ABOUT WENDY SOMMER

Wendy Sommer is a seasoned executive and has been on the forefront of sustainability leadership for more than 30 years. She lends her experience and expertise as a consultant to Renne Public Management Group (RPMG), focusing in the areas of executive coaching, organizational and professional development, facilitation services, and complex project management.  Wendy enjoys forging alliances and partnerships among multiple disparate entities to achieve a common goal.

Wendy’s public agency services include:

• assessments and recommendations on organizational challenges;
• complex project management and community engagement;
• city manager, executive director and department head coaching;
• facilitation and consensus building;
• new city manager, city attorney, and senior management onboarding; and
• facilitated performance evaluations for appointed officials and senior staff.

Prior to RPMG, Wendy served as the Executive Director of the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, the Alameda County Recycling Board, and the Energy Council. The membership of these regional boards ranged from 11 to 17 elected officials representing the cities, the County and public agencies in Alameda County. She brought an entrepreneurial approach to local government, and consistently addressed long-term financial planning to ensure the agency’s overall financial stability.

Additional notable accomplishments include:

• Leading the formation of a regional energy joint powers authority and was a founding member of the Bay Area Regional Energy Network, creating a structure for revenue diversification and deployment of energy programs that benefited the nine county Bay Area.
• Developing and implementing innovative programs in the areas of green building, sustainable landscaping, energy conservation and waste reduction.
• Creating policies and incubating programs that have moved beyond Alameda County to be adopted throughout the rest of the state and beyond, such as the construction debris recycling ordinance, Green Building Standards legislation, reusable bags ordinance, and food scraps composting.
• Providing leadership to support underserved groups through community grants and school education programs.
• Managing the construction of StopWaste’s headquarters in downtown Oakland. The project was the first LEED Platinum renovation project in the country.
• Securing over 160 acres of conservation easements as an ecological preserve in the Altamont Hills area of Alameda County.
• Partnering with the Alameda County Resource Conservation District to facilitate an innovative carbon farming study and helping cities incorporate carbon farming as a strategy to fight climate change.
• Leading the agency’s strategic planning process, with support and participation from member agencies in Alameda County.
• Instituting practices to address equity, inclusion and diversity.

Wendy has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Planning from Sonoma State University.  During her tenure, StopWaste received numerous awards from the California Resource Recovery Association, the US Green Building Council, the Governor’s Office and Association of Bay Area Governments to name a few. In 2018, she was recognized for her leadership and commitment to public service and inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame, being named Woman of the Year in the Environment Category.