Leadership

Environmental Affairs Committee

The Team

Created in 1990 by action of the city council, the Environmental Affairs Committee is an official advisory body in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Our official charter is to advise the mayor and council on environmental issues; promote environmental education and outreach activities; monitor county, state, and federal regulations for environmental impacts on City operations; explore new environmental initiatives; and support the City’s Green Month celebration and programs related to green building, climate protection, pollution prevention, and watershed protection. Our mission supports the City’s Environment Strategic Direction to meet the needs of the City in a manner that accurately reflects the community’s desire for environmental health and economic prosperity without compromising the ability of future generations to meet those same needs.

The committee has nine seats, plus one council liaison and several staff liaisons.

My Trajectory

I was appointed to the committee in October 2019. Before even becoming an official member, I volunteered to lead the committee's annual presentation to the mayor and council. My work on the presentation impressed my fellow committee members so much that they elected me Vice Chair at my third meeting as a member, in January 2020. I was subsequently elected Chair in January 2021. In January 2024 I became the most-tenured person on the committee, including the liaisons. In 2025 I am serving my fifth term as Chair.

Key Accomplishments

In January 2022 I created a system of workgroups for the committee. This enables us to engage more people, meet more frequently, and advance more objectives. The workgroups have hosted Fix-It Fairs, resolved problems in parks, completed an environmental justice survey, and initiated the process of creating a climate action plan, among other achievements.

In February 2024, when I had been Chair for three years, the committee reached a quadrupling of representation for the BIPOC community, compared to when I joined the committee. Under my leadership, the growing success of the committee contributed to an increasing number of applications for our open seats. We twice voted to add a new seat to the committee so that we could accept all our candidates. The new committee members reflected the demographics of our city, which has been rated by some studies as the most diverse in America.

Muddy Branch Alliance

The Team

The Muddy Branch Alliance protects a corridor of stream and forest through the heart of Montgomery County, Maryland,  a community of 1 million people directly adjacent to Washington, DC. The Muddy Branch Alliance's vision is for the surrounding streams, lakes, forests, and parks to be teeming with life - safe for families, pets, and wildlife to enjoy - and to have a community connected to preserving the area's intrinsic beauty.

The board of directors has 13 seats. We also have one contractor. Our membership is approximately 1,200 as of January 2025.

My Trajectory

My early work on the Environmental Affairs Committee also led to an invitation to join the board of directors of the Muddy Branch Alliance. I was elected to the board in July 2020. In December 2020 I was asked to become the leader of the Lands Green Waters Clean program, which offers simple, practical solutions for transforming residential yards into blooming oases that support birds and butterflies, protect local streams, and inspire a wave of action across the community.  In May 2023 I was elected President. In 2025 I am serving my second and final term as President.

Key Accomplishments

When I became the leader of Lands Green Waters Clean in December 2020, I inherited an annual plant sale. The first plant sale took place in the spring of 2020; I was not involved but learned from others' experiences. I was partially involved in the 2021 sale and learned more about the processes. In 2022 I led the sale, observed the whole cycle, and identified opportunities for improvement. In 2023 I introduced innovations that streamlined the most challenging aspects of the event. In 2024, when we had seen those innovations in action and we knew they worked, we were able to scale up our sale and capture 25% year-over-year growth in revenue.

As the leader of Lands Green Waters Clean, I also inherited a sequence of grant projects. In February 2020 I had accidentally walked into a planning meeting for a native plant meadow that was going to be funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust. By the spring of 2022, the Trust was so happy with the success of the project that they did not come out for an in-person site visit. In 2024 the Trust awarded us funding to design native plant gardens for local HOAs. In 2025 the Trust provided funding for the installation of those gardens, as well as funding for the Muddy Branch Alliance to work with another cohort of HOAs.

Leadership Moments

"Karl, wait, it's Zainab's turn."

At a meeting of the Environmental Affairs Committee, I stopped a tall older white man and gave the floor to a Muslim immigrant woman of color who had been waiting to speak.

"If you need to talk, I'm here."

After distressing world events, I check in with my teams and make room for people to process before we return to our regular work. My team members have replied to these invitations with comments like "Thank you for that message. I appreciate it," and "Appreciate the email Janette. Thank you for your leadership."

"All I did was get out of the way."

One day, I met the Mayor of Gaithersburg out in the community. He began praising the work of the Environmental Affairs Committee, and I told him I could not take credit for any of the projects he mentioned. All I had done, I said, was get out of the way of talented committee members who wanted to lead those initiatives. The Mayor was impressed to hear this.

Leading by serving

A single Muddy Branch Alliance board of directors meeting in January 2025 generated several opportunities to show servant leadership.

• One board member volunteered to submit a form nominating the Muddy Branch Alliance for an environmental award from the City of Gaithersburg. I could have made her find that form herself; it would not have been terribly difficult. Instead I sent her the direct link.

• Two board members volunteered to research allied organizations we could potentially partner with to advance our shared mission. I sent them clearer instructions on what to look for.

• Another board member expressed interest in an opportunity to get involved with a major local initiative. I contacted the leaders of that initiative and secured the board member not only an invitation to the key meeting, but a speaking role as the official representative of the Muddy Branch Alliance.