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Business & Tech

From the Mailroom to the Executive Suite

Leading Peninsula environmental nonprofit taps Etherton, a year removed from internship.

Adrienne Etherton’s passion for sustainable business practices took her from the mailroom to the executive suite in just a year.

Sustainable San Mateo County, a leading Peninsula environmental group, on Monday announced Etherton’s promotion to executive director.

Etherton started out as an intern with the non-profit group a year ago and was named program manager of its Energy Ambassador program before her most recent promotion. Etherton replaces Kari Binley, who left SSMC after two years as executive director to pursue an unspecified opportunity in the private sector.

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 “Adrienne has done an exceptional job for SSMC and we look forward to a very productive future,” SSMC Board Chair Bill Schulte said in a prepared statement.

Etherton graduated with honors from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering. She interned with Quaker Oats and Caterpillar while enrolled at the school. She became interested in sustainability, and studying Photovoltaics and Environmental Science after moving to San Mateo County in 2008.

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Etherton boasts impressive green-building credentials, garnering Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional status, and North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Entry Level Solar certifications.

SSMC is a non-profit, public interest corporation dedicated to the long-term improvement of our region’s economy, environment and social equity by providing fact-based information about sustainability.

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