PETALUMA’S CLIMATE ACTION MANAGER APPOINTED

NEWS RELEASE

PETALUMA’S CLIMATE ACTION MANAGER APPOINTED
Cool Petaluma Alum Fills Key City Position to Advance ClimateReady Initiatives

August 14, 2024 – The City of Petaluma is thrilled to announce the appointment of Deb Fox as Petaluma’s next Climate Action Manager, a key city position that had been vacant since January. Deb served as the Director of Collaborations & Operations at Cool Petaluma, where she has worked since 2021. She will join the city team on August 19 at a salary of $123,614.

At Cool Petaluma, Deb demonstrated a tremendous ability to build community around climate issues and manage large projects with high community impact. In her current role, Deb has managed quarterly Climate Roundtable comprised of 100+ city leaders, community groups, neighborhood, civic business organizations, and members of the public to learn and discuss sustainability policies and projects. With the Cool Petaluma team, she helped coordinate the training and support of 209 volunteer block leaders, including coaching, and resource facilitation, contributing to a significant increase in community engagement and impact. She also helped to increase participation in Petaluma’s Bike to School days by 230%, resulting in the highest increase in the county, and growing the First Friday rides, achieving recognition as Bike Advocate of the Year by the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition.

Deb also oversaw the consolidation of community input for City’s Blueprint for Carbon Neutrality, from 47 subject matter experts and 54 community leaders, resulting in a comprehensive presentation for Climate Action Commission with a focus on equity and inclusion.

“We are really looking forward to adding Deb’s experience, energy and enthusiasm to our high-performing team,” said City Manager Peggy Flynn. “We are fortunate to have her as Petaluma’s next Climate Action Manager, supporting our climate-ready future by doing what she does best – connecting people and making climate action relatable.”

Deb is a local Petaluma resident and a mom of a Casa Grande freshman. She has a B.S. in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and is the daughter of a retired Army Colonel and cattle rancher, although she now rides a bicycle instead of a horse. Prior to her work at Cool Petaluma, Deb worked for the City of Boulder’s Local Environmental Action Division as a Data and Contract Manager and served as the Energy Division Director for the Center for Resource Conservation.