Columbia has its first steward for environmental policies and activities: former Washington environmental official Nilda Mesa.
Robert Kasdin, Columbia’s senior executive vice president, announced this week that Mesa has assumed the newly created position of director of environmental stewardship for the University. In that role, she will work closely with student, faculty and staff groups who are committed to the ongoing support of Columbia's formal and informal environmental stewardship activities, both on and off its campuses.
"Nilda Mesa comes to Columbia with deep experience in national and global environmental issues as well as a commitment to our local community," Kasdin said."As we build on our history of environmental concern and action, she will be a great asset in helping us implement practical programs to conserve resources and promote a culture of environmental awareness. President Bollinger and Columbia are deeply committed to the proposition that a university has a special role and responsibility to a sustainable environment. This appointment provides another strong step in fulfilling that commitment."
Mesa will report to Kasdin, who sponsors the University’s Environmental Stewardship Task Force, a volunteer group of Columbia administrators.
"I am very much looking forward to working with the Columbia community to build an innovative Environmental Stewardship Program," Mesa said. "The knowledge, the energy and the commitment are already here. Working together, we can develop green initiatives that will minimize this institution's environmental footprint and enhance the culture of respect for the environment among students, faculty and staff, while maximizing existing resources. The potential over the long run is enormous."
Mesa brings to Columbia a wealth of professional experience focused on the environment. Following her graduation from Harvard Law School in 1988, she worked for the California Attorney General on enforcement of toxic management and natural resources laws. As an appointee of the Clinton administration, she held several positions, including as a member of the U.S. delegation and lead legal negotiator on the environmental side for agreements made subsequent to the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). She was also assistant deputy for environment at the US Air Force, where she worked to reconcile training and airspace environmental issues with tribal governments, environmental groups and local business groups. At the White House Council for Environmental Quality, Mesa led an interagency task force on reinventing environmental review and permitting processes. At both the Air Force and at the Environmental Protection Agency, she helped develop environmental justice policy.
In 1998, following her service in Washington, Mesa moved to New York City with her family and has been a Harlem resident since 2001.
During this period, she co-directed the Maryland Institute College of Art summer residency program for American artists in Brittany, France. In addition to her environmental background, Mesa is an exhibiting artist (both as a painter and sculptor), as well as a published author of and contributor to books and articles about textiles.
A 12-person search committee, consisting of three Columbia College students as well as administrators and faculty, resulted in Mesa's selection.
To learn more about Columbia’s environmental stewardship activities, go to:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/environment
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