Erick Sha
mbarger, Director
Erick Shambarger is the Director of Environmental Sustainability for the City of Milwaukee, where he leads the Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO). He oversees implementation of the Refresh Milwaukee sustainability plan and coordinates Milwaukee's involvement with local, national and global partnerships on environmental sustainability. He oversees all of ECO's programs, including the Milwaukee Energy Efficiency (Me2) program, the Milwaukee Better Buildings Challenge, Water Centric City initiative, the Eco-Neighborhoods Initaitve and green infrastructure work. He led development of the City's Green Infrastructure Plan that was adopted in 2019 and is currently the Project Manager for the forthcoming Climate and Equity Plan. He also negotiated the City's largest solar energy project to date, a 2.25MW solar system on a city-owned landfill. He also launched Wisconsin's first Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program that has financed over $38m in projects in the City. He is also co-founder of the Wisconsin Local Government Climate Coalition (WLGCC.org). Prior to his current role, he served as City Economist in the City’s Budget and Management Division. He holds a Masters of Public Affairs degree from the University of Wisconsin and certificates in Water Technology; Energy Analysis and Policy; and Business Communications.
Pamela Ritger de la Rosa, Environmental Sustainability Program Manager
Pam leads efforts to reduce energy use in City of Milwaukee-owned buildings, administers the PACE Program, and supports the Better Building Challenge, among other efforts to advance building energy efficiency and sustainability. She also works on expanding the electric vehicle charging network in the City of Milwaukee and advancing the transition of municipal fleets to electric and other low emissions vehicles. As a member of the City-County Task Force on Climate and Economic Equity since 2019, Pam looks forward to helping implement many recommendations of the Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan in this role. Pam is joining ECO after more than 8 years with Clean Wisconsin, the state’s oldest and largest environmental non-profit advocacy organization, where she held the title of Milwaukee Program Director and Staff Attorney. Pam is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and the La Follette School of Public Affairs, and completed a certificate in Energy Analysis and Policy from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison. Pam is also on the Advisory Board of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association and is an active member of the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association.
Alexis Laverdiere, Environmental Sustainability Program Manager
Alexis Laverdiere oversees the City of Milwaukee's Water Centric City Initiative, which includes oversight of the City's Green Infrastructure Plan, and manages ECO's communication efforts. Previously, she served as Communication Coordinator and Staff Assistant for Mayor Cavalier Johnson and former Mayor Tom Barrett where she coordinated daily virtual and in-person media events, press materials, social media, web content, and community outreach. Alexis earned her master's degree in Corporate Communication and bachelor's degree in Public Relations from Marquette University. She is currently working toward a master's degree in Sustainability Leadership from Arizona State University. Alexis serves on the Marketing Committee for Lakeshore State Park and as Marketing & Communications Chair for the City of Milwaukee's Career Development Employee Resource Group.
Mia Rudolph-Schulta, Environmental Sustainability Program Coordinator
Mia Rudolph-Schulta coordinates ECO’s neighborhood-centric programs like HOME GR/OWN, which has transformed over 20 vacant lots into pocket parks and orchards around Milwaukee. She also supports residents across the city in empowering their neighborhoods to become more environmentally friendly through the ECO Neighborhoods Initiative. Mia draws on her past experiences as a program manager for local water stewardship project WaterMarks and 18 years working with adults and youth in a variety of roles to create collaborative partnerships between the city and residents centered on increasing awareness of and access to resources that help Milwaukee build its climate resilience. Mia’s passion for building a sustainable, equitable, and resilient City of Milwaukee was nurtured through her studies at UW-Milwaukee, where she received her master's degree in Public Health, bachelor's degree in Women’s and Gender Studies, and a certificate in LGBT Studies.
Jeremy Belot, Environmental Sustainability Program Coordinator
Jeremy coordinates the City of Milwaukee’s residential energy efficiency loan program, Milwaukee Energy Efficiency (Me2), along with the City of Milwaukee’s solar program, Milwaukee Shines, to offer opportunities for City of Milwaukee property owners to save energy and money while reducing their environmental impact. He also oversees the office’s effort to integrate federally funded energy efficiency improvements with lead remediation work on residential properties. Jeremy transferred to ECO after 5 years as a Grants Compliance Monitor in the City’s Community Development Grants Administration Office and 2 years as Neighborhood Improvement Project Inspector in the Department of Neighborhood Services. Prior to being with the City, Jeremy worked for 11 years for Layton Blvd West Neighbors as a Project Manager and then Director of Real Estate Development. After analyzing foreclosure data in 2008, he created the Turnkey Renovation Program which utilizes Federal funding to acquire, rehab and sell blighted foreclosures while focusing on energy efficiency, renewable energy, restoration of craftmanship and green infrastructure to provide move-in ready homes for low to moderate income households.
Past ECO Newsletters