Nat Lichten is the Great Lakes Program Officer for the Erb Family Foundation. He works 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.

Nat brings seven years of experience in watershed management, green infrastructure, and water and environmental research. 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 throughout Washington, DC. Nat also has experience investigating the social impacts of green infrastructure in high-vacancy Detroit neighborhoods, developing tools to support municipal and utility investments in watershed conservation, and studying the economic impacts of Lake Erie algal blooms. He completed his master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Planning and Conservation Ecology at the University of Michigan and has an undergraduate degree in American History.

Nat has a background in community organizing and is passionate about integrating social equity, community wellbeing, and climate adaptation into water resources management. Outside of work he enjoys biking, growing vegetables, and introducing his toddler to Southeast Michigan’s woods and waterways.