The CAP Collaborative Board is excited to announce the appointment of Emily Katzman as the newest Community Member of the CAP Collaborative Board. She replaces Geoff Blakeslee who completed his term limit at the end of December.
In her role as the Development Project Manager at the Yampa Valley Housing Authority, Katzman brings on-the-ground experience implementing CAP strategies in local housing development projects. Plans for Brown Ranch as well as the Mid Valley condominiums and apartments include key CAP recommendations. They are planned to be all-electric, have EV charging, demonstrate compact development as a land use practice and are designed to encourage use of multi-modal transportation.
She is also leading the development of the geothermal heating and cooling grid at Brown Ranch, which is anticipated to reduce future residents’ energy bills by 52%, reduce onsite GHG emissions by a similar margin, lower the peak risk to the electrical grid, and free up capacity for significant EV charging.
When asked why she wanted to serve on the Collaborative Board, Katzman answered, “I am an affordable housing advocate and also a climate action advocate…Being on the Board is a way to integrate these two critical issues facing our community (and beyond). I deeply believe in the power of local action to effect change, so I choose to direct my energy toward local solutions.”
Three key issues Katzman hopes to address during her time on the Board include: a regional strategy to reduce reliance on single occupancy vehicles, green economy workforce development, and true buy-in from local policy makers and business leaders that “business as usual” is no longer an option.
