Climate Advocate. Neighbor. Mother.
Meet Maggie, a New Candidate for Asheville City Council
I have a lifelong commitment to community service. I came to Asheville to study Environmental Policy and Economics at UNC-Asheville in 2002. Now I am raising a daughter with my husband, Chris Berthiaume. Ruby is 7 years old and loves learning Spanish in our public schools. As a family we enjoy riding bikes, paddling the beautiful rivers in WNC, and foraging for edible mushrooms. My connection to community service roots back to volunteering in shelters for the unhoused as a youth to interning with Asheville City Council as an undergrad to pilot a fare-free transit program.
As Asheville’s first Sustainability Director, I significantly reduced Asheville's carbon footprint while saving close to $1 million annually on the city’s energy bill. I also led the team to provide Ashevillians with the large blue recycling carts we have today, resulting in a 35% increase in recycling.
I currently build coalitions by consulting with national non-profits and foundations committed to equitably ending climate change. My leadership has resulted in over $5 million of new grant dollars to communities in the American South who work with their local government to address climate change equitably.
As a volunteer, I've served on several local boards and commissions, including Blue Ridge Public Radio, Asheville on Bikes, Asheville Multi-Modal Transportation Commission, and Buncombe County Environmental and Energy Stewardship Subcommittee. I am a member of CoThinkk and completed the Racial Equity Institute training.
Maggie has a campaign Facebook page that you can like and follow.
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