Photo courtesy of: Greg Land

Jillian Buckholz

Sustainability Advisor

Jillian Buckholz is a dedicated sustainability professional with over 15-years experience starting sustainability programs from the ground up. She excels at being a connector, breaking down silos, and building relationships that bring people together to move ideas into actionable plans. Jillian has extensive experience designing, facilitating, and working with executive-level committees and working groups with a proven track record of implementing projects to meet specific sustainability goals. Environmental justice is at the center of her work, focusing on moving sustainability initiatives forward that support people and the planet.

Jillian is currently a Sustainability Advisor at Brailsford & Dunlavey, where she develops climate and sustainability actions plans for higher education institutions. Prior to consulting, Jillian was the Director of Sustainability at California State University, East Bay. As the first sustainability officer for the campus she was solely responsible for integrating the concepts of sustainability into all aspects of campus from academics to engagement, throughout the curriculum, operations and campus plans, and within administrative policies. Before coming to East Bay, Jillian worked at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) where she connected with subject matter experts to support the development of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. Jillian started her career as the first sustainability officer in the California State University System at Chico State, where she led the synthesis of cross-campus sustainability efforts into a cohesive, award-winning program.

Jillian holds a Bachelor’s degree from Ohio University in Environmental Geography, a Masters degree in Geography and Planning from Chico State, and is a recent graduate of the Harvard University Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership Program.

  • M.A. Geography and Planning (Chico State University)
  • B.S. Environmental Geography (Ohio University)
  • Harvard University Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership Program

"B&D provides a great opportunity to learn, advance, and to make a positive contribution to our clients and the people they serve. I am inspired by the talented people and the entrepreneurial spirit in the company."

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Photo courtesy of: Sam Kittner