Katherine Gloede Silverman has assumed the role of Program Manager of the Sustainability in the Urban Environment Program as of August 28th. George Smith was the director until the end of September, helping to assure a smooth transition.

Katherine is thrilled to join the unique interdisciplinary Sustainability Program at City College. With more than ten years of experience studying climate change adaptation across multiple departments, she is excited to apply her background to support students’ goals at a diverse, public institution with both deep local roots and strong global reach. Katherine is looking forward to supporting the faculty mentors and students throughout their sustainability capstone projects. She is especially excited to help the program grow alongside the executive committee and to find additional opportunities for collaboration in sustainability across CCNY and CUNY-wide departments.

Outside of her new role, Katherine is working on her dissertation in the Constructed Environment PhD Program at the University of Virginia School in the Department of Architecture. Her researchis focused on affordably retrofitting existing apartment buildings for resilience to climatestressors—specifically rent-regulated housing in New York City. While at UVA, Katherine was a teaching assistant both in sustainability courses and for the global sustainability capstone class. Prior to joining City College, she was a resiliency planner at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and a data journalist focused on green building at Hanley Wood—publishers of Architect and Builder Magazine among other trade publications.

While completing her M.A. in Environmental Conservation Education at NYU, she served as the assistant to the program’s director. Katherine holds a B.S. in Geography and Environmental Inquiry from Penn State. Though she’s lived in Manhattan for years, she remains (somehow proudly) from New Jersey.