Our Staff
Nichole Goodman
Policy Director
Nichole directs policy for the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado; policies which promote the triple bottom line and advance sustainability. Her background includes extensive public policy work for state-based and national grassroots organizations; including coordinating a statewide campaign to facilitate voter education and increase public participation in the political process regarding land use and development in Colorado. Her career also includes several business development and marketing positions in the finance industry where she gained valuable experience in the business sector. Nichole devotes much of her free time to volunteering for organizations which share her passion for preserving the economic, social and environmental prosperity of Colorado. At the University of Colorado – Boulder, she earned her BA in Environmental Studies with an emphasis on decision making, planning and public policy.
Joanne Keys
Executive Director
As Executive Director, Joanne is responsible for the overall mission and success of the organization. She brings over 20 years of management and executive level experience in the business and technology sectors, including as a Vice President with American Management Systems (a Fortune 500 company) and, most recently, as the President of NANA Pacific (an Alaskan-native owned technology corporation). She has spent many years managing multi-continental/multi-cultural projects and businesses, and looks forward to helping the Alliance incorporate a broader business perspective into the sustainability arena.
Ms. Keys has always had a passion for the environment, having served for many years in volunteer wildland firefighting and in Search and Rescue in remote locations. This includes over six years in Antarctica supporting the US Antarctic Program’s scientific missions. These experiences solidified her passion for the environment and for planetary sustainability. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech.
Kelly Landau
Program Assistant
Kelly assists the Education and Outreach Director in planning educational and collaborative projects, as well as conducting educational research and database management. Prior to joining the nonprofit sector, Kelly spent over 15 years working in the Evolutionary and Molecular Biology fields, both in an academic and government setting. This work ranged from conducting long-term cognitive studies focusing on children and chimpanzees to Biological Pathogen Detection.
Kelly volunteered for 8-16 hours a week for the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado from Jan 2007 to April 2008. In addition, she participated in recycling and other sustainability-related efforts at her job with the Colorado Health Department. She now resides in Salida and commutes virtually to the Alliance office, where she is eager to play a role in promoting sustainable cross-sector collaborations for the state of Colorado.
Margaret Mailander
Office Manager
Margaret is the Alliance’s Office Manager and assists the Deputy Director with accounting. She attended Regis University where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and she plans on furthering her education in the future. Prior to joining the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado team, she worked as an auditor with the public accounting firm KPMG. Margaret was raised on a family farm in Holyoke, Colorado where she gained her interest in sustainability issues.
Kimberly Marker
Administrative Assistant
Kim joins the Alliance as their Administrative Assistant and is responsible for day-to-day office management and receptionist duties. She helps to make sure the Center’s tenants’ needs are met and acts as a support for all Alliance employees. Kim also assists with database entry as well as event planning.
Before joining the Alliance, Kim worked for a nonprofit consulting firm in marketing and event coordination. Immediately after college, she volunteered fulltime for The Gathering Place (Denver’s only daytime shelter for at-risk and homeless women and children) through Americorps. There, she was a Program Assistant and Receptionist.
Hailing from the Southeast, she graduated from Elon University in North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Corporate Communications with an emphasis on Marketing Design. Throughout her college years, she ran multiple pro bono public relations campaigns for local nonprofits. Now a Denver resident, she loves spending time in the mountains hiking or skiing and exploring new restaurants and cultural scenes in the city.
Carrie Murphy
Project Assistant, Green Jobs Pipeline for Women Project
Carrie Murphy is a Project Assistant for the Green Jobs Pipeline for Women, a project that will work to illuminate the avenues and resources that connect women to green jobs across the state.
Prior to joining the Alliance team, Carrie worked in Arts Administration for San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Opera Center, ACT, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
Carrie earned her Bachelor’s from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado and then relocated to San Francisco to bask in the not-so-warm California sun. In late 2008, Carrie moved back to her home state of Colorado to focus on Sustainable Infrastructure. This transition has led Carrie to the Urban and Regional Planning program at the University of Colorado at Denver where she is currently a Masters Candidate. Carrie loves pro cycling (her entire month of July is reserved for viewing the Tour de France) and recently became a Master Composter.
Tina Oster - CPA, LEED-AP
Director of Operations and Finance
As Deputy Director for the Alliance, Tina is responsible for enhancing the core infrastructure of the organization to support its mission and maintain alignment with the leaders of the organization’s vision. Before moving to Denver in 2008, Tina was Director of Operations for a civil engineering firm in St. Louis, Missouri for eight years overseeing their strategic planning, financial management and operations. Prior to her work with the civil engineering firm, Tina worked in public accounting gaining experience in tax planning and preparation, compilation of financial statements and learning more about the rewards, trials and needs of shareholders.
Tina earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Fontbonne University and Master’s in Business Administration from Maryville University. She acquired her CPA license in 2003 and to further her knowledge, Tina became a LEED Accredited Professional in October 2007.
Tina serves as Operations Chair with the Rocky Mountain Clean Tech Open, is a member of ULI Colorado and South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce and participates in on-going volunteer efforts to further help the local community.
Zach Owens
Education Program Assistant
Zach helps develop several Education programs such as the Sustainability Leadership Council, 2010 Regional Roundtable Meetings, and Alliance Center tenant outreach. Zach graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry from Regis University in 2009. While at Regis, he served as the first Director of Sustainability in student government, where he helped establish bus pass, recycling, and community garden programs on campus. Zach spent three years working with the Greenpeace Student Network, and, from 2008-2009, served as a Days of Action Coordinator on the first Greenpeace Student Board. As a board member, he assisted students at universities across the country with organizing environmental awareness campaigns and events on their campuses.
