Dr. Sarah Mack
Tulane Hillel Announces Dr. Sarah Mack as the First Annual Big Pastrami Award Honoree.
NEW ORLEANS – Tulane Hillel announced today that Dr. Sarah Mack, a leader in the movement to monetize wetland carbon offsets, which is anticipated to stimulate up to $1.6 billion of private investment into wetland restoration over the next 50 years, is the recipient of the first ever Big Pastrami Award.
The Big Pastrami Award recognizes leaders in the city of New Orleans who have made an impact in its resurgence and recovery. The award will be presented on November 20 at the Goldie & Morris Mintz Center for Jewish Life at Schmancy, Tulane Hillel’s inaugural community celebration gala at its new facility on Broadway.
A Ph.D. in the field of Global Sustainable Resource Management from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Dr. Mack has become an internationally recognized leader finding innovative solutions to address the global challenges of climate mitigation, urbanization, and pollution through wetland and water management. Previously, she worked as Technical Administrator of the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, serving as emergency liaison between S&WB and other agencies in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
As part of Tulane Hillel’s Schmancy event, the organization is establishing the Leading Forward awards, which will be presented to 5-7 individuals nominated by the New Orleans community. The Leading Forward awards will recognize local community members who represent the mission of Tulane Hillel. Nominations are open now and will close on Friday, October 31st. For more information or to nominate an ideal candidate, please visit our website.
In announcing the Big Pastrami Award, Rabbi Yonah Schiller, Executive Director of Tulane Hillel said, “Dr. Sarah Mack provides an inspiring example of an innovative leader. Her efforts in the critical field of environmental research and development speak for themselves, and she is an incredible role model for the more than 150 Tulane undergraduates who participate in Tulane Hillel’s leadership incubator each year. New Orleans is lucky that Dr. Mack has made it her home, establishing herself as an international expert in introducing wetlands to emissions trading markets. I look forward to her sharing her experiences with our leadership students in an upcoming seminar.
Rabbi Schiller added, “Leading Forward is the name of our student leadership incubator, and it was a natural extension to create community-wide “Leading Forward” Awards. As we inspire our student leaders to make an impact in the local community, we will showcase local leaders, across a wide variety of professions, who have made community involvement a priority in their busy lives.”
About Dr. Sarah Mack:
Dr. Sarah K. Mack, President and CEO of Tierra Resources, is a leader in the movement to monetize wetland carbon offsets and focuses on innovative approaches to address the global challenges of climate mitigation, urbanization, and pollution through wetland and water management. Dr. Mack led the development and was the lead author of the American Carbon Registry Methodology, Restoration of Degraded Deltaic Wetlands of the Mississippi Delta, the first certified methodology for creating and monetizing carbon offset credits from wetland restoration activities. Dr. Mack is also leading the development of the first wetland carbon pilot projects in the nation and was awarded the American Carbon Registry’s 2013 Innovation Award. Sarah directs overall activities and works alongside state, municipal, and private partners to generate marketable wetland carbon credits.
Previously Sarah was the Technical Administrator of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (S&WB) where she also served as the Emergency Liaison between the S&WB and other agencies responsible for the initial response and later recovery of sewer, water, and drainage infrastructure during the 2005 hurricane season. Dr. Mack initiated the S&WB long-term recovery planning efforts and was responsible for the hazard mitigation activities that followed. She also initiated and served as Project Manager for the regional initiative between S&WB and St. Bernard Parish Government to implement the Central Wetland Unit Wetland Assimilation System.
Dr. Mack holds a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry, a Masters of Science in Public Health focusing on Toxic and Hazardous Waste Management, and a Ph.D. in Global Sustainable Resource Management from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Mack is also an ASFPM Certified Floodplain Manager.
About Tulane Hillel and SCHMANCY:
Tulane Hillel is a non-profit community center that fosters leadership and community engagement. A leader in entrepreneurial-based programming, Tulane Hillel creates platforms for college students to engage in the community, focusing on key issues that need to be addressed. With a state-of-the-art facility located in the heart of Uptown New Orleans, Tulane Hillel provides a central meeting place, with multi-purpose spaces and a delicious restaurant, that all of New Orleans can access. To date, Tulane Hillel has engaged over 60% of the Jewish population at Tulane, over 30% of the non-Jewish population, and key community leaders. Tulane Hillel’s reach continues to expand throughout the greater community and student populations. Learn more about Schmancy and purchase tickets at this link.
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