Sustaining Tribal Legacies
Jill Horwitz, M.U.R.P., LEED-GA
Climate Resiliency Officer, Heritage and Environment Resources Office, Seminole Tribe of Florida
What are you passionate about?
Travel, food, gardening, nature.
What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?
Raising two amazing young women.
What skill would you most like to learn?
To play the guitar.
What is your most prized possession?
To quote Ani DiFranco "the world owes me nothing, and we owe each other the world."
If you lived 500 years in the future, what do you think your profession would be?
Bike repair dude (because hopefully there won’t be cars anymore, and keeping things in good condition will be valued).
What is your definition of success?
When people feel more connected to each other and feel empowered to make positive change in the world.
Do you have any pets?
Two rescue dogs: a mini golden named Annie, and a scruffy mutt named Sambuca.
What is your favorite summer activity?
Biking in a park, swimming in the ocean.
What is your favorite winter activity?
Paddle boarding or canoeing
Describe yourself in three words.
pleasantly-persistent, truth-bound, open-hearted
Jill Horwitz, M.U.R.P., LEED-GA
Climate Resiliency Officer, Heritage and Environment Resources Office, Seminole Tribe of Florida
Jill Horwitz has served The Seminole Tribe of Florida since 2020. As the Climate Resiliency Officer, Ms. Horwitz coordinates research on the immediate and long-term impacts of climate change, engages with the Tribal community to inform planning and program development, and provides recommendations and best practices to leadership on how to protect the assets of the Seminole Tribe and build greater resilience for the entire community.
Prior to serving the tribe, Jill was the Senior Environmental Program Coordinator in Broward County’s Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division, where she ensured integration of climate change considerations among water, transportation, emergency management, land use, and other strategic plans across the region. During her 10 years at Broward County, she won the National Planning Excellence Award for Environmental Planning by the American Planning Association, achieved the first 4-STAR Community Sustainability Rating by a county government in U.S.A., and created and managed a peer-exchange network of over 500 local sustainability professionals.
With over 15 years in ecosystem protection and climate resilience planning, Ms. Horwitz blends her expertise in natural resource management with her passion for building collaborative partnerships to achieve full community-scale benefits. She holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from FAU, a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from U.F., and is LEED-GA accredited.
Ms. Horwitz is excited to meet as many of the tribal members as possible. Please feel free to email (jillhorwitz@semtribe.com) to say hello and share your ideas and experiences.