Mildred Church Dandridge holds a bachelor's degree from Clark University in psychology, a master's degree from Cornell University in child development and family relationships, and is working on revisions to her PhD dissertation in developmental psychology from Claremont Graduate University. She retired from The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, where she was director of academic advising and an adjunct faculty member. She has extensive experience in teaching, designing academic and mentor programs, and developing and facilitating workshops. Mildred believes that training young people to take a clearly defined environmental leadership role in their community has the potential to change the way they think about themselves and the environment.

At SEI, Mildred leads the award-winning Awareness for Communities about Energy (ACE) program, which has trained more than 300 students in energy efficiency, auditing techniques and sustainable living in Northern California.