Nat Lichten Joins Foundation as Associate Program Officer for Great Lakes

The Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation welcomes Nat Lichten to its team.

Nat was named associate program officer for Great Lakes and Environment. He brings seven years of experience in watershed management, green infrastructure, and water and environmental research.

Nat will work with current grantees, future applicants, and partners to help the Foundation increase stewardship in the Great Lakes and the Clinton, Detroit, Huron, Rouge, and River Raisin watersheds in the Detroit area and the Bayfield watershed in Ontario. He will focus on cultivating and supporting grant applications to increase stewardship from residents, governments, and businesses to enhance and protect the Great Lakes ecosystem. Nat will report to Neil Hawkins, president of the Foundation, and will join the team of program officers led by Melissa Damaschke.

“We’re excited to have Nat join the Erb Family Foundation team,” said Hawkins. “He has done extensive research on urban runoff and brings years of experience creating strategies to protect freshwater ecosystems, including the Great Lakes.”

Nat earned a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Planning and Conservation Ecology from the University of Michigan. He joins the Erb Family Foundation from the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment where he worked to plan, finance, and evaluate green stormwater infrastructure implementation throughout Washington, DC. Nat has also investigated the social impacts of green infrastructure in high-vacancy Detroit neighborhoods and developed tools to support municipal and utility investments in watershed health. He has a background in community organizing and brings experience integrating equity, community wellbeing, and climate adaptation into water resources management.