Suzanne Burnes

Suzanne Burnes brings more than 30 years of experience in sustainability, community development and environmental justice to her role as director of the Just Growth Portfolio for the Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE). Highlights of her accomplishments at PSE include: facilitation of the Atlanta Water Equity Task Force from 2018-2020, resulting in the Atlanta Water Equity Roadmap; leadership in the development, delivery and adoption of Georgia’s first local government Equitable Growth and Inclusion Strategic Plan for the City of East Point in 2021; and leading the acquisition and evolution of EcoDistricts to form Just Communities, a new national framework for neighborhood-scale equitable, climate-resilient community development.

Her career includes serving as an EPA and Department of Defense consultant on Superfund research, litigation support and environmental compliance, and founding an Atlanta community development corporation. She led Georgia state government’s efforts to create public-private sustainability partnerships; served as executive director of local nonprofit Sustainable Atlanta; and founded Collective Wisdom Group, an Atlanta-based firm serving nonprofit, local government, higher education and philanthropic clients. Through her practice, she notably advised local governments across the Southeastern US on their sustainability efforts, particularly around partnership development and integration of equity into their climate resilience and green infrastructure projects.

Suzanne’s strengths are in building relationships among diverse voices for community and ecosystem benefit. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Warren Wilson College.    

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