Founder and Executive Director of Sustainability Organization takes Sustainability Role with Global Impact

Strong Growth Trajectory Forecast For The Four-Year-Old Organization

 

July 2021 (Phoenix, AZ): The Arizona Sustainability Alliance (AZSA) is announcing its celebrated founder and Executive Director is returning to her international environmental roots as the Senior Program Manager of Nature-Based Solutions at Amazon. Ashley Camhi, Ph.D. will be transitioning out of the Executive Director role and will continue to serve the nonprofit as a volunteer. The four-year-old nonprofit’s dedicated staff and board leadership are committed to continuing the growing organization’s incredible work throughout Arizona.

Camhi started the charity while completing her Ph.D. at Arizona State University. What began as a grass-roots organization in 2017, AZSA has grown to over 100 staff, volunteer staff, and board members.  AZSA’s high-impact projects and programs focus on building capacity in low-income communities throughout the organization’s five sustainability priority areas: Renewable Energy, Urban Forestry, Conservation, Sustainable Food Systems, and Cities, which includes: 

  • Arizona’s first Clean Energy Workforce Development Program for high school students
  • Arizona’s first Urban Forestry Education Initiative
  • Sow-It-Forward: Vertical Garden Program
  • Food Tech for the Future: Growing Digital Farmers
  • Tree Planting Program
  • Adopt-A-Park
  • Help-A-Farm
  • Phoenix Metro Urban Forestry Roundtable

Through Camhi’s leadership, this flourishing nonprofit’s projects and programs have expanded throughout the Greater Phoenix Metro area and beyond.

“We are thrilled for Ashley as she pursues new dreams and puts her extensive experience in finance and sustainability to work,” remarked Cynthia Nesser, Board Chair of the organization. “She has built the programs and services of this critical organization from the ground up, sometimes taking on every detail and working through the night and weekends to make it a reality.” 

Camhi believes that relationships are the root of a successful organization. She understood that it requires leaders, passionate citizens, education, and municipalities to create the change needed to improve the environment. Camhi worked with AZSA’s staff to develop diverse partnerships across Arizona to reach different communities. Relationships with K-12 schools, universities, nonprofits, and other organizations fueled AZSA’s expansion that grew their programs, leading to lasting impacts on parks, schools, and neighborhoods across the state. Some of their partners include American Forests, Microsoft, Arizona State University, cities throughout Arizona, and several more. This collaboration will continue to be in the DNA of the organization.

As AZSA’s Board of Directors conducts a search for an executive director, Camhi will serve as a part-time executive director and continue to advise the nonprofit during the transition. The position will be posted on the AZSA website on July 9th.

About Arizona Sustainability Alliance

The Arizona Sustainability Alliance (AZSA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit action and advocacy alliance that aims to create and support cutting-edge, project-based sustainability solutions in Arizona through civic engagement, collaboration, and education. AZSA empowers Arizona citizens to work together toward more verdant, equitable, and sustainable communities. More information is available at www.azsustainabilityalliance.com

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