We’re excited to welcome two new members, Elise Jones and Alison Goebel, to the Smart Growth America Board! Their expertise and experience in government, advocacy, and leadership in nonprofit spaces will help contribute to our efforts to create more livable, equitable places. Learn more about Elise and Alison!
Alison Goebel is Executive Director of the Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC). GOPC is a bipartisan, nonpartisan smart growth research and advocacy nonprofit that works statewide. Goebel has been with GOPC since 2010 and is responsible for charting GOPC’s strategic direction, directing the research, advocacy, and outreach teams, and securing resources for this work. Goebel has participated in SGA convenings and conferences since becoming Executive Director in late 2016. Goebel is the author of a number of research reports and policy briefs related to the revitalization of weak-market, legacy cities, the stabilization and regrowth of housing markets, transportation funding, and local governance structures in Ohio. Goebel is a graduate and board member of Leadership Ohio, a nonprofit that develops leaders and fosters civic discourse in Ohio. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in anthropology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and received her B.A. from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
“I’m honored and excited to join the SGA board! I appreciate how SGA keeps a close watch on federal policymaking and provides important insights and information to improve the policies that impact everyone living in the United States.” -Alison Goebel
Elise Jones brings to the SGA Board a smart growth perspective shaped by her diverse background—as a westerner, former local elected official and planning board chair, conservation nonprofit leader, and passionate climate advocate. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). Based in Boulder, CO, SWEEP advocates for energy efficiency, building decarbonization, clean transportation, location-efficient land use and housing policy, and other climate solutions in the six-state region covering Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Elise was appointed by Governor Jared Polis in 2019, and re-appointed in 2022, to a seat on the Air Quality Control Commission, the state regulatory body in charge of ensuring clean air and a healthy climate in Colorado. Before joining SWEEP in January 2021, Elise served as a Boulder County Commissioner for eight years, where she focused on climate action, sustainability, equity and multimodal transportation issues. While commissioner, she represented Boulder County on the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), which she chaired in 2016; as the DRCOG representative to the Statewide Transportation Advisory Committee from 2014-2020; and on the Regional Air Quality Council from 2009-2019. Prior to running for public office, Elise was the Executive Director of a statewide conservation advocacy organization, Colorado Environmental Coalition (now called Conservation Colorado), which advocates for stronger land use, transportation, climate, energy, wilderness, and other environmental policies. She has also worked as a regional director for the League of Conservation Voters; a senior legislative assistant for Oregon congresswoman Elizabeth Furse; and a policy advocate for the National Wildlife Federation. Elise holds a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources from Cornell University in New York and a master’s in Resource Policy, Planning and Administration from the University of Michigan. In addition to SGA, Elise is also a board member for Western Leaders Network, Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center, and Utah Clean Energy, and previously served on her community’s planning board for eight years. Elise lives in Boulder, Colorado with her partner, Karl, and their daughter, McKenzie, where she likes to spend time trail running, mountain biking, telemark skiing, and playing ultimate frisbee.
“As a former elected official and climate advocate, I know that smart growth is one of our best strategies to reduce emissions and adapt our built environment for the climate crisis,” said Elise Jones, Executive Director of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). “I am excited to join Smart Growth America’s Board of Directors to support their efforts to tackle some of our most pressing challenges in communities across the country.”