Nilda Mesa is the first Assistant Vice President of Environmental Stewardship at Columbia University. In this role, she works with students, faculty, and staff at all three campuses to lessen the environmental footprint of the University. Major initiatives underway include programs to promote energy and greenhouse gas emissions reductions, develop energy-saving IT strategies, incorporate LEED and other green standards into construction and operations, green roofs and the area's first green roof research station, promote sustainable food purchasing and dining practices, a surplus reuse program that keeps furniture and equipment out of landfills and makes it available to local not-for-profits, recycling and energy competitions and initiatives, and the development of energy-saving strategies to reduce carbon emissions. She works closely with such schools as Engineering, Business and others to develop cross-cutting initiatives. The department was established in the fall of 2006.  Ms. Mesa is also Adjunct Professor at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, where she teaches a workshop on environmental policy.

Ms. Mesa comes to Columbia with a variety of professional experience focused on the environment. Following her graduation from Harvard Law School, she worked for the California Attorney General on enforcement of toxic management and natural resources laws. As an appointee in the Clinton-Gore administration, she held several positions, including as a member of the U.S. delegation and lead legal negotiator on the environmental side agreements subsequent to the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). As Assistant Deputy for Environment at the US Air Force, she worked to reconcile training and airspace environmental issues with tribal governments, environmental groups and local business groups. At the White House Council for Environmental Quality, Ms. Mesa led an interagency task force on reinventing environmental review and permitting processes. At both the Air Force and at the Environmental Protection Agency, she helped develop environmental justice policy.