WOHESC

Briar is the college’s Sustainability Manager, with the focus of mainstreaming sustainability throughout all college practices district-wide. She has taught sustainability courses at PCC and sits on the Board of Directors for the Greater Portland Sustainability Education Network. She holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainability from Arizona State University, as well as a B.A. in Sustainability and a B.S. in Justice Studies. She is a LEED Green Associate and received her Master Gardener certification in 2016.

Makerusa 'mak' Porotesano (he/him) is a climate activist with the Pacific Climate Warriors and the Director of Multicultural Services at Portland Community College. Connecting his experiences in Oceania and the Pacific Northwest, mak combines indigenous framework and multicultural services to engage BIPOC students and Climate Justice. Mak is also the founder of the Pacific Islander Student Alliance (www.pisanw.org) and Conference, which hosts the only multi-campus/state student conference for Pacific Islander students in American Higher Education. Using his experience and networks, mak has been able to connect Pacific Islander Students from the diaspora to local and international climate campaigns. Makerusa is a 2nd generation American Samoan from the Village of Fogagogo and a product of Portland, Oregon. He is a member of the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) planning committee and the Second Nature BIPOC Climate Action group.

Serving as a sustainability liaison to communities around western Washington, Lindsey connects public needs, knowledge, and ideas with faculty and student energy and expertise. She also teaches Western's Campus Sustainability Planning Studio and Sustainability Literacy I, and assists in advancing Curriculum for the Bioregion. Lindsey is passionate about supporting students and faculty in engaging in community-based sustainability work and service toward positive change in their communities. She holds a Master of Science in Conservation Ecology from the University of Michigan, and has been working in sustainability in higher education for ten years. Her research has focused on leadership for sustainability, and sustainable food initiatives in higher education.

Grace serves as Director of the Sustainability Engagement Institute at Western Washington University (WWU), which develops educational opportunities and systems-change for a more sustainable, just future that engages in initiatives that create economic vitality, promote well-being, protect the environment, and uphold social justice. As Director, she brings together Western's educational, co-curricular, and operational functions. Using different social science approaches - focus groups, key informant interviews, sample surveys and questionnaires – Grace has coordinated research which has implications for the management of natural resources, traditional ecological knowledge and the management of public lands.

In addition to developing, leading, and supporting sustainability-related planning, projects, and programming at Central Washington University (CWU), Jeff is leading the development and implementation of CWU’s first-ever campus-wide Climate Action Plan. Prior to joining the Wildcat family, Jeff lead and managed successful sustainability, conservation, and environmental stewardship programs for nonprofit organizations including, American Conservation Experience and Utah Clean Energy. As Climate Program Manager with Utah Clean Energy, he provided technical and strategic support for higher education institutions, local governments, communities, and businesses seeking to advance sustainability and climate solutions.

Leticia Cavazos Sanchez | Sustainability Assessment Manager, Oregon State University Sustainability Office
Leticia was hired as a student at the Sustainability Office in June of 2014. After earning a PhD in Industrial Engineering in December 2016, she transitioned to a full-time position. Her primary duties include sustainability assessment & reporting, utility data acquisition & analysis, managing the Eco-Reps program, sustainable purchasing & procurement, and new employee orientation.

Brandon Lesowske | Assistant Director, Planning and Sustainability Office, Portland State University
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle is more than just a catch phrase to Brandon. As a lifelong Oregonian, he believes that these 3 actions can help preserve the beauty and bounty this great state has to offer. Prior to his role as the Assistant Director of Materials Management Services at PSU, Brandon worked at Oregon Health and Science University, where he oversaw their waste reduction and recycling operations. Additionally, he is engaged in the local sustainability and planning community, where he has enjoyed volunteering his time and services with the Association of Oregon Recyclers, Cascadia Green Building Council, International Living Future Institute, and SOLVE. He was awarded his BS in Community Development at Portland State University, and is currently pursuing his master degree in the Executive Master of Public Administration Program at the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government. He also completed the Sustainability Leadership Certificate Program from the University of Oregon.

Stephan Classen | Assistant Director of Sustainable Programs, Cascadia College
Stephan builds projects within communities focused on sustainability and conservation efforts with a background in ecology. His work includes integrating people from all levels of our community to work to build a more sustainable world. Stephan coordinates Sustainable Practices degrees at Cascadia College, along with outreach, advising, and connection to interested organizations, sustainable industry, and NGOs. He helps scientific instruction for Sustainable Practices students and develops plans for sustainability on campus.

Lisa Dulude | Director or Sustainability, University of Washington
Lisa comes to the University of Washington from Snohomish County, where she served as the county’s Energy and Sustainability Manager for the last 12 years. At Snohomish County, Lisa led a team of eight staff in the county’s Office of Energy and Sustainability, overseeing climate action and sustainability planning, energy and resource conservation programs, the Weatherization Program, Energy Smart Loan Program, and Savvy Septic Program. Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and a master’s degree in Urban Design and Planning (UDP) from UW and is a certified Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA). As part of UW Facilities Sustainability Team, Lisa is looking forward to collaborating with UW students, faculty, staff, and the community to help lead innovative and equitable solutions around sustainability.

