City of South Lake Tahoe hires new sustainability coordinator

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – South Lake Tahoe City Manager, Joe Irvin, has appointed Sara Letton to the newly created position of sustainability coordinator. She will start on February 28.

“The addition of the sustainability coordinator to my team is a significant advancement toward achieving our Climate Action Plan (CAP) initiatives. Implementation of the CAP is a top priority for the City, so I’m excited to see this move forward with even greater intention and speed,” said Irvin.

Letton will be the primary liaison, responsible for implementing the City Council-approved CAP, working toward developing and maintaining a sustainable environment in coordination with partner entities around the Tahoe Basin.

“I’m excited and humbled to join the stellar team at the City to help lead them on their sustainability commitments, including the new resolution to achieve 100 percent renewable, carbon-free electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week by 2030," said Letton. "I’ve been a member of the 100 percent Renewable Committee advising the City on meeting its previous renewable goal for the last three years, and am ready to hit the ground running.”

Ms. Letton brings significant experience in conservation management and environmental science to her new role. Most recently, she served as a program manager for the statewide environmental nonprofit California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, where she wrote and managed large grants and budgets that funded on-the-ground climate resilience throughout the state. Before this, Sara served as the project coordinator at the same group, and at the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District. As evidenced by her time at both districts, Sara’s career has focused on service, beginning as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa in forestry after college and then as a middle school science educator.

Sara currently holds a professional science master's degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis in climate change from Oregon State University and a bachelor of science in Conservation Biology and Management from UC Davis. She has also been active in the community, having served on various boards, including the 100 percent Renewable Committee and the Tahoe Climate Change Action Network.

She and her husband Ben have two sons at South Tahoe Middle School and can be found supporting them by coaching soccer and basketball.