West Cook News

Lindsey Roland Nieratka has been appointed as the new Chief Sustainability Officer for Oak Park. The announcement was made by Jackson, who emphasized the importance of the role in guiding the community through the Climate Ready Oak Park plan.

“The Chief Sustainability Officer plays a pivotal role in guiding the community as we navigate through the Climate Ready Oak Park plan that was adopted by the Village Board in 2022,” said Jackson. “I am confident that Lindsey’s strong skillset and vision align well with our priorities as she brings nearly a decade of experience overseeing sustainability programming at the municipal level. We are thrilled to welcome her back to her home state to lead the many initiatives that will help us reach our goals in this key area."

Climate Ready Oak Park is a comprehensive and long-range plan developed to locally address the global climate crisis. Adopted by the Village Board in August 2022, it includes commitments such as decreasing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030, achieving net zero by 2050, meeting energy needs with 100% renewable electricity by 2030, and establishing 30% of Oak Park’s land as green infrastructure or enhanced park management.

“I am very proud of the work I have done in sustainability in the Southeast and am very excited to return to my roots in Illinois, where I was born, raised and educated,” said Roland Nieratka. “The sustainability work Oak Park is already doing is remarkable and I am eager to continue moving that effort forward.”

An Illinois native, Roland Nieratka has spent much of her professional career in Florida. She previously served as Boca Raton's first-ever Sustainability Manager since 2018 and worked as Environmental Sustainability Coordinator for Hollywood, Florida from 2015.

Roland Nieratka is also a founding member of the Coastal Resilience Partnership of Palm Beach County and holds memberships with both ICLEI and Southeast Sustainability Directors Network.

In academia, she has over 15 years of experience teaching environmental science at institutions like American Intercontinental University and Florida International University.

Her educational background includes coursework at Harvard University in Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership. She holds Bachelor’s degrees from Knox College, a graduate diploma from James Cook University in Australia via Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, and a Master’s degree from Florida International University.

The Village of Oak Park offers an urban/suburban lifestyle close to downtown Chicago. Known for its progressive values and cultural attractions like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple—a UNESCO World Heritage site—Oak Park provides high-quality public schools and convenient transit access.