Larissa Mark, Ph.D., is the co-founder of EvolveGreen, an environmental consulting firm based in Fredericksburg, VA. She has worked in the educational arena for well over 20 years and has worked specifically in the environmental arena supporting the public and private sectors for over 10 years. During this time, Dr. Mark has worked on the development and implementation of environmental educational programs addressing multiple environmental issues including endangered species, climate change, energy and resiliency policy. Dr. Mark also has extensive experience assisting in analyzing regulatory issues and subsequent policy development addressing environmental issues related to energy including but not limited to energy conservation, sustainability, green development, resiliency and energy star.

Dr. Mark is an Assistant Professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia where she teaches environmental and policy courses in the Department of Integrated Science and Technology. Prior to this, Dr. Mark worked for CSRA conducting environmental education training and outreach on climate change adaptation and resiliency to local utility owners. During her tenure at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Dr. Mark worked as an Environmental Policy Program Manager where she analyzed proposed federal and state policies, organized environmental educational programs, and coordinated environmental committee meetings and research. Prior to NAHB, as an Environmental Systems Analyst for Tetra Tech Inc., she analyzed environmental projects, developed technical documentation and assisted in the development of environmental websites for both federal and nonfederal clients. Larissa also worked for the Science Application International Corporation (SAIC) where she was an Environmental Policy Analyst where she focused on EPA and NASA environmental policy issues and conducted a sustainability gap analysis across federal agencies.

Before focusing her career in the environmental field Larissa taught high school Biology and Environmental Science in Richmond Virginia.

Dr. Mark earned her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary with a major in Biology and a minor in Secondary Education in 1999. She received her master’s degree in Environmental Policy Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2004 and successfully completed her Ph.D. in Environmental Policy and Social Science with a concentration in policy development and programmatic implementation and evaluation at George Mason University in 2012. Dr. Mark conducted her thesis on green development strategies in the residential home building sector. Specifically, Dr. Mark looked at which strategies employed were most effective in encouraging home buildings to adopt green techniques.

Ty Asfaw is Co-founder of EvolveGreen and has extensive experience as an Environmental Scientist focused on policy development, green development, engineering and clean energy, and water resources management. She has led development of water policy and informed industry and government on environmental policy decisions. She has developed and applied tools and information, to engage business, NGOs and governments for positive change in managing water resources. She has managed the development and implementation of sustainable design techniques for the transportation sector. Ty also worked with staff across EPA, World Bank and local government to incorporate streamlined policy considerations and sustainable solutions for cities, energy, governance, and climate adaptation purposes.

Ty has over fourteen years of experience working on natural resource management, ecosystem protection, and urban water systems. Over the past decade, she has worked to promote sound land and water planning and urban water infrastructure systems that incorporate upstream ecosystem services, green infrastructure designs in cities, and integrate drinking water, stormwater and wastewater management.

Prior to EvolveGreen, Ty developed successful clean water policy initiatives for National Association of Homebuilders in Washington, DC, where she worked closely with federal agencies such as Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Management and Budget, and Small Business Administration and Congress to promote smart water policies and drive development toward more sustainable water infrastructure solutions.

Through her consultancy at the World Bank, she promoted the use of renewable energy across the Middle East and North Africa region. She also worked on tools to assess climate change and water scarcity concerns. She has worked on international water management, urban infrastructure, and water and sanitation issues.

Ty earned a Masters in Environmental Science, Water Resources Management from the Indiana University and a BS in Environmental Science and Policy from University of Maryland at College Park.