Stephanie Bertaina is a Senior Policy Analyst with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Sustainable Communities in Washington, D.C. In this role, Stephanie provides technical expertise and assistance to communities across the country that are seeking to build vibrant, healthy, and sustainable neighborhoods and downtowns, and she partners with rural communities and small towns as they tackle challenges around local food systems, health care, broadband, and disaster resilience. Stephanie helps manage several technical assistance programs, including Local Foods, Local Places, a multi-agency federal government initiative that has helped over 80 cities and towns across the country leverage the power of local food to support local economies and thriving downtowns, and Healthy Places for Healthy People, which helps local leaders partner with health care facilities to create walkable, healthy, and economically vibrant communities. Stephanie received an M.S. in Environmental Policy and Planning from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Bachelor degrees in Biology and Psychology from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.