Austin, Texas names first sustainability chief

Austin named Seattle environmental strategist Lucia Athens the winner of six finalists vying for the city's newly-created chief sustainability officer post.

Athens was chosen from more than 185 applicants and is now charged with overseeing the city's environmental initiatives and programs.

The 25-year green sector veteran spent much of her early career in Austin, working for the city’s green builder program and as a water efficiency program manager for the Lower Colorado River Authority. She also co-founded and acted as chair to the Sustainable Building Coalition of Austin and was one of the co-authors of the first edition of the Austin Green Builder Guide.

Most recently, Athens worked as the senior sustainable futures strategist for CollinsWoerman, a Seattle-based sustainable architecture, design and planning firm. She also served in key sustainability leadership positions with the board of directors for the U.S. Green Building Council Inc. and the International Green Building Certification Institute.

Read the full post in the Austin Business Journal.