Leadership Team
Susan Kruse
Executive Director
Susan has been advocating for environmental protection and justice for 25 years. After launching the Allegheny Defense Project in her native Pennsylvania in 1994, Susan helped to found the National Forest Protection Alliance and joined the staff as the Eastern Field Coordinator. She led their federal legislative efforts to protect national forests before ultimately serving as the organization’s executive director. In 2006, Susan pursued her passion for philanthropic work and became the Director of Development for the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. After 10 years of growing Legal Aid’s development program and becoming a major gifts specialist, Susan returned to environmental work in 2016 to join Appalachian Voices as their Director of Philanthropy. Excited to merge her passion for the planet and the community she loves, Susan became C3’s executive director in 2019. She was appointed to Virginia’s Clean Energy Advisory Board for a three-year term by Governor Ralph Northam in 2019, and she was named in Virginia Business Magazine’s list of 100 people to meet in 2022 as an Impact Maker in Virginia. Susan is a graduate of Clarion University in Pennsylvania and resides in Charlottesville with her husband Mike and their two nature-loving boys, Evan and Sebastian.
Caetano de Campos Lopes
Director of Climate Policy
Caetano leads C3's policy advocacy initiatives, collaborating with local and regional stakeholders to advance climate justice solutions that aim to reduce local climate pollution while simultaneously improving local quality of life and alleviating unaffordable housing and transportation burdens. He is also a Lecturer at the UVA School of Architecture, where he teaches a series of short courses on Equitable and Sustainable Transportation. As an independent climate-policy consultant, Caetano has co-authored reports with ACEEE, The Economist Group, and the Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF). Previously, he lobbied in the U.S. Capitol Hill to advance climate policies and brought to fruition a project that increased energy efficiency levels for 40,000+ high-poverty households in Latin America. He is a board member of the transit organization Jaunt Inc. and has served on advisory committees for Vote Solar, the University of California Office of the Principal, HAF's Latino Climate Council, and the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation. Caetano holds two master's degrees, one in economics and another in environmental management. He lives in Charlottesville with his wife, daughter, and dog and loves weekend outings in the region’s trails, waterfalls, and swimming holes.
Coles Jennings
Director of Corporate Sustainability
Coles combines 15 years of engineering experience with a passion for sustainability, energy conservation, and affordability. One of his core beliefs is that the key to a sustainable future lies in decoupling pollution and production. Through his years of consulting for building design and performance, he has completed energy and sustainability assessments and designed system upgrades for commercial and government facilities all over the world. Coles is thrilled to put this experience to work helping organizations in the community reduce their resource footprints and realize better returns on their energy investments. Coles graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Professional Engineer in the state of Virginia, an AEE Certified Energy Auditor, and a LEED Associated Professional. Born and raised in Roanoke, VA, his love of the Blue Ridge mountains has kept him in the state his whole life. Outside of work, you can find him outdoors with his wife and three children, playing and coaching soccer, or generally stumbling through amateur carpentry projects. He’s also a die-hard UVA basketball fan despite his own below-average jump shot.
Leah Jones
Director of Communications
Leah Jones is an enthusiastic community advocate passionate about using communication strategies to shed light on the intersections between environmentalism, race, gender, and class. Her studies in Biology and Environmental Science and Policy at William and Mary led her to dedication to environmental justice and building bridges of understanding with communities of color and other underserved communities. Before joining C3, Leah advocated and organized with frontline communities to advance environmental justice policies and initiatives throughout the Commonwealth. Leah is excited to bring her skills in climate communications, environmental education, and community engagement to continue expanding C3’s connection to local communities and empowering them to take action on climate. With her work, Leah hopes to continue improving our communities, developing them to be more resilient and fully allowing the chance for all Virginia residents to thrive. In her downtime, Leah loves to check out local concerts, spend time outdoors, attend the occasional salsa lesson, and relax with her two cats.
Aidyn Mancenido
Director of Development
Aidyn brings her background in cultural anthropology and over two decades of experience working directly with communities around the world and throughout Charlottesville. She has researched, consulted and advocated in areas such as affordable housing, health equity, food access, and employment. She approaches these and other justice-based efforts by prioritizing local voices and community partnerships to seed and power systemic change. Aidyn is excited to bring her experiences in community- and donor engagement, to mobilize the resources necessary to move towards greater climate justice. Aidyn holds a PhD in cultural anthropology and a masters degree in art. She maintains her mixed-media art practice to approach social challenges from new perspectives, and to creatively build and embody the futures we desire. She lives in Charlottesville with her daughter and enjoys walking amongst trees, and swimming in open bodies of water.
Programs and Operations
Jacqui Bauer
Climate Services Manager
Jacqui has worked for 25 years in the field of local sustainability. She was the first sustainability coordinator for the City of Bloomington, Indiana, where she spearheaded energy efficiency, waste reduction, active transportation, and renewable energy programs throughout the community. During this time, she also served in leadership positions with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, co-chairing the Innovation Fund Committee. Based on her city experience, she co-founded a startup called RentLab, focused on creating tools to promote efficiency, sustainability, and affordability in rental housing. Prior to her work with the city, she served as the assistant director of the Ostrom Workshop at Indiana University under Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom, and as the state director of the Indiana Rural Community Assistance Program, where she worked with rural communities to improve access to clean water. She holds master’s degrees in Public Policy and Environmental Science from the O'Neill School at Indiana University, and a bachelor’s degree in Japanese Language from the University of Michigan.
