Chris leads Urban Green's Communications, Development and Education teams. Responsible for growing our reach and our network of sponsors and members, she comes to Urban Green Council with extensive experience in the nonprofit and for-profit worlds. Chris has held senior development positions at The Partnership for the Homeless and Make the Road New York, and managed the individual giving and Health and Safety Services programs at the American Red Cross in Greater New York. Prior to that, she honed her marketing and communications skills at Citibank and Random House. Chris holds a B.A. from The Ohio State University.

Colleen manages the outreach and delivery of Urban Green’s flagship programs, Crushing the Code and GPRO: Green Professional Building Skills Training. She previously worked at Green Amendments For The Generations, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and training community members and legislators to constitutionally protect their environmental rights. Colleen holds a B.A. in Communication and Culture and a minor in Environmental Studies from Fordham University.

Becca supports Urban Green’s flagship education programs by developing curriculum to teach architects, engineers, construction workers and building operators the latest in green building practices. Prior to joining Urban Green, Becca worked at Partnerships for Parks training grassroots volunteers across NYC to advocate and care for their local parks and greenspaces. Becca holds a B.A. in Environmental Policy from Fordham University and a Master Composter certification from DSNY.

Ellen oversees the development of Urban Green's Public Programs. She is also responsible for developing curriculum for Urban Green's signature programs including GPRO, a national green building certificate program for Contractors, Building Managers/Operators and Trades and Conquering the Energy Code, a training program for Architects and Engineers. Ellen has 28 years experience as an architect and volunteered for Urban Green for several years before joining the staff, where she served as the first Residential Green Building Advocate for Urban Green Council, working to increase green building and LEED for Homes certification in the New York residential marketplace, and as a committee chair of the Green Codes Task Force. In addition, Ellen taught at the 1,000 Green Supers program for SEIU Local 32 BJ Thomas Shortman Training Fund, and holds a number of BPI certifications. Ellen is a co-founder of Solarize Brooklyn, and Sustainable Kensington Windsor Terrace.

Laurie Kerr advises on special Urban Green research and policy work. Kerr has extensive experience in urban sustainability policy. As Deputy Director for Green Building Policy at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability under Michael Bloomberg, Kerr helped develop PlaNYC, New York’s influential sustainability plan, and spearheaded the development of New York’s innovative green building and energy efficiency policies. These included the first comprehensive policies by any jurisdiction to address energy efficiency in existing buildings, the greening of New York’s codes and regulations, a clause that solves the splint incentive problem in commercial leases, and programs by city government and leading sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% in ten years -- which currently impact over half a billion square feet of space. Subsequently, Kerr conceived and launched the City Energy Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is assisting ten major American cities – from Los Angeles to Chicago, Houston and Atlanta – in developing large-scale efficiency policies similar to New York. She is now the President of LK POLICY LAB.

Danielle is responsible for working on Urban Green’s policy initiatives in New York City and New York State. She previously worked at the Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University’s Earth Institute researching and communicating local climate risk information for stakeholders in global cities and ecosystems, and served as project manager for the Third New York City Panel on Climate Change Report. Danielle also worked for non-profits in Buffalo on environmental education and advocacy. She holds a Masters Degree in Climate and Society from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University at Buffalo.

Aliza manages Urban Green's corporate and Gala giving and assists with fundraising and communications projects. She has previously worked in real estate and technology marketing, as well as for a humanitarian nonprofit. Aliza has a B.S. in Film & Television Studies from Boston University and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University.