Staff & Board

Em Piro has been called a change agent, disruptor, artist, counselor, sparkplug, and community architect. Em’s practice integrates urban issues and cultural practice towards regenerative and resilient placemaking.   Em was named Best Impresario by the Riverfront Times, and among five St Louisans bringing international attention to the city by Alive Magazine. She has received over a dozen awards and nominations in community and cultural practice, and is a frequent speaker on innovation and social practice. She has presented on community change, urbanism, sustainability, and cultural vitality across North America and in Europe.   Em happily returns to her hometown of Seattle after fifteen years in the Midwest rustbelt and in Canada, where she worked in urban revitalization, social practice, community vitality, sustainability, and technology.

Born and raised south of Seattle, Natalie has always had a deep appreciation for the natural land- the beach close by, mountains, and waterfalls in almost every corner. It wasn’t until Natalie moved away to attend school at Washington State University that she experienced a different kind of natural beauty- it was subtle. The gentle rolling hills soon became her favorite part about eastern Washington, even more so when she found out the rarity of the native grasslands.   While attending WSU Natalie studied Science Communication, and Environmental Science, with the goal of being able to effectively communicate environmental issues to a diverse audience. She quickly realized while attending school the disconnect from easter and western Washington, which fueled a new passion- engaging with different stakeholders, communicating, and figuring out how to come together to align interest, and support one another.   After graduating, Natalie found Sustainable Seattle, and was an intern for S2 for quite a few months. Natalie couldn’t seem to part ways with S2, because of the org’s refreshing, yet true take on sustainability. Natalie’s passions directly aligned with S2 with how the org is actively engaging and amplifying communities often left out of the conversation on climate impact.   “There are countless organizations that can put community driven work, or equitable practices in their mission or on their website - but S2 actually walks the walk. We look at resilience as the art of bouncing forward, not back, and I am excited to be apart of an organization that is moving forward as we build a movement that empowers individuals so they can empower their communities.”

Jacqueline (Jac) Ozawa Sussman is an advocate, dreamer, and eternal student, working to bridge communication gaps and increase understanding around issues of environmental justice, equity, and sustainable urbanism. She was born in Boston and raised in Portland, Oregon, where she connected to the powerful and diverse landscapes of the Pacific Northwest⏤the region where she feels the greatest sense of place. Jac has spent the last seven years working to enhance climate resiliency and environmental justice through writing, community-building, divestment campaign work, and urban farming. She is particularly inspired by the potential of community-centered agriculture to bolster local economies, regenerate urban soils, increase food security, and empower those who are disproportionately impacted by structural inequities and climate change. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Analysis and Policy from Boston University and a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. To restore her spirit and mind, you can find Jac trail running, hiking, kayaking, camping, and cooking around the mountains and waters of Washington state.

Tyler Ung is an advocate and lifelong learner, committed to building equity and bridging gaps in environmental communication through visual design and art. He was born and raised in Seattle and is heavily inspired by the urban and natural landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a focus in education from the University of Washington.

With a background in various crafts and studies, the cohesion of Oona’s work lies more in the technique than the subject. From lighting design to youth education to mediation to cooking, the through-line has been finding the praxis where service intersects innovation, where offering regenerative resources creates space for lasting empowerment. With Sustainable Seattle, they have found a team that also believes form can be function and that prioritizing sustainability within the personal sphere translates outwards and makes our projects one’s founded on integrity. Technical expediency, leading to faster, more focused production is their position and priority. They look forward to many well-constructed and inspiring events.

Julia Martinez has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is originally from Texas and recently moved to Washington in 2018. She is an Americorps VISTA alumni, and is very passionate about social justice, especially the issue of poverty in America. Her VISTA experience taught her the extreme importance of the role organizational structure plays in program sustainability. She considers it her passion project to assist organizations during transitional periods, to maximize impact and longevity within communities. In her spare time, Julia enjoys working creatively- using mediums such as clay, beads, and acrylics in her work.

Raised on Yakama Indian Reservation surrounded by elders who loved to regale her with legends, Lace fell in love with storytelling at a young age. She turned that love of listening to stories into writing stories through a Communication, Public Relations degree at Washington State University. This in turn led to over eight years of grant writing, event planning, and donor development in-house for organizations big and small.  In 2016, Lace took a deep-dive into her true passion for using stories to bring communities together, and created Laced Together, her own Grant Writing contract business. Through Grant Writing, Lace has been able to amplify the stories of those most often ignored, forgotten, or silenced by society and support the growth of organizations working towards a more equitable society. As a contractor, Lace has been able to see how varied the approach towards equity can be and has relished being a part of so many stories along the way.  She has supported organizations working towards: more equitable rural health care; housing and employing the unhoused; supporting the self-identified goals of survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation; bringing the outdoors, social justice education, art, and leadership to Seattle youth; creating a World Peace Education Curriculum; creating avenues for women and women of color in leadership; reducing the stigma surrounding mental health care; and more. Lace is excited to bring this expertise to Sustainable Seattle where she can listen to a variety of communities, rethink her understanding of Environmental Justice within the context of the changing Seattle communities, and share the bridge building work of S2.  When she isn’t writing grants, Lace loves to challenge herself in the outdoors especially, backpacking, solo camping, mountaineering, and skiing, and is an avid traveler. She has traveled and hiked all over the world. Her favorite and most challenging trip included her leading a six day, all female hike from France to Spain and back again in the Pyrenees; sleeping in abandoned huts, avoiding wild boar, and spotting the rare Pyrenees Chamois. Lace has a habit of constantly seeking new challenges and this year is learning to Mountain Bike, Trail Run, and continuing to hone her backcountry ski skills to include avalanche training, route planning, and ski mountaineering. She has also has a ridiculous love for her two dogs, Trooper Thorn a 75lb Walker Hound and Tokul Took the 15lb, mustached, Schnoodle pup.

Jasmmine Kaur Ramgotra (JASE) is the founder of Culture SHIFT, a digital dance and production company that uses movement to tell stories, start conversations, and spark individual action and behavior change. @jase.the.crone is focused on teaching emotional intelligence through movement, mindfulness, and activating energy with creative collaboration. Combining mediums from research, to movement, to music and live performance she creates multi-dimensional experiences that shift paradigms and lead to deep cultural change.