Jason Page
Technology Manager
Jason is the point person for all office technology needs, administers the website, and also provides support for the Alliance's sustainable business initiatives, most notably CASBA.
Jason has administered microcredit loan programs for Denver entrepreneurs, explored fair trade and international development first hand in South and Southeast Asia, and assisted his family business in caring for elderly individuals with dementia. He is a firm believer that our society must establish a deeper sense of community and accountability and looks forward to working towards expanding this view across the state.
As a Colorado native, Jason loves the beauty and simplicity of the outdoors and welcomes any opportunity to get outside the city limits. He graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Finance, minor in Economics, and was two courses short of an Information Systems degree.
Natalie Russell
Project Manager
Natalie assists the Board President and Founder with projects which advance the mission of the Alliance. Natalie is a Colorado native, born and raised in Vail. She attended the University of Colorado where she earned three Bachelor’s degrees in four years. She holds a degree in Anthropology, International Affairs and Spanish and Portuguese Language. Prior to joining the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado team she worked in sales and marketing at a local Hispanic radio station. Natalie has aspirations of attending Law school and eventually founding her own Micro-finance nonprofit.
Phillip Saieg, LEED AP
Alliance Center Director
Phillip is the Alliance Center Manager, which means he is the point person for any building matters or needs at 1536 Wynkoop. More specifically, he oversees daily operations of the Alliance Center, monitors environmental performance and ensures our 30 nonprofit tenants are happy in the Alliance Center’s healthy and collaborative work environment.
Phillip comes to the Alliance with widespread management and green-building experience, most recently from a company called Think Design Build. Along with a bachelor’s degree in Theology and a bachelor’s degree in Communications, a green-building certification from CSU, and a LEED AP designation, Phillip is excited to put together his hands-on work experience and sustainability education to serve the Alliance and all its tenants.
Since growing up just outside of Detroit and moving to Denver in 2001, Phillip has studied at Oxford University, taught high school in Kenya, and has led a wide variety of teams, ranging from youth construction projects in the United States, to medical work in the Peruvian Andes, to photo-journalism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to children’s work in Uzbekistan. Throughout his extensive travel, he has seen and experienced the effects of irresponsible living, and is very excited and motivated to work here at home for a sustainable Colorado.
Janna Six
Education Director
Oversees educational and collaborative programs. Ms. Six has been the Coordinator of numerous environmental education programs and nonprofit operations including: environmental education consultant, 2000-2002; chair of the Sierra Club Poudre Canyon Group in Larimer County, 1998-2002; assistant director, nonprofit office manager, and administrator of programs, Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, 1997-1999; development assistant, Colorado Environmental Coalition, 1996-1997; volunteer organizer for annual conferences, Environmental Grantmakers Association, 1989-1994; grants administration consultant, Educational Foundation of America, 1988-1995; office manager for multi-faceted business interests for J.P. Powers and Company, 1988-1995; U.S. Peace Corps volunteer teacher, Dominica, West Indies, 1985-1987; middle school reading instructor, Fitzsimmons Middle School, Park County, CO, 1979-1985. Education: MS Environmental Education, Colorado State University, 1999; BS K-8 Teaching Certificate with Honors, University of Colorado at Denver, 1978.
Elizabeth Weiland
Director of External Communications
Elizabeth directs the marketing, public relations, fundraising development and events for the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, with an emphasis on finding opportunities for change-makers to funnel their collaborative power into creating a healthier environmental, economic and social ecosystem for Colorado. She also serves on the Board of Co-Labs, an association bringing the scientific, research and business communities together to facilitate the dynamic information exchange which enhances Colorado’s competitiveness.
As Founder and President of the Insight Speaker Series, Elizabeth brought together community and global leaders in dialog with speakers such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Isabel Allende and Reza Aslan. Working with Shifting Culture, an organization dedicated to training leadership through crisis and change, Elizabeth helped non-profits and other organizations dealing with trauma to develop effective, sustainable organizations.
Prior to working in the non-profit arena, Elizabeth spent 15 years working in global marketing, culminating in managing the global marketing and staff for 11 country offices, directing strategies and campaigns within 23 countries. With over 20 years in global business development, Elizabeth has a passion for bringing together people and organizations from a range of perspectives to accomplish ambitious goals.
Chris Woldum
Facilities Technician
Chris attends to day-to-day operational and maintenance issues at the Alliance Center. Prior to joining the Alliance, Chris acted as Project Manager for Blue Urban Development, a St. Louis-based urban real estate developer specializing in large-scale historic renovation projects. While at Blue Urban, Chris acted as the owner’s representative on several unique adaptive-reuse warehouse renovations throughout Missouri.
Chris developed an interest in sustainability and the non-profit sector while acting as a volunteer for Gateway Greening, a 501(c)3 specializing in community food projects, education and wellness programs and civic greening initiatives.
Along with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Chris studied International Business at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. His professional interests include green building, renewable energy technologies and real estate management strategies. Chris is a LEED Green Associate, with the hopes of attaining LEED AP: Operations & Maintenance credential in the future.
Anna Zawisza
Project Manager
Anna assists the Board President and Founder as well as the staff with short and long term projects which advance the mission of the Alliance. Prior to joining the nonprofit sector, Anna spent 12 years in the student loan industry, most recently at Axiom Management Group as the Corporate Development Officer. In that role she was responsible for responding to Requests for Proposal, developing standardized internal policies and procedures, managing trading partner relationships and managing all projects which increased Axiom’s revenue stream. Before Axiom, she spent five years with InTuition/Nelnet in the roles of Marketing Officer, Marketing Manager and Campus Director. Anna earned her B.S. in Management Science at SUNY Geneseo in 1994 and completed her M.B.A at Webster University in 2003. She studied abroad at Oxford University, New College and has traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe.
