OUR TEAM
Joanne Throwe is President of Throwe Environmental, LLC and Senior Fellow at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. She also serves as the Co-chair of the US EPA Stormwater Task Force for America’s Water Infrastructure Act and was formerly Chair of U.S. EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board, which is responsible for providing innovative financing recommendations to the EPA Administrator. In 2015, she was appointed Deputy Secretary for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources where she helped lead the department from 2015 through 2019. Prior to her appointment, Joanne served as Director at the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center, where she worked for 10 years. She also worked for several years at USDA and was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Solomon Islands. Joanne was part of the inaugural Maryland Leadership Program on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion from the University of Baltimore. Joanne received her Master’s degree from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. She resides in both Annapolis, Maryland and Bristol, Rhode Island.
Scott Throwe is the Vice President of Throwe Environmental, LLC. Scott worked at the United States Environmental Protection Agency for 30 years with a focus on the development, implementation, and enforcement of Clean Air Act regulations. He served as a manager and senior staff in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and was the national lead for the toxic air pollutant program as well as several other Clean Air Act programs including New Source Review, and the asbestos program. During his career at EPA, Scott worked extensively with primary and secondary metals, minerals, paint/coatings, and agricultural industries. Scott was also a lead staff person for the implementation of the 1990 Clear Air Act Amendments. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Solomon Islands where he worked as an agriculture extension agent for remote villages teaching agro-forestry methods to improve subsistence gardens. Scott resides in Bristol, Rhode Island.
For the past 20 years, Dan Nees has assisted communities across the country in their efforts to finance environmental and sustainable development initiatives. His work currently focuses on developing innovative market and performance-based financing systems to reduce the cost of climate change and environmental mitigation, adaptation, and resilience at state, local, and regional levels. Dan formerly served as Interim Director of the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. Dan was also a Senior Fellow with the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) at the University of Maryland (UMD). Prior to his tenure at CGS, Dan was the Director of the University's Environmental Finance Center. In addition to his work at UMD, Dan led environmental market and water quality programs at Forest Trends, a global NGO that seeks to develop market and economic solutions to global environmental problems, and at the World Resources Institute, and environmental think tank. Dan earned a BA in Economics, a Master of Environmental Policy, and a Master of Business Administration all from UMD College Park.
Kyle Gray manages and oversees strategy for the company's full range of climate resilience and financing projects. Kyle is responsible for leading climate resilience planning efforts across Southeastern New England through Throwe's work as a core partner organization in the SNEP Network. Additionally, Kyle develops leadership development and asset prioritization tools for Throwe, including "The Climate Leadership Exchange Podcast" and the Planning to Action: Climate Toolkit. Prior to his work with Throwe Environmental, Kyle served as a Congressional Campaign Coordinator, a Stormwater Infrastructure Mapping Intern, and a Congressional Intern. Kyle has a M.A in Marine Affairs, a Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Community Planning, a B.A. in Political Science and Italian, and a micro-credential in diversity and inclusion facilitation, all from the University of Rhode Island. Kyle is a certified Climate Change Professional (CC-P®) through the Association of Climate Change Officers.
Taylor Throwe is a business operations consultant focusing on project management, data and financial analysis, proposal writing and review, and accounting. Prior to her work with Throwe Environmental, Taylor worked as the Chief Operating Officer and Security Specialist for a government contractor managing over 30 contracts with the federal government. Taylor leads much of the company’s work as Field Support Liaison for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF), as well as the company’s work with the Town of Bourne, MA through the SNEP Network. Taylor has a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Maryland.
Courtney Greene currently manages Throwe’s work on the National Coastal Resilience Fund, the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, and the Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Network. Courtney graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Master’s in Public Administration and a focus on Policy Analysis. Prior to starting her Master’s program, Courtney completed a B.S. at URI in Health Studies with a focus on health promotion and a minor in kinesiology. During the course of her studies, Courtney has helped develop two health promotion campaigns, worked part-time for the Frank Olean Center providing services to adolescents with developmental disabilities, and served as a policy fellow on a stormwater financing report for the Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Network.
