The Village of Oak Park | 123 Madison St.  Oak Park, IL 60302 | village@oak-park.us

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Marcella Bondie Keenan elevated to Chief Sustainability Officer

March 13, 2023Marcella Bondie Keenan, AICP, LEED AP, has been elevated to the role of Chief Sustainability Officer for the Village of Oak Park, Village Manager Kevin Jackson announced today.

A leader in amplifying Oak Park’s ongoing sustainability efforts, Bondie Keenan was originally hired by the Village in the position of Sustainability Coordinator in August 2021. The position was created in response to the Village Board’s goal to invest in a sustainable future.

Since arrival, Bondie Keenan has diligently guided Climate Ready Oak Park (CROP), a comprehensive and long-range plan that provides the community with a vision, goals, and actions to make Oak Park more sustainable and resilient. The Village Board adopted the plan on August 1, 2022.

“Upon joining the team here with the Village of Oak Park less than two years ago, Marcella has been meaningfully immersed in putting in the work to ensure that our community is a leader when it comes to various sustainability initiatives,” said Jackson. “Her diligence and determination in taking multiple projects from an idea to implementation, to ongoing maintenance and completion are second to none. All of Oak Park is fortunate to have her as a thoughtful agent for change in our Village.”

The goals of CROP, developed under Bondie Keenan’s leadership with comprehensive external and internal stakeholder input are: decrease community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030, relative to 2019 emission levels; achieve community-wide net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; establish 30% of Oak Park's land as green infrastructure or enhanced park management for native plants, wildlife, and people; direct 40% of public climate and sustainability dollars to the most vulnerable and impacted community members; and partner with frontline organizations and the most impacted community members to create climate and sustainability policies and programs.

“I’m appreciative of the Village’s vote of confidence and support for this work, and look forward to what’s next on the horizon,” said Bondie Keenan. “My sincere thanks to the all the staff, President and Trustees, and community members who are supporting climate action and sustainability in Oak Park. Together, we can do this!”

In addition to her work in climate, energy, and sustainability, Bondie Keenan has valuable experience in water and green infrastructure, environmental justice and urban planning, food systems and urban agriculture, transportation, and mobility. She also serves as a staff liaison to the Oak Park Environment and Energy Commission.

Bondie Keenan earned a master’s degree in urban planning and policy with an environmental concentration from the University of Illinois Chicago. Prior to that, she received bachelor’s degrees from Wheaton College in biology and English. A member of the American Planning Association, Bondie Keenan received the Illinois Chapter’s distinguished service award in 2020.