Three staff members join the Alliance to advance work in the South

We welcomed two new regional Greenway coordinators and a summer intern this week at our Durham, North Carolina, headquarters.

Sarah Sanford will serve as our North Carolina and Virginia coordinator. As a Virginia native and a transplant to North Carolina, Sanford has lived in several cities along the East Coast Greenway, namely Fredericksburg, Richmond, Williamsburg, Raleigh, and Durham. Before coming to the Alliance, she worked in the environmental field as a consultant, naturalist, and environmental educator. She holds a master's degree in environmental management from Duke University and a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from the College of William and Mary.

“I can't wait to get outside on the Greenway and meet the people who use it,” Sanford says. “I'm really looking forward to learning how all the different greenway communities in Virginia and North Carolina use the greenway to connect to their communities and environments.”

Sanford is passionate about connecting people to nature and enjoys exploring the outdoors by bike, by boat, and on foot.

V Christiansen joins the staff as our new Florida coordinator. Christiansen is a two-time AmeriCorps alum with a master of science in planning from Florida State University. They are passionate about mobility choices, placemaking, and active transit. Christiansen served as the first regional marketing manager of Zagster, the first bike share system in Florida’s capital city, Tallahassee.

“With my service background in AmeriCorps, working for the Greenway helps me make my work tangible and last well into the future,” they say. “As a planner, you’re always looking 30, 40 years into the future. The Greenway is something we know will be used by future generations.”

In their spare time, Christiansen enjoys reading, sketching, biking and hiking with their spouse and two dogs from their Jacksonville, Florida, home.

Mimi Tomei joins the staff for the summer as our communications intern. She is a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Media and Journalism, where she is concentrating in reporting with a second major in political science. Tomei previously interned for the UNC General Alumni Association and the Office of Communications in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

In her free time, she enjoys baking, traveling, and cheering on the Tar Heels in all sports, but especially basketball. Tomei was born and raised in Raleigh and grew up riding bikes with her parents.

“Working with the Greenway is my first foray into nonprofit communications,” she says. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to learn about all the benefits of the Greenway and to help tell the stories of the people and communities it connects.”

See more of our team

Read more of our June 2019 On the Greenway newsletter