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SustainUS staff is divided into the Steering Committee and other leaders who report to Steering Committee members. The Steering Committee is responsible for the organization's day-to-day operations. Leaders commit a minimum of five hours each week to SustainUS and stay in constant communication with one another. We are always working to make the Steering Committee more transparent, effective, and responsive to the full membership. Please email our Chair, Kyle Gracey, with questions or comments.
| Steering Committee |
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Chair (Chicago/Washington, D.C.)
Kyle Gracey is a Harris Fellow and dual M.S. student in public policy and geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago, where he is writing his theses on the demographic trends in green jobs studies, new economic valuations, and the impacts of Somalian fertilizer development plans. He served on the university's Sustainability Council, where he helped launch a bike sharing program that will provides job training to at-risk youth, and is a teaching assistant for energy and environment courses. He consults part-time for the Gade Environmental Group. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with B.S. degrees in Economics/Science, Technology, & Society and Biochemistry/Biophysics. He also studied international developmental and environmental issues at The American University in Washington, DC and in Brazil, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates. RPI's first and only Truman Scholar, Kyle has worked in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as an Environmental Policy Analyst and as an International Economist Intern in the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and was an Education Docent at the National Aquarium. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the youth science & technology policy organization Student Pugwash USA, and is the University of Chicago Representative for both the Clinton Global Initiative and Campus Progress. He is the current Student Representative on the Board of Directors of the Working Group on Ecological Economics and Sustainability Science at the Society for Conservation Biology. He previously served as SustainUS Treasurer, Citizen Science Technical Board member, delegate to the Commission for Social Development and delegate and domestic coordinator for the Framework Convention on Climate Change. He has written for everything from the Worldwatch Institute & Climate Progress to his hometown newspaper, and been interviewed by media from Chicago radio to French documentaries and Japanese science reporters. |
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Secretary (Middlebury, VT)
Ben Wessel is a 20-year-old student at Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT. Originally from Washington, DC, Ben has always felt drawn to the political process and finding government-based solutions to the world's toughest problems. His passion for climate advocacy has taken him all around the world, from the Svalbard Archipelago in Norway where he was part of the WWF's Voyage for the Future program with 17 other young people, to the UN Climate Negotiations in Poznan, Poland, where he was a member of SustainUS's COP14 delegation. At Middlebury, he is an active member of the Sunday Night Group, the environmental action group on campus, and spearheaded the group's efforts to bring almost 200 students from Vermont to DC for the Powershift 2009 conference. He is also a co-founder of the Green Finger Project. He is excited to take the Fall 2009 semester off from school to help pass strong climate legislation through the US Senate and prepare for the Copenhagen climate talks in December. He also hopes to fulfill his New Year's Resolution of meeting President Obama before the year is out. When not geeking out on the latest climate policy analysis, he can be found hiking or snowboarding in Vermont or rooting on his beloved New York Yankees. |
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Treasurer (Chicago)
Peter Stolarski
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Grassroots Action Coordinator (Washington, D.C.)
Jeff Gustafson: Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Jeff is a graduate of the George Washington University. As a student at GWU, Jeff worked with the university’s environmental student groups to form the GW Sustainability Coalition and effectively implement a number of environmental initiatives. In the larger community, Jeff established the D.C. Youth Environmental Alliance (DCYEA) to provide environmental youth in the nation’s capital with the skills necessary to affect positive change in their schools, communities, and government. He currently lives in Washington, DC, where he coordinates environmental youth programs and campaigns. |
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Member Communications Coordinator (Boston)
Amanda Fencl is work at a research institute in Somerville, MA researching vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. Originally from the Chicago area, Amanda graduated from Tufts University in 2007 with a BA in International Relations and Environmental studies. During her junior year at Tufts, Amanda studied ecology, sustainable development, and women's livelihoods in southern Madagascar. She returned in the summer of 2006, to conduct independent thesis research on the microcredit and social-ecological resilience. While at Tufts, Amanda worked for the Tufts Climate Initiative, the Tufts Office of Sustainability, and was an active leader of Tufts' student group, Environmental Consciousness Outreach (ECO). She has been involved in SustainUS as a delegate to the Commissions for Social and Sustainable Development. In her spare time, she's playing her double bass or cycling around Boston.
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Media Relations Coordinator (Washington, DC)
Louise Yeung currently works as a research associate for an environmental law think tank where she researches integrated water and land use planning and natural resource management. A banjo enthusiast, Louise loves Pete Seeger's philosophy of bringing communities and movements together through song. Her combined interest in folk music and environmental justice led to her involvement with mountain top removal coal mining issues in Appalachia, where she hopes to do more work. Although native to the flat prairie landscape of Chicago, Louise developed a great appreciation for mountains while researching environmental issues in the Pacific Northwest and Beijing, China. She graduated from George Washington University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs, summa cum laude.
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Development Director - Major Grants and Giving (San Francisco)
Dominic MacCormack graduated in 2006 from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning. At Davis, Dominic served on various student government committees dedicated to writing legislation and educating students about environmental and political issues on campus and across the country. While participating in SustainUS's Agents of Change program for the first time in 2006, he realized how diligent we all must