Who's Listening

Lindsey Roland Nieratka, a leader in developing and implementing climate-focused and sustainability programs, was been named Chief Sustainability Officer for the Village of Oak Park in July 2024.

An Illinois native, Roland Nieratka had spent much of her professional career in the state of Florida. She arrived in Oak Park after serving as the first-ever Sustainability Manager for the City of Boca Raton since 2018. There, she meticulously developed sustainability plans and strategies for the community that covers five miles of Atlantic coastline from the ground up. Similarly, Roland Nieratka was the first person to work as the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator in the City of Hollywood, a suburb of Miami. She held that role for more than two and a half years, beginning in 2015.

In addition to her extensive municipal background, Roland Nieratka is a founding member of the Coastal Resilience Partnership of Palm Beach County. This multi-jurisdictional team collaborated on a regional Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, policy development drafts, grant applications and programming. She is also a member of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network.

Roland Nieratka is an experienced educator, too, having spent more than 15 years in higher education. Since 2012, she has been an Adjunct Environmental Science Instructor at American Intercontinental University. Previously, she served as a teaching assistant, and later as an adjunct instructor, in the Environmental Studies program at Florida International University from 2009-2012.