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Jeri Sawyer is a Principal Economist, Managing Partner, and co-founder at Greene Economics. With over 30 years as an energy and environmental economist, Jeri’s expertise includes agricultural, climate, and natural resource economic analysis. She specializes in developing interactive and predictive models that support decision-making for our clients, providing critical insights into economic impacts and population projections.
Her extensive experience with both public and private sectors enables her to address a wide range of sustainability challenges, from hemp production policies to offshore wind energy development. Jeri empowers clients to navigate issues related to climate change and resource management, making her a valuable asset in advancing sustainable practices.
To learn what makes her tick, we asked Jeri about her career path as an environmental economist, from her early days as a financial analyst at Bonneville Power Administration to interactive modeling and current projects.
What inspired you to become an environmental economist?
I initially fell into agricultural economics without realizing that economics would be my path. From the age of five, I was set on becoming a veterinarian. However, during my sophomore year in college, I decided that wasn’t the direction for me, and I didn’t have a backup plan.
While going through an animal sciences program, I encountered a requirement to take agricultural economics. That was a turning point! I thought, "This is cool; I totally get this." It was like a light bulb went on. I realized that agricultural economics was a fascinating field. Over time, I began to identify more as an environmental economist, especially since my master’s program covered broader economics.
How did your career at Bonneville Power shape your expertise?
My career path significantly expanded from agricultural economics to a wider discipline while I was working for Bonneville Power Administration. I was involved in various projects related to agriculture, land use, and the Columbia River dam system. I started at Bonneville as a financial analyst while attending school part-time, and they supported my education. Eventually, I transitioned into an economist role.
Two of the most interesting experiences I had there included developing population projections for Oregon State for power planning purposes and working directly with small municipalities in Oregon. I supported account executives by helping these smaller communities with their power supply and load projections.
You have a passion for interactive modeling! Can you share a project where you evaluated different solutions for a client’s challenge?
Absolutely! One of my favorite projects was with The Nature Conservancy in Ventura County, where I helped build a model to evaluate engineered versus green solutions to shoreline erosion. We developed a tool using a vast database of land parcel tax rolls, allowing clients to compare net benefits between green alternatives and engineered solutions like sea walls. This interactive model made it easy for users to select different assumptions from dropdowns and instantly see the impacts on charts.
What types of projects are you currently working on?
I'm currently involved in an exciting project for the Washington Department of Agriculture, focusing on the impacts of policies that could encourage hemp production for building materials. We’re just getting started, and a lot of the work will involve talking to producers and subject matter experts to identify market and regulatory barriers. There’s a lot of interest in using hemp for insulation and other building materials. We’ll be conducting focus groups to ask questions, address concerns and request input to support this study.