City of Bloomington Names First Sustainability Coordinator

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2010

For more information, contact:
Danise Alano, Economic & Sustainable Development Director, City of Bloomington, 349.3477
Jared Schlemmer, Assistant Deputy Mayor, City of Bloomington 349.3406

[image:6925,right]Bloomington, IN -- Mayor Mark Kruzan and Economic & Sustainable Development Director Danise Alano announced today that City government is celebrating Earth Day by naming Jacqui Bauer the City's first Sustainability Coordinator. The post is part of the Economic and Sustainable Development Department.

"Jacqui is the ideal person to begin to take the community on a more sustainable path," Kruzan said. "She brings with her a great deal of practical experience related to the complex relationships between the environment, the economy and social equity, and a demonstrated ability to implement projects to improve the quality of life in local communities."

Kruzan credited City Council Member Dave Rollo for having educated him on the concepts of sustainability six years ago and said their work on the issue culminated in the Coordinator post being created. "I can't imagine a better way to celebrate Earth Day," Kruzan said.

Bauer comes to the City of Bloomington from Indiana University's Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, a research center that studies sustainability and natural resource management under the direction of Nobel prize winner Elinor Ostrom. As Assistant Director of the Workshop since 2005, Bauer served as liaison between faculty, staff, visiting scholars and graduate students in support of the scientific and outreach mission of the Workshop. She also participated in local and international research related to sustainable forests and natural resource management, and managed a research project studying the effects of decentralization policies on forests and livelihoods in Latin America and Africa. Previously, Bauer held the post of State Director of the Indiana Rural Community Assistance Program, where she worked with rural Indiana communities to develop and implement community-specific, large-scale, multi-year drinking water and sanitation projects.

"I am very excited to join the City of Bloomington and further the significant strides already made by so many in pursuing the City's sustainability goals," said Bauer.

As Sustainability Coordinator, Bauer will plan, lead and coordinate sustainability initiatives for the City of Bloomington, promoting the interdependent goals of economic vitality, environmental health and social equity. She will develop a program of interdepartmental and community-wide collaborative strategies and will participate in policy development, and administrative and long-range planning designed to move the community forward together toward sustainability.

"We're fortunate to have someone with such an accomplished background in consensus building and community organization who also understands well the link between sustainability and market-related issues," said Alano. "Jacqui is a terrific addition to the department and the City of Bloomington staff."

Bauer also currently serves as co-chair of the Indiana University Resource Use and Recycling Workgroup and as a commissioner on the City of Bloomington Environmental Commission.

Bauer has previously served as a special projects liaison at the Monroe County Solid Waste District, as watershed conference coordinator for the Monroe County Planning Department, as Neighborhood Cleanup Coordinator for the City's Housing & Neighborhood Development Department and as Integrated Pest Management Program Assistant for the Monroe County Community School Corporation.

Bauer earned both a Masters of Science in Environmental Science and a Masters of Public Administration from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. She holds a BA in Japanese language from the University of Michigan.