Staff
Multidisciplinary Team
The multidisciplinary team of staff and students offer experience and expertise across a diverse range of areas. We are formally trained as public administrators, engineers, planners, attorneys, finance/business specialists, economists, policy specialists, information and data scientists, environmental scientists, and more.
Staff
Erin Riggs
Executive Director
Erin Riggs is the Executive Director of the EFC and conducts applied research surrounding legal, policy, and accounting framework that influences environmental finance issues around the country. She graduated from the University of Florida’s Levin … Continued
Christy Ihlo
Deputy Director
Christy Ihlo joined the EFC as the Deputy Director in 2021, overseeing the daily operations of the Center. She brings a diverse background including program management, monitoring and evaluation, technical report writing, spatial analysis, and … Continued
Julia Cavalier
Research Director
Julia Cavalier joined the Environmental Finance Center in 2018. Prior to joining the EFC, Julia had 15 years of experience in the water sector and 13 of those years spent with the Public Water Supply … Continued
Tom Roberts
Senior Business Analyst
Tom Roberts is the Senior Business Analyst for the EFC at UNC. Tom has an Associate in Applied Sciences in Civil Engineering Technology from Delaware Technical and Community College and a Bachelor of Science in … Continued
Tenika McMillan
Assistant Director
Tenika McMillan joined the EFC as an Assistant Director in July 2022. She focuses on providing personnel management, as well as researching barriers and solutions to increasing water service connections in underserved areas. She brings … Continued
Anna Patterson
Project Director
Anna Patterson Joined the EFC as a Project Director in June 2022. She is focusing her work on helping communities and water utilities improve their environmental health and financial resilience. She brings experience in stormwater … Continued
Hope Thomson
Project Director
Hope Thomson joined the EFC as a project director in April 2022. She focuses on providing technical assistance to utilities, as well as researching barriers and solutions to increasing water service connections in underserved areas. … Continued
Andrew Waters
Project Director
Andrew Waters comes to the Environmental Finance Center as a project director after working in the nonprofit land conservation field for fifteen years. An undergraduate at UNC Chapel Hill, Andrew received an MBA from UNC … Continued
Ahmed Rachid El-Khattabi
Research Specialist
Ahmed Rachid El-Khattabi is an applied economist and urban planner with methods expertise in policy-oriented quantitative research and data management. El-Khattabi holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina … Continued
Megan Doherty
Project Analyst
Megan Doherty joined the EFC in September 2022. She graduated from UNC in May 2022 with a Bachelors of Science in Biology, and minors in Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Mandarin Chinese. As a student, she … Continued
Austin Thompson
PhD Research Assistant
Austin Thompson joined the EFC at UNC in 2018 as a Project Director. In this role, she conducted applied research and provides technical assistance and training for environmental service providers. Thompson holds a BS in … Continued
Kathryn Obenshain
Project Analyst
Kathryn Obenshain joined the EFC staff in July 2022. Kathryn graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in May 2022 with degrees in Environmental Studies and German Literature and Culture. As a student, she worked at the … Continued
Emma Copenhaver
Project Analyst
Emma Copenhaver joined the EFC in December 2022. A recent UNC alum, she graduated in December 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Chemistry. As a student, she focused her … Continued
Paul Ruback
Project Analyst
Paul Ruback joined the EFC staff in November 2022. Paul graduated from UC Berkeley in May 2021 with a degree in Conservation and Resource Studies. As a student, he worked as an undergraduate researcher. When … Continued