Leslie Skardon

CEO

Leslie is the CEO of Sustain SC, a nonprofit organization connecting sectors across South Carolina to optimize the use of our natural resources in a way that is sustainable for both our economy and our environment. With a business development background and passion for sustainability, Leslie unites smart growth with conservation to sustain South Carolina’s economic prosperity. 

Prior to joining Sustain SC, Leslie built and executed strategies to drive business growth for Fortune 500 companies, governments, non-profits, and institutions. As a strategic communications and public affairs professional, Leslie specializes in advising purpose-driven clients to uncover strategies to meet business goals while positively impacting their communities.

Leslie is a community leader. She was recently named as South Carolina's Top 50 Women to Admire and is a Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative Fellow. Leslie was appointed by Governor McMaster to the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission and serves on the City of Charleston Commission on Women. Leslie founded the non-profit Charleston Civil Rights and Civics (C3) and serves on the Charleston Chamber of Commerce's Regional Policy Committee. Leslie completed her MBA from Georgetown with a focus in Non-Market Strategy to help businesses be a force for good in the world.

Kristen Austin Gunter

Senior Vice President of Conservation

Kristen knows the value of bringing together diverse groups to create solutions for nature and people. In her role as Senior Vice President for Conservation, Kristen works with key stakeholders and partners to help fulfill Sustain SC’s mission.

Prior to joining Sustain SC, Kristen spent more than 25 years with The Nature Conservancy where she built conservation programs in the Midwest, South Carolina, and the Southern Appalachians. It was during this time Kristen learned how to create change through real-world solutions, policy expertise, sustainable financing, and collaborative partnerships. Believing strongly that the key to success is trusted relationships, Kristen’s depth of experience includes negotiating complex land transactions to expand public lands and managing natural resources in partnership with agencies, non-profits, and public utilities.

Kristen has called Greenville home for twenty years and enjoys engaging in, and giving back to her community. She was appointed by Greenville City Council to serve on their Sustainability Committee and is a graduate of Leadership Greenville and the Urban Land Institute’s Sustainable Leadership Program. Kristen’s alma mater, University of Tennessee, is, located in the shadow of the Smoky Mountains where she grew up, and where her love of conservation was fostered.

Emily Skaggs

Director of Sustainability

Emily Skaggs is a leader in marketing, corporate events, sustainability reporting and stakeholder engagement. Since 2019, she has worked across numerous roles, managing corporate marketing and sustainability projects and leading strategies for sustainability reporting, stakeholder engagement, marketing operations and communications.  

Previously, Emily held key leadership roles at Milliken & Company, where she made significant contributions to the company’s sustainability and marketing initiatives. These roles included Global Customer Experience Manager, Marketing Operations Project Manager, Sustainability Marketing Lead, and Advanced Sustainability Engagement Specialist. In these positions, Emily led corporate sustainability reporting efforts, managed impactful marketing and communications projects, and led a variety of corporate events aimed at engaging both internal and external stakeholders around sustainability. Emily is also a proud SLI Class 3 Alumni, further demonstrating her commitment to driving sustainable growth in South Carolina. 

In her current role as Director of Sustainability at Sustain SC, Emily plays a key role in advancing Sustain SC’s mission to create a more sustainable future for South Carolina through strategic marketing, effective stakeholder communication, statewide reporting, supply chain and circularity stakeholder engagement and designing and executing impactful events.  

Outside of her professional work, Emily is deeply committed to giving back to her community. She currently serves on the board of The Spartanburg Little Theatre, where she helps support and promote the local arts scene. Emily also regularly volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and Winter Warmth Mission, working to provide shelter and warmth to those in need.