OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: SHELTER

Sustainability Spotlight: Alumni

ENERGIZED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Mandy Mahoney 99Ox 01C 06L, President of the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance

For Emory alumna Mandy Mahoney, president of the nonprofit Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA), energy efficiency is not measured strictly in numeric terms on a chart. It also can be a matter of life or death. 

SEEA is collaborating with a green building consulting firm, SK Collaborative, the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, and others to implement a program called Room to Breathe. It identifies families with children battling serious pediatric asthma who are living in rental properties in Atlanta and helps them access home health and energy improvements. Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, SEEA was aiming to complete home assessments for Room to Breathe by the end of the year. The next step: Compiling data to make a case for insurance companies to replicate the program for their customers. 

As one of six regional energy efficiency organizations, SEEA is part of a national network dedicated to leveraging energy efficiency for the benefit of all citizens. These organizations collaborate with each other, as well as the US Department of Energy and state energy programs. SEEA has thrived as an organization under the leadership of Mahoney, who previously served as the director of sustainability for the city of Atlanta. “I am very proud of how we have worked as a team to grow from an early stage, start-up nonprofit into a high-functioning stable organization,” she says. “Focusing on external partnerships and stakeholder engagement has served us well.”

While working for the city of Atlanta, Mahoney built strong regional relationships in the academic, corporate, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government sectors that have served her well at SEEA, she says. “At SEEA, we serve as a conduit for sharing best practices among a wide range of stakeholders,” Mahoney says. “Knowing how to capitalize on the breadth of industry knowledge shapes how we approach resource development and delivery.”

—Brian Hudgins