Justin Giffee is a recent graduate of Fordham University where he majored in Environmental Studies and minored in Economics and Mandarin. He studied abroad in London during spring 2022 where he developed a keen interest in world affairs and international climate policy efforts. During his senior year, he completed his thesis: The Renovation of America’s Electric Grid System with a Focus on Renewable Implementation. During the research for this project, he proposed solutions to effectively decarbonize the grid while simultaneously restructuring national energy markets. He is passionate about sustainability, climate and energy policy, and resiliency. In his free time Justin enjoys fashion, visual arts, and powerlifting. He lives in Framingham, MA.
OUR PARTNERS
Rear Admiral Mark Belton (Ret.) currently serves as County Administrator for Charles County, Maryland. He has an extensive background leading state and local government organizations including previous roles as Maryland’s Secretary of Natural Resources; County Administrator for Queen Annes’ County, Maryland and Page County, Virginia; and Executive Director for Pride of Baltimore, Inc. Retired from military service as a Navy Rear Admiral, Mark served afloat and ashore throughout a 31-year career as a logistics expert with senior officer assignments including liaison to the Republic of Iraq ministries of Oil and Electricity, and as Commander of the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group. He holds a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy; an M.B.A. from Regis University; and graduated from programs at the Naval War College, Armed Forces Staff College, and National Defense University.
Mark has promoted innovation in climate change preparedness by championing the establishment of Maryland’s Climate Leadership Academy — the first state-led program of its kind in the nation, created Maryland’s first nonprofit Resilience Authority to finance local projects and become the nexus of community resilience discussions, and represents the Maryland Association of Counties (MACO) on the Maryland Commission on Climate Change (MCCC). Under his leadership, Charles County’s proactive whole-of-government approach to climate preparedness received recognition awards from both MACO and the National Association of Counties (NACO) and was cited by Standard & Poor (S&P) as influencing affirmation of their AAA credit rating. Mark partners with Throwe staff on various projects, including the National Coastal Resilience Fund.
Skip Swenson is a Project Partner with Throwe Environmental. Over the past 25 years, Skip Swenson has consulted and partnered with businesses, governments, Tribes, and nonprofit organizations on assessment, strategy, policy, and program development. The past 15 years he primarily spent working in Washington State to develop the policies, tools, and programs necessary to achieve expansive resilience and community development goals. He works with stakeholders and governments crossing the gradient of landscapes—from rural lands to urban centers—and specializes in land use policy, conservation markets, and incentives creation at the local and regional scales. In addition to his work portfolio, Skip has served on numerous boards and committees, currently including the Washington Association of Land Trusts Board of Directors and the Carbonland Trust Board of Directors.
Skip holds a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Science in forest resources from the University of Washington, where his studies focused on environmental policy, land planning, and natural resources management. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. When he’s not tinkering on projects, Skip can often be found skiing and mountain biking throughout the Cascades range.
Prior to partnering with Throwe Environmental, Sarah Whitehouse worked for the City of Newport, RI, where she resides, as the Community Resilience Specialist for the Department of Planning & Economic Development. Serving the City for seven years, Sarah oversaw grants and projects involving preparation for sea level rise and climate change impacts, and participated in economic development efforts and innovation projects. Additionally, Sarah worked for the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, which assists island communities including Newport, in long-term planning coordination as a Project Manager and Interim Executive Director, and also served as a Program Manager for Social Enterprise Greenhouse, a Rhode Island-based organization, fostering inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems and just, equitable and resilient communities. Sarah partners with Throwe staff as a Field Liaison for the National Coastal Resilience Fund and as a technical assistance provider for the SNEP Network.
Dr. Kimberly Groff has dedicated her 30+ year career to advancing water quality at a project, state, and regional scale. She serves as the Massachusetts liaison for the SNEP Network, where she conducts community- and watershed-scale planning to build capacity and support long-term climate resilience. As former Director of the MassDEP Watershed Planning Program, she managed policy development, surface water monitoring and standards, and TMDL and watershed plan development. She was involved with the Long Island Sound TMDL and participated in NEIWPCC workgroups focused on implementing pollution control. She provided modeling and grant oversight and collaborated with PVPC on the implementation of a LISFF monitoring grant. Kimberly previously worked as a water resources engineer at AMEC Earth and Environmental, HydroAnalysis, and ENSR (now AECOM), where she assisted a variety of clients and industries (e.g., energy, plastics, transportation, academia, state and federal agencies). She earned a Doctorate from Georgia Institute of Technology School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She resides in Marblehead, MA and is an avid sailor. Kim partners with Throwe staff as a Field Liaison for the Long Island Sound Futures Fund and the National Coastal Resilience Fund.
Chris Cortina joins Throwe Environmental after supporting the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO) as Project Manager for the Maryland Climate Leadership Academy since 2021. Chris previously served the State of Maryland for ten years in various roles for the Chesapeake and Coastal Service within the Department of Natural Resources. While maintaining a consistent role focused on program communications, community outreach, and performance tracking and reporting, Chris was instrumental in securing and administering Maryland’s annual coastal zone management grant funding provided by NOAA. From helping to prepare federal grant applications, to identifying and overseeing programs and projects that help meet state goals, to compiling the progress and performance measure reporting in order to satisfy grant requirements, Chris participated in the full lifecycle of a critical funding source that has enabled Maryland to establish itself as a leader in climate change adaptation and resilience planning. Beyond grant management, Chris provided oversight to a team of natural resources planners providing financial and technical assistance to local governments to reduce the region's coastal hazard risk and vulnerability. He has an M.A. in Geography from Miami University and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Ohio Wesleyan University. A Maryland native and longtime resident, Chris is now based in Denver, CO with his wife and two sons.
Max Settineri provides program management, research, and analytical support for Throwe Environmental’s full range of programs. Max recently completed his Master’s in Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Bren School where he focused on climate, energy, and land use policy. During his time at Bren, Max worked with a startup to improve climate resilience and healthcare access at community health centers by installing solar and battery storage systems. Before starting his master’s, Max worked in the U.S. EPA’s Office of Research and Development in Washington, D.C., where he provided communications and program support to the Agency’s community science and innovations teams. Max also has a B.S. in Environmental Science & Policy from the University of Maryland.
The Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS) is a non-profit 501(c)3 intertribal organization founded in 1983 by a group of Tribal fish and wildlife professionals to “assist Native American and Alaska Native Tribes with the conservation, protection, and enhancement of their fish and wildlife resources.” NAFWS is the only national Tribal organization with a specific focus on Tribal fish and wildlife resources. As a unique membership organization with 227 Support Member Tribes in 7 regions, NAFWS strives to meet the needs of its individual members and member Tribes directly through conferences, trainings, youth education and indirectly through ongoing support of, and providing venues for government consultations, discussions and by participating with innovative projects and initiatives in Indian Country. A large service NAFWS provides is technical assistance to the 574 federally recognized Tribes in the US and fish and wildlife professionals working in Indian Country. Examples of this work include workshops, webinars and trainings on topics of interest to Tribal fish and wildlife programs such as funding, policy and field work. Several staff members will support this project but in particular will be Justin Leon who is the Senior Tribal Climate Resilience Liaison located in Alaska. Throwe is partnering with NAFWS to provide support services to indigenous communities nationally as Field Liaisons for the National Coastal Resilience Fund.
The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) helps its members strengthen their professional network, exchange best practices and practical advice, and accelerate innovation, all leading to more equitable and effective climate adaptation practices. ASAP works across North America, with members in 47 states and throughout the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. Their network is composed of 1,000 individuals and 40 organizations, with an event and newsletter audience of 4,000. Over the past six years, ASAP has hosted multiple workshops on how to secure funding and financing for climate adaptation and resilience projects. This work has taken the form of in-person training, virtual events, publication of white papers, and most recently their collaboration with Climate Resilience Consulting on the Ready to Fund Toolkit and Training. This toolkit describes how local government leads and partners can design more fundable projects by pulling specific policy levers, seeking key partnerships, using innovative accounting practices, inverting power structures, and rethinking and redesigning internal processes. The accompanying Ready to Fund Resilience Training is a modular course, with up to 5 synchronous sessions and asynchronous homework. Throwe is partnering with ASAP to support communities nationally as Field Liaisons for the National Coastal Resilience Fund.
The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), founded in 1906, represents public finance officials throughout the United States and Canada. The association’s more than 20,000 members are federal, state/provincial, and local finance officials deeply involved in planning, financing, and implementing thousands of governmental operations in each of their jurisdictions. GFOA’s mission is to advance excellence in public finance. Throwe partners with GFOA through the "Putting Assets to Work" (PAW) incubator project, awarded to the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. PAW exemplifies GFOA’s leadership in helping governments reimagine how to modernize outmoded revenue systems through its Rethinking Revenue initiative.