Ryan Mooney-Bullock, Executive Director
ryan@greenumbrella.org

Ryan Mooney-Bullock has spent the last 20 years working in science and environmental education and environmental policy. A seasoned program manager, educator and communicator, Ryan is most energized when she is helping people make connections between their passions and what is going on in the natural and human worlds around them. While studying Environmental Studies at the University of Chicago and researching at the Center for Neighborhood Technology, she focused on environmental policy, economics and urban sustainability. At Antioch University New England she deepened her understanding of natural systems and how to educate about them, and earned a MS in Environmental Science. She developed and managed the Green Learning Station at the Civic Garden Center during its formative years.  She has a lifelong commitment to environmental sustainability and Cincinnati’s green hillsides, waterways and vibrant community.

Rashida Manuel, Director of Public Engagement
rashida@greenumbrella.org

Rashida Manuel brings over a decade of experience in diversity, equity and inclusion. A community engagement professional, Rashida has worked with the Ohio Innocence Project, Molina Healthcare, the Children's Defense Fund and Planned Parenthood to build equitable communities and forge relationships between organizations and the communities they serve. She is also active in her community serving on the boards of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio and Friends of Women's Studies, the Cincinnati Women's Fund's advocacy committee and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center's young professional advisory board. Rashida is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati where she obtained her BA in journalism and MA in Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies.  

Charlie Gonzalez, Communications Director
charlie@greenumbrella.org

Charlie Gonzalez is an activist and community organizer with over 20 years of transformative leadership experience in facilitating, educating and empowering individuals to become more engaged in their community. Charlie holds an MIT degree in Mechanical Engineering, a master’s in Urban Sustainability & Resilience from Xavier University and a business certificate in Sustainable Agriculture Management from Cincinnati State. He moved to Cincinnati in 2014 after four years as the founder and director of an innovative mobile community evolution project in NYC on a converted school bus. He is passionate about creative placemaking and effective collaborations that cultivate regenerative cities and food systems.

Kat Schlenker, Operations Manager
kat@greenumbrella.org

As of 2020 Kat is happily a full-timer at Green Umbrella after working with the organization in various roles since 2012. Over the years you may have contacted her about the newsletter, website, membership, bookkeeping or met her at a GU event. She has also been a landlord, property manager and real estate agent since 2006.  A favorite job from the past was as the assistant to the Recycling Coordinator for Cincinnati’s Office of Environment & Sustainability during the roll out of the big green carts!  Kat is enjoying working from home in Walnut Hills but does look forward to getting back to the free-wheeling days of moving cans and bottles from public trash bins over to recycling bins at breweries, concerts and festivals.

Wade Johnston, AICP, Director, Tri-State Trails
wade@greenumbrella.org

Wade is an avid commuter cyclist and outdoor enthusiast, Wade is working to change people's everyday interaction with the built environment and the outdoors.  Under Wade's leadership, Tri-State Trails has grown from a grassroots coalition to the leading advocacy organization for active transportation issues in Greater Cincinnati.  Wade earned his Bachelor of Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.  Prior to joining Green Umbrella, Wade worked for several years as a planning and zoning consultant in the private sector.

Rachel Culley, Trail and Bikeway Coordinator, Tri-State Trails
rachel@greenumbrella.org

Rachel is a recent Bachelor of Urban Planning graduate from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning. Throughout her educational and professional career she has had the opportunity to work with local public and non-profit entities. Just before completing AmeriCorps service in Cincinnati’s Mill Creek Valley neighborhoods, Rachel was Tri-State Trails' Trail Monitoring and GIS Intern. As the Trail and Bikeway Coordinator, Rachel supports the work of Tri-State Trails through technical assistance, communications, and data management. Rachel is passionate about the power active transportation has to improve economic vitality, public health, and civic equity. Her ultimate goal is to foster a community that is more connected, not just to improve the environment, but to improve the health of the region’s people.

Michaela Oldfield, JD, PhD, Director, Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council
michaela@greenumbrella.org

Michaela coordinates a cross-sector coalition of stakeholders advocating for policies and systems changes to ensure that all residents of the Greater Cincinnati Region have access to food that is healthy, fair, affordable and green. Michaela has a JD from the University of Michigan Law School and a PhD from Michigan State University in Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies. Her studies and past work have focused on environmental justice advocacy, the politics of public and private food systems regulation, and understanding how policies shape the healthfulness, economics, and sustainability of food systems.

Elizabeth Rojas, Director, Cincinnati 2030 District
elizabeth@greenumbrella.org

Elizabeth started with the Cincinnati 2030 District as an active member of the Working Group during its inception in 2017, before transitioning to the Director role. Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience to this role, including more than 25 years in the integrated building design and construction realm. She spent more than a decade as a design director for a national engineering/architectural firm. More recently, she was founder and president of Rojas Design. She has been a Board member with BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) and a variety of community organizations. As an early adopter of sustainability and healthy building strategies, she became LEED Accredited in 2004, and was co-chair of the AIA Committee on the Environment. Elizabeth enjoys energizing thought leaders to help coalesce around sustainability strategies.

Thomas Schultz, Buildings Data Analyst, Cincinnati 2030 District
tom@greenumbrella.org

Tom is a proud Cincinnati native thrilled to be pursuing his diverse sustainability interests, including energy, reporting and entrepreneurship, in his hometown. He earned a BA in Environmental Studies and East Asian Studies from Denison University, a Masters of Public Affairs with concentrations in sustainability and sustainable development, and a business certificate in Social Entrepreneurship from Indiana University. Before joining Green Umbrella, Tom worked as an Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Consultant in DC supporting several federal contracts, including the EPA's ENERGY STAR labeled products program. Tom served as an environmental education and conservation Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay from 2011-2013 and is an alumnus of the Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellowship program, having worked with City of Cincinnati officials to implement various energy efficiency initiatives detailed in the City's Green Cincinnati Plan.

Savannah Sullivan, Climate Policy Lead
savannah@greenumbrella.org

Savannah brings more than a decade of experience to launch Green Umbrella's Policy Impact Area. Most recently she was a Climate and Community Resilience Analyst for the City of Cincinnati, where she led climate, equity and community engagement efforts. Savannah worked with Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute, Rural Action, ACS Green Chemistry Institute, US EPA and City of Oberlin to lead sustainability programs in urban-to-rural and local-to-international settings. She is a proud alum of Public Allies Cincinnati, AmeriCorps VISTA-Ohio and Turner Farm's Apprenticeship. She received her Master of Public Affairs and Master of Science in Environmental Science from Indiana University's O'Neill School for Public and Environmental Affairs, and Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Environmental Studies from Oberlin College. Savannah grew up in Clermont County and is excited to work with communities across Greater Cincinnati!

Chris Smyth, Director, Common Orchard Project
chris@greenumbrella.org

Chris is a regenerative designer, facilitator, and comedic improvisor. After studying Permaculture Design with experts across North America he now teaches with the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute. Core to that teaching craft is a practice; as the cofounder of the Southern Ohio Chestnut Company and the Director of the Common Orchard Project, Chris creates containers for mutual medicine between human and plant communities. Transforming agriculture may be the focus, yet his core roots itself in soul and community, because without each other, why grow a forest?