Nalini Johnson has started as Oak Park’s new sustainability coordinator after the role was vacant for about a year.
Abby Zielinski previously held the role but left in November 2023 after she was promoted to civil engineer in the village’s public works department. That was around the same time that Marcella Bondie Keenan, the previous chief sustainability officer, left.
The new chief sustainability officer, Lindsey Roland Nieratka, began her role in July 2024. Johnson will work under Nieratka.
Johnson is a zoning and development professional, according to village officials. She has more than 10 years of experience working with property owners, contractors, architects and engineers.
The newly hired sustainability coordinator has specialized skills in zoning, green building codes and sustainable development and infrastructure. Oak Park’s village board passed an electrification ordinance that went into effect Jan. 1, requiring all buildings constructed after that date to be all-electric with no natural gas hookups.
According to the job description posted in September 2024, the sustainability coordinator is expected to conduct policy analysis, program design and evaluation and community engagement.
The sustainability coordinator is also responsible for supporting the implementation of Climate Ready Oak Park, a plan adopted by the village board which “proposes achieving equitable carbon neutrality, resilience to climate change, and triple-bottom-line sustainability,” according to the job description.
The CROP plan outlines specific timelines for sustainability goals. That includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
This year, the village board has allocated an additional $500,000 to the sustainability fund for 2025, approved a charging fee for electric vehicle drivers and discussed additional marketing for the Oak Park Climate Action Network’s climate coaching program.
Oak Park’s Sustainability and Resiliency Office asked for $1.2 million in 2025 during the village’s budget planning process, up slightly from $1.045 million in 2024. Those increases included the energy-efficiency grant program, building energy use efforts, biodiversity work and climate plan administration.
The 2025 goals for the department include transitioning gas equipment to electric, increasing municipal aggregation, increasing green infrastructure and bringing back Earth Day celebrations.
Johnson earned a master’s degree in urban planning from McGill University and is certified in project management and education. She has advanced training in higher- education pedagogy and multilingual communication, according to village officials.