Jennifer Roberts
Director of EcoAmerica's Communities Program
– American Attitude Shift
Jennifer Watson Roberts is the Director of ecoAmerica’s Path to Positive Communities program. ecoAmerica builds institutional leadership, public support and political will for climate solutions in the US. Roberts was the 58th Mayor of Charlotte and has been a champion of issues related to education, equality and inclusion. She is the only person to be elected to serve as both Chairman of the Mecklenburg County Commission and later as Mayor of Charlotte.
Roberts has been a life-long advocate for clean air and water and for environmental justice. While Chair of the Mecklenburg County Commission, she championed a Park and Rec Master Plan, supported energy reduction and conservation in County operations, and headed a Clean Air Works initiative to reduce carbon emissions in area businesses and the County’s carbon footprint. As Mayor, she signed the Mayor’s Climate Pledge, joined the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and introduced a 100% Clean Energy Resolution for the City of Charlotte.
She has worked as a diplomat for the State Department, an international banker, an adjunct professor at UNC-Charlotte, and a high school math teacher. She currently serves on numerous community boards and commissions, including the Corporate Climate Alliance, NC Climate Solutions Coalition, Meck Ed and Mecklenburg Ministries.
Roberts is a proud recipient of the Maya Angelou Women Who Lead award, the National Association of Women Business Owners’ Public Policy Leader of the Year award, and Equality North Carolina’s Ally of the Year award. She received her B.A. with highest honors in English from UNC-Chapel Hill, a Masters in European History from the University of Toronto, and a Masters in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. She and her husband Manley live in Charlotte, but can usually be found on the weekends hiking the NC mountains. They have two college aged children.