDN network.

Nicole Antonopolus (She/her)

Nicole is an innovative, resourceful and highly engaged professional with 18 years of experience developing, managing and implementing successful programs. She is an accomplished individual with a history of leadership, visionary planning, building collaborative partnerships and inspiring community engagement, and a creative advocate for lasting social, environmental and economic change.
Nicole currently serves as the Sustainability Director for the City of Flagstaff. She works to develop effective programs and policies that catalyze long-term sustainability. She is responsible for growing the City’s Sustainability Division from the ground up. Nicole oversees the Office’s five program areas including Community Stewards, Climate Action, Energy Systems, Food Systems, and Waste Prevention.

Favorite Sustainable Action: "I love harvesting more than 2,500 gallons of rainwater off my roof, heating my water from the sun, and composting my food scraps."

Brad Badelt (He/him)

Brad is the Director of Sustainability with the City of Vancouver. He’s been with the City for more than a decade and has played a lead role in advancing severalf initiatives related climate budgeting, green buildings, adaptation, rainwater management and green demolition. He led the creation of a local non-profit called the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre, which helped local designers and builders advance the City’s low-carbon building requirements. He’s currently the co-chair of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network’s Cascadia Group. Brad has worked in local government for more than twenty years and has a master’s degree in water resources engineering.

Marcella Bondie Keenan (They/them - Non-binary)

Marcella Bondie Keenan, Chief Sustainability Officer for the Village of Oak Park, is an environmental scientist, urban planning, and policy professional based in the Chicago area focused on environmental justice, climate mitigation and adaptation, and nature-based solutions. They are passionate about inclusive planning and policy design that advances community voice and ownership.

Carol Davis (She/her)

Carol Davis is the Sustainability Manager for the Town of Blacksburg, Virginia. In this role, she works on a broad range of sustainability issues, including: climate alternative transportation; land use policies that mitigation, adaptation and resiliency planning; advance green building and affordable housing; local and state energy policy; aging-in-place; water quality; and stewardship of public lands. In her spare time, Ms. Davis enjoys volunteering with the Poverty Creek Trails Coalition and the Montgomery County Dialogue on Race. She currently serves on the boards of Sustainable Blacksburg, The New River Land Trust, and the New River Valley Bike Kitchen and is an alumni advisor for Alpha Phi Omega, a gender inclusive service fraternity at Virginia Tech.

Darice Ellis (She/her)

Cheyenne Flores (She/her)

Beginning her career as an Urban Sustainability Directors Network EDI Fellow, Cheye led the implementation of the City of Philadelphia Office of Sustainability’s first neighborhood Heat Plan, Beat the Heat Hunting Park. Working at the intersection of heat resilience and energy security, Cheye advances the equitable energy transition using a framework to advance community capacity-building and prioritize culturally relevant solutions. Currently, Cheye works at the City of Philadelphia Office of Sustainability Municipal Energy Office, managing programs intended to increase energy efficiency and climate resilience in the City building stock. Cheye also serves as a USDN Board Member.

Sara Mihm (She/her)

Sara is the Sustainability Coordinator for Multnomah County. She is drawn to the NAC because collaborating with others from diverse lived and geographic experiences creates potential to learn and develop brilliant solutions for addressing climate justice, systems change, and behavior change. She loves turning technical and dry information into something that is easily understandable and values-based through graphics, videos, and educational campaigns. Sara is a mom of three kiddos under 4 years old and is ignited to creative positive change whenever possible, despite often having peanut butter and waffles smeared somewhere on her clothes.

Durban Mitchiner (He/him)

Durban is serving as a FUSE Executive Fellow with the City of New Orleans Office of Resilience & Sustainability, focused on projects related to zero-emission vehicles. He started his career working in political and policy roles, as well as real estate economic development, in Atlanta. He worked many years as a management consultant, including recovery efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and as an infrastructure advisor focused on the U.S. and Canada. Durban earned a BA and a master of international affairs from the University of Georgia, and an MBA from Columbia University.

Chris Read (He/him)

Chris Read is the Sustainability Manager at the City of San Luis Obispo and is committed to collaboratively creating carbon-neutral, equitable, accessible, and prosperous communities. Mr. Read has worked with local governments for over a decade and is deeply driven to address the causes and impacts of climate change.