Amy Dvorak | Sustainability Director, Lewis & Clark
Amy is the Sustainability Director at Lewis & Clark College and teaches Sustainability for the Bates Center. She has an educational background with a BS in Environmental Science from Oregon State University, a BA International Studies in Environmental Science from Oregon State University and a Masters of Environmental Management from Portland State University. She leads the Sustainability Office which provides Lewis & Clark students with opportunities to learn, grow, and serve our community and region in an effort to build a more livable world. Through internships, service learning, workshops, and events, students are able to develop a variety of skills to support them in a life of learning and civic leadership.

D'Andre Fisher, M.Ed. | Associate Vice President, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, North Seattle College
D'Andre serves as associate vice president of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for North Seattle Colleges and one of the diversity and equity officers for the Seattle Colleges District. D'Andre serves as a liaison, steward and voice for students, faculty and staff while guiding the institutions to lead with racial equity, commit to continued development and adoption of common understanding of equity as racial equity, diversity, and inclusion, and create institutional actions necessary to dismantle inequities within the system. D'Andre has a passion for working with college BIPOC students, faculty and staff and believes that institutional success is measured by the success of students who face the greatest systemic barriers to completion.

In this role, Taylor develops student leaders, helps facilitate student sustainability projects, and develops programming to meet student needs on campus. He is also the co-chair of the Food Security Task Force, which develops and implements programs and strategies to combat food insecurity on campus. He has overseen the development and funding of these programs by requesting the necessary budget from UO’s upper administration and outside sources. He received his PhD from the University of Oregon’s interdisciplinary Environmental Science, Studies, and Policy program, with a focal department of English. His published research addresses representations of environmental justice and the racial components of the Anthropocene. In all areas, his work and research prioritize the intersections of sustainability, environmental justice, social equity, and cultural production.

Dr. Susan Rivera is part of the faculty in the Information Technology and Administrative Management Department (ITAM) at Central Washington University (CWU). Rivera is a knowledgeable technology manager with over 20 years experience in team building and communication across diverse skill sets. She is known for her effective business communication skills and ability to commercialize sustainable technologies into revenue-generating products covered by a diverse portfolio of Intellectual Property (IP), data-driven business plan strategies and technical marketing collateral.

Sarah Stoeckl, PhD, is program manager in the Office of Sustainability at the University of Oregon. Her work at the UO focuses on campus and community outreach, including support for sustainability in research, curriculum, co-curricular activities and student programming, and community engagements. She also supports the office's communications strategy and content creation that tells the university's sustainability story, and development of sustainability policy and plans. Before starting this position in 2018, she worked in technology and education. Sarah earned her PhD in literature from the UO in 2012.

After earning a degree in environmental science and working in OSU's Government Relations office, Brandon helped create the Sustainability Officer position in 2005. His primary duties include setting OSU's strategic sustainability direction; tracking and reporting institutional progress toward sustainability; fostering student, academic and community engagement; and scoping, funding and implementing infrastructure projects. Brandon chairs OSU's Transportation Committee and Sustainability Advisory Council, and volunteers extensively with several government and community organizations. In 2010, Brandon was recognized by 1000 Friends of Oregon as one of the state's 35 Innovators Under 35.

Sophia is a 1.5 generation Filipina American who resides in Tacoma, Washington, on the traditional lands of the Puyallup people. She works alongside communities in the areas of racial equity, justice, and climate solutions, as they do the necessary work of imagining the world they want to build and animating others to join them in creating a more just society where all may thrive. She is the Race and Social Justice Lead Advisor for the City of Seattle, which is housed in the Office of Civil Rights. Before joining the City of Seattle, Sophia led equity efforts in the K-12 sector, Sound Transit, and with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges—a federated system of 34 community and technical colleges in Washington state.

Emily (she/her) is UW Sustainability's Project and Engagement Specialist. In her role, she focuses on devising creative ways to connect with students, staff and faculty on sustainability topics, with a specific focus on engaging community members that are often not at the table. She is able to focus on a variety of programs with the help of her amazing interns (and co-speakers), Elena and Kellie! Currently, she also runs a sustainability podcast, Urban Tumbleweed, with the purpose of making complex sustainability topics more accessible, as well as bringing on subject matter experts to share their knowledge with the world. Emily holds a Masters of Sustainability Leadership from Arizona State University, along with a Bachelor of Science in Management and Marketing from the University of South Carolina, with a minor in German. In her spare time, Emily enjoys hiking, biking, skiing/snowboarding and tackling new challenges. When not exploring the great outdoors, you'll find Emily baking cookies, hanging out with her dog and cat, coaching a CorePower Yoga class, or planning her next party!