Dr. Sarah Mills is the Director of the Center for EmPowering Communities at the University of Michigan’s Graham Sustainability Institute and a Professor of Practice in UM’s Urban & Regional Planning Program. Her research looks at how renewable energy development impacts rural communities (positively and negatively), the disparate reactions of rural landowners to wind and solar projects, and how state and local policies facilitate or hinder renewable energy deployment. Through a grant from Michigan’s State Energy Office, she also helps communities in incorporating clean energy in their planning and zoning. Sarah received her doctorate in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Michigan. She has a master’s in engineering for sustainable development from the University of Cambridge, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Villanova University. Sarah also serves on the City of Ann Arbor Planning Commission.