Susan Coady Kemnitzer

Sue recently retired from a long career in leadership positions in science and natural resource management organizations. Most recently she served as Deputy Director of the Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport System Division of the National Science Foundation Directorate for Engineering. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, Ms. Kemnitzer managed an annual portfolio of over $400 million in grants that explore the nation’s most innovative multidisciplinary research and education.

Sue also served as a Budget Examiner in the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President. There, she recommended budget and legislative policy for science and natural resource agencies, prepared the President’s annual budget request to the Congress, and negotiated the Administration’s position on legislation. Most notably she led the administration’s efforts to establish 140 million acres of new parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas in Alaska and then served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior.

Currently, Sue volunteers as Chair of the Corporation of Shepherdstown Water and Wastewater Utilities, which recently built the first wastewater treatment plant in West Virginia to meet the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint to protect the bay. She is a strong friend of the American Conservation Film Festival, especially the new Emerging Filmmaker Fund. She served on the board of the Contemporary American Theater Festival for nine years and is honored to serve on SkyTruth’s board.