Suzanne Russo
Fellow
Suzanne Russo is a fellow at Resources for the Future focusing on equitability in the climate transition. Prior to joining RFF, Russo spent five years as the CEO for Pecan Street Inc.—a nonprofit organization working to advance data and technology solutions for the climate crisis—and held several other roles during her 13-year tenure. While serving as CEO, Russo expanded Pecan Street’s focus from distributed energy resources to include techno-socio-environmental research and solutions development for transit and climate-beneficial agriculture as well as founding the Center for Race, Energy & Climate Justice. She has PI’d research projects funded by DOE, NSF, USDA, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Previously, she served as Director of Sustainability for New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation & Development where she led the creation, financing, and implementation of comprehensive green building and retrofit policies for the city’s affordable housing stock that are still used today.
Russo has served on several nonprofit board of directors and consulted for others, helping to increase the impact of under-represented communities in deciding how to mitigate climate change, improve local health factors, and transition to decarbonized systems. As an undergraduate and graduate student researcher, Russo conducted research in Africa, China, and India, and on Latin America. Her work explored the effects of community input through survey-based research and participatory mapping on policy development in the areas of gender, infrastructure, and indigenous rights.
Education
- MA in Community and Regional Planning, University of Texas at Austin
- BS in Humanities with a focus on community-based natural resources management, University of Texas at Austin
Featured Content
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Issue Brief — May 9, 2024
The Policy Landscape for Agricultural Bioenergy
This issue brief, the last in a series on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions policy, offers an introduction to bioenergy and relevant federal agricultural and nonagricultural policy.
Environmental Justice Series — May 7, 2024
Minority Food Producers in the Climate Transition
A webinar examining the role of agricultural producers of color in the development of sustainable solutions for climate change.
Common Resources — Apr 17, 2024
After the Pause: Understanding the Economic, Environmental, and Geopolitical Implications of Increased US Liquefied Natural Gas Exports
As the Biden administration temporarily pauses approvals for building new export facilities that transport liquefied natural gas, we’ve assembled a primer on the national and global implications of the US increasing exports of this important fuel.
Common Resources — Feb 8, 2024
How a Tax Incentive for Clean Energy in the Inflation Reduction Act Could Affect Low-Income Communities
A tax provision in the Inflation Reduction Act incentivizes clean energy projects in low-income communities. A similar, existing provision for affordable housing infrastructure may offer lessons for effective implementation of the new program.
Issue Brief — May 9, 2024
The Policy Landscape for Agricultural Bioenergy
This issue brief, the last in a series on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions policy, offers an introduction to bioenergy and relevant federal agricultural and nonagricultural policy.
Issue Brief — Nov 9, 2023
Reducing Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions through “Climate-Smart” Markets, Technical Innovation, and Emissions Credit Trading
This issue brief, the last in a series on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions policy, examines "climate-smart" markets, public support for research and development, and emissions credit trading.
Issue Brief — Sep 26, 2023
How USDA Conservation Programs Mitigate Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions
This issue brief, part of a series on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions policy, provides an overview of conservation programs in Title II of the Farm Bill.
Common Resources — Apr 17, 2024
After the Pause: Understanding the Economic, Environmental, and Geopolitical Implications of Increased US Liquefied Natural Gas Exports
As the Biden administration temporarily pauses approvals for building new export facilities that transport liquefied natural gas, we’ve assembled a primer on the national and global implications of the US increasing exports of this important fuel.
Common Resources — Feb 8, 2024
How a Tax Incentive for Clean Energy in the Inflation Reduction Act Could Affect Low-Income Communities
A tax provision in the Inflation Reduction Act incentivizes clean energy projects in low-income communities. A similar, existing provision for affordable housing infrastructure may offer lessons for effective implementation of the new program.
Common Resources — Jan 17, 2024
A Tale of Two Highway Plans
A planned renovation of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in New York City raises the opportunity to consider community input and environmental justice when implementing the major infrastructure project.
