Governor Larry Hogan Honors Maryland’s First 40 Certified Climate Change Professionals® (CC-P®)

/

Contact: Daniel Kreeger | dkreeger@ClimateOfficers.org | 202-997-8673

Governor Larry Hogan Honors Maryland’s First 40 Certified Climate Change Professionals® (CC-P®)

Maryland becomes first state to formally co-endorse ACCO’s
professional credential recognizing climate change competencies

ANNAPOLIS, MD – January 29, 2020 – Maryland Governor Larry Hogan today recognized 40 professionals as Maryland’s first Certified Climate Change Professionals®, an international credential administered by the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), during the meeting of the Board of Public Works. 

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan recognized 40 professionals as Maryland's first Certified Climate Change Professionals® — watch the event by clicking on the photo above.

The 40 professionals recognized today, mostly consisting of state agency and local government personnel, earned their certifications by participating in 6 days of training provided through the Maryland Climate Leadership Academy and satisfying the credentialing requirements, which included passing 4 exams and satisfying 14 hours of elective requirements.  “We are really proud of the Climate Leadership Academy,” said Governor Hogan. “It’s the nation’s first state-sponsored training institute.”

The graduates were presented State of Maryland & ACCO co-endorsed certificates and honored by Gov. Hogan, Comptroller Peter Franchot, Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Riccio.

“Our goal is to equip leaders and Maryland’s workforce with the skills and knowledge needed to meet the challenges of climate change, flooding and severe weather,” Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Riccio said. “Thank you Governor, Madam Treasurer and Mr. Comptroller for recognizing the commitment and leadership of Maryland’s first class of Certified Climate Change Professionals.”

“One of the major reasons that [Charles County was recently] given a triple A bond rating by Standard & Poor’s was citing of their work in preparation for resilience, most particularly their strong participation in the Academy,” said Maryland State Treasurer Nancy Kopp.

In recognizing these professionals and future Maryland Climate Leadership Academy participants, the State of Maryland became the first American state to formally recognize the ACCO credential. “It is crucially important that policymakers invest in training their workforce to drive climate change initiatives in critical infrastructure, public services and agency operations,” said Daniel Kreeger, ACCO’s executive director.  “Maryland is leading this charge and is also recognizing the professionals who are role models for these competencies. We hope that other US states will quickly follow Maryland’s lead in building a competent workforce equipped to reduce our emissions while ensuring our security, public health and economic vitality through a dynamically changing climate.”

The Maryland Climate Leadership Academy was established in 2018 to specifically offer training and continuing education for state and local government officials and infrastructure professionals on the matter of climate change.  The state developed the Academy in partnership with the Association of Climate Change Officers (read more about the Academy at www.MDClimateAcademy.org); the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the designated state agency lead for the academy on behalf of the state. 

To date, the Academy has trained more than 450 professionals through six cohorts conducted at community college and community centers across the State of Maryland. Additional training programs will be conducted in 2020 beginning in February in Annapolis.

The following professionals were recognized at the event and are the first Certified Climate Change Professionals® (CC-Ps®) in Maryland:

  • Laura Armstrong – Director, Sustainability Program, MD Dept. of the Environment

  • Maria Bernadzikowski – Sr. Emergency Management Specialist, Office of Emergency Management, Howard County Government

  • Joyce Breiner – Executive Director, Poolesville Green, Inc.

  • Katie Canady – Emergency Management Specialist II, Office of Emergency Management, Howard County Government

  • Nicole Carlozo – Coastal Planner, Center for Coastal Planning, Chesapeake & Coastal Service, MD Dept. of Natural Resources

  • Bernard Cochran – Deputy Director, Public Works Utilities, Charles County

  • Christine Conn – Director, Office of Science and Stewardship, Chesapeake and Coastal Service, MD Dept. of Natural Resources

  • Morgan Corey – Sustainable Fisheries Team Staffer, Chesapeake Research Consortium

  • Sarel Cousins – Administrator/Planner, MD Dept. of Agriculture

  • Jennifer Dopkowski – Management & Program Analyst, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

  • John Ferri – Architect/Planner, DOL/Engineering Support Contractor

  • Steve Findley – Planner Coordinator, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery County

  • Linda Garoute – Chief Executive Officer, Cedar Haven Civic Association on the Patuxent River, Inc.

  • Anne Gilbert – Volunteer Coordinator & Urban Forestry Staff, MD Dept of Natural Resources, Forest Service

  • Beth Gingold – Founder, Recycle Leaders LLC

  • David Guier – Senior Director, Office of Grants and Projects, Global Communities

  • Michael Hinson – Deputy Director, Howard County Office of Emergency Management

  • Adriana Hochberg – Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, Montgomery County Government

  • Wendy Howard – Executive Director, One Montgomery Green

  • Susan Larcher – Senior Environmental Scientist, Arcadis

  • Jill Lemke – Manager, Strategic Planning and Special Projects, Maryland Port Administration, MD Dept. of Transportation

  • Helga Luest – Senior Manager, Communications, Abt Associates

  • Catherine Matta – Biologist, U.S. EPA

  • Christopher Meyer – Program Manager, Office of Emergency Management, Howard County

  • Lynn Miller – Assistant Planning and Zoning Officer, Anne Arundel County Office of Planning & Zoning

  • Karyn Molines – Division Chief, Natural Resources, Calvert County

  • Deborah Moran – Sustainability Coordinator, City of Gaithersburg

  • Angela Ober – Environmental Planner, Towson University

  • Nicole Okuniek – Environmental Planner, Howard County Government

  • Amy Pelsinsky – Director of Communications, University of MD Center for Environmental Science

  • Anastasia Poulos – Archaeological SItes Planner, Anne Arundel County

  • Samir Qadir – Environmental Scientist, Potomac-Hudson Engineering, Inc.

  • Carissa Ralbovsky – Supervising Budget Examiner, Office of Budget Analysis, MD Dept. of Budget & Management

  • Elissa Reineck – Sustainability Project Manager, Howard County

  • Laura Rogers – Program Manager, MD Dept. of Transportation

  • Matthew Rowe – Assistant Director, Water and Science Administration, MD Dept. of the Environment

  • Grant Samms – Rural Energy Project Coordinator, Center for Environment & Society, Washington College

  • John Samoryk – Vice President, Procurement, MD Stadium Authority

  • Alison Santoro - Restoration Specialist, Center for Habitat Restoration, Chesapeake & Coastal Service, MD Dept. of Natural Resources

  • Emily Soontornsaratool – Chief, Energy Data & Sustainability Initiatives, MD Dept. of General Services

  • Kathy Stecker – Natural Resources Planner, MD Dept. of the Environment

  • Patricia Watson – Assistant Director of Sustainability, Towson University

  • Jenny Willoughby – Sustainability Manager, City of Frederick

  • Walter Zalis – Program Manager, Boston Government Services

About the Certified Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®)

The Certified Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®) is the credential administered by ACCO for practitioners reflecting their dedication to competency in the fundamentals of climate change preparedness and strategic planning.  A combination of related work experience, passing 4 CC-P® exams and 14 hours of elective requirements are required for this designation.  For more information about the CC-P®, please visit www.climateofficers.org/credentials.

About the Association of Climate Change Officers

The Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization for executives and officials worldwide in industry, government, academia and the non-profit community. ACCO’s mission is to define, develop and support the functions, resources and communities necessary for effective organizational leadership in addressing climate-related risks and opportunities. For more information about ACCO, please visit www.ClimateOfficers.org.