ChrisÌýHerr

  • Director
Chris Herr headshot

Chris joined the Environmental Center in 2024 from his previous role as director of sustainability and sustainability officer at the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC), a coalition of three large institutions of higher learning in Denver.Ìý

Chris brings with him a decade of experience as a sustainability professional, having developed innovative projects and programs, spearheaded fundraising efforts and built coalitions in the public and non-profit sectors to accelerate climate action.Ìý

Chris’s AHEC role provided ample opportunity to hone partnership skills given that leaders from three institutions must agree on strategies and actions before any can move forward. All ASCP initiatives impact AHEC’s diverse 150-acre urban campus shared by the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver and University of Colorado Denver. The collective student population is about 38,000 served by 5,000 faculty and staff.Ìý

In that context, Chris led the ASCP team responsible for planning and executing all campus-wide sustainability initiatives. That team established ambitious emissions reductions goals and delivered collaborative solutions, achieving significant progress in areas such as carbon emissions reduction, waste diversion and engagement with the campus community. He also led collaborations with three student governments and provided grant writing leadership to further enable campus actions.Ìý

Additionally, he is well-acquainted with the UC System, being a two-time University of Colorado alumnus with a bachelor's degree in history from UCCS and a master's degree in public administration from CU Denver.

Prior roles include founder and principal consultant at Denver’s Climate Solution Center, co-founder and director of Denver Grant Writers and student government coordinator and later a student life graduate assistant during his graduate student years at CU Denver.Ìý

Chris lives in Denver with his wife, Melanie, and two children, Otto and Conor (ages 2 years and 12 weeks). Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing music and taking advantage of the wonderful outdoor opportunities along the Front Range.ÌýÌý

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