About Environment Sandy Springs.
ESS BOARD of DIRECTORS
Jim Newbury – President
Julia Mahood – Vice President
Phil Duffy – Treasurer and Secretary
Janet Wells – Board Member, Development Director
Bill Cleveland – Board Member, Advisor
Annemarie Smith - Board Member, Communications Director
ESS ADVISORY BOARD
Bonnie O’Neill
Independent Philanthropy Professional
Retired founder and president of O'Neill & Associates
Founding trustee and former chair of MedShare International
Karen Meinzen McEnerny
Sandy Springs Society current board member (past President)
Cherokee Park Civic Association current board of directors (past President)
Committee of Sandy Springs (incorporation effort)
Founding City of Sandy Springs Council Member (two 4-year terms)
Georgia Native Plant Society current member
Brad Keshlear
National Park Service
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Environmental Consultant – CDM Smith
Experience includes:
Environmental Stewardship and Outdoor Recreation Management
Deep understanding of Federal Environmental Laws, Rules and Regulations
Development and Implementation of regional environmental policies and plans
Kathryn Kolb
Master Naturalist
Executive Director of EcoAddendum
Founder and Director of Keeping It Wild – The Wilderness Society
Doug Tallamy
Professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware
Author of New York Times best seller Nature’s Best Hope
Co-Founder of Homegrown National Park
Chris Mowry
Biologist
Professor of Biology, Berry College
Co-Founder of The Atlanta Coyote Project
Member, The Wildlife Society
HISTORY
Environment Sandy Springs evolved out of an ad hoc group of Sandy Spring citizens interested in the environment. Bill Cleveland, a lifelong Sandy Springs resident, founded ESS in 2013 as an advocacy organization and has worked with the City of Sandy Springs for many years on a variety of impactful projects.
Bill has decided to step down as President and Chairman of the Board to spend more time with his wife and daughter and to travel more. He will remain on the board as an advisor. In May of 2023, new officers were elected to the board.
MISSION
Change the mindset about growth at the expense of the environment
WHY we do what we do
We believe the key to a thriving urban city is protecting the environment for generations to come by restoring ecosystems today.
HOW we do it
We advocate for a deeper understanding of the vital role the environment plays in sustainable growth in urban cities.
WHAT we do
We help preserve, conserve and restore tree canopy, streams, springs, wildlife, pollinators, habitat and all the remaining wild places in urban cities by gleaning best practices, creating pilot programs that prove value, proposing policy changes and reaching out to our community with easy and effective ways to have local impact.
WHO we are
We are environmental changemakers, thought leaders, advocates, facilitators, civic partners and good neighbors.
Exciting times are on the horizon. ESS has refocused our purpose and honed our mission. The revitalized brand launched in June of 2023 with a new website, a new podcast called Wild in the City and many other exciting developments. We are working on two big projects: The Native Grasslands and Wildlife Corridors Restoration - Pilot Program and the Marsh Creek Tributary Stream Buffer Restoration - Pilot Program.
We invite all to come and join the movement!