Sarah Delgado
Operations Manager
Sarah is originally from Williamsburg, VA and fell in love with the Charlottesville area while in school at the University of Virginia, studying Environmental Science and English. She has long had a passion for reducing pollution and supporting climate organizations in her personal life. She has 10 years of experience in retail banking management and recently moved to the non-profit sector by managing the finances at the Sexual Assault Resource Agency here in Charlottesville. Sarah is looking forward to supporting the continued growth of C3 and managing operations so that our team can continue their focus on accelerating local climate action. Sarah spends her time outside of work taking walks with her daughter and husband, playing with their 3 cats, crafting, and watching sunsets from local wineries on the weekend.
Maria Düster
Climate Justice Policy manager
Maria works on C3’s policy team to research, analyze, and advocate for local climate solutions affecting the Charlottesville and Richmond areas. She focuses on transportation, health, and related climate justice issues. Her background in community organizing and political advocacy – in the US and abroad – deeply informs her work and commitment to transformative and restorative justice. Coming from an international background, both personally and professionally, Maria approaches climate issues from the local to the global, recognizing the complex intersections of identity – such as race, gender, and class – that make certain communities more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. At C3, she hopes to advance the ways in which community decision-making can be prioritized in the policymaking process and further integrate environmental justice into the work we do. Maria graduated with an MS in Environmental Policy and Justice from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and earned her BA in Politics and Sociology from the University College London in London, UK. Outside of work, you’ll probably find her at a record store, attending a local concert, hiking a new trail, or cooking with her partner and friends.
UVA Interns
Anissa Bell
Climate Communications Intern
Anissa is a second year student at the University of Virginia majoring in Environmental Sciences and intending to minor in Global Sustainability. Hailing from Virginia Beach, Virginia, she is especially interested in coastal ecology, water resources, and furthering climate education initiatives. In her free time, Anissa enjoys reading, getting outdoors, thrifting, and spending time with her friends.
Sophie Burk
Climate justice Intern
Sophie is a fourth-year student at UVA studying Environmental Science and Religious Studies. Throughout her undergraduate career, Sophie has focused largely on conservation science and is passionate about environmental preservation. She is excited about working in Charlottesville and supporting the move toward a more equitable and energy-efficient city. Sophie loves hiking, reading, and exploring Charlottesville with friends in her free time.
Charlotte Flynn
Climate justice Intern
Charlotte is a second year at the University of Virginia studying Public Policy and Leadership with a concentration in Global Sustainability. She is especially interested in environmental policy, climate justice, and atmospheric science. In her free time, Charlotte enjoys listening to music, thrifting, and stargazing.
Katie Larson
Climate justice Intern
Katie is a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia studying Environmental Thought and Practice. Originally from Northern Virginia, she is passionate about fighting climate change and working to create a more equitable and sustainable future. In her free time, she enjoys photography, sewing, singing, and spending time with her dog, Bo.
Chancellor Reynolds
Climate justice Intern
Chancellor is in his second year at UVA originally from Memphis, TN. Majoring in Urban and Environmental Planning, he loves looking for opportunities to help communities develop sustainably. With that, he is super passionate about promoting climate-conscious transportation methods and attempts to do his part by biking to work every day. He hopes that the work he does for C3 can have a tangible impact on saving our world for future generations. Be sure to give him a wave if you ever see him biking around Charlottesville!
High School Interns
Gudrun Campbell
High School Intern
Gudrun Campbell is a junior at Charlottesville High School and is excited to work with C3 this semester. Since she organized her first climate protest at age eleven, she has emphasized intersectionality in the fight against the climate crisis and has taken on issues like housing and density, environmental racism, and transit justice through her protests. She has also lobbied and advocated for climate legislation at the state and local levels and has been a featured speaker at events held by the Sierra Club and UVA Sustainability. When she isn’t advocating for an equitable climate future, she can be found playing as principal cellist of the Youth Symphony of Central Virginia or co-captaining her school’s robotics team, which advanced to regional championships this year.
Reed Chrobak
High School Intern
Reed is a freshman at Community Lab School. He has been passionate about the environment since elementary school and even created his own club and website to spread environmental awareness with his peers. Reed has organized school and community events to encourage people to act on climate change and other environmental issues. He is particularly interested in climate policy and climate justice and is excited to learn more about these topics while interning at C3. During his free time, Reed enjoys playing squash, hiking, and reading.
Ananya Madaan
Ananya is a junior at Western Albemarle High School. She is a co-founder and co-leader of her school’s Green New Deal for Schools club, which seeks to promote climate policy and a well-rounded education in the public school system, including climate issues. She is passionate and is excited to learn more about the intersection between environmental advocacy, public policy, and climate justice. She hopes to pursue environmental studies in her future. In her free time, she enjoys playing sports, spending time with friends and family, and trying new foods.
Interested in joining the C3 team? Check out our Current Job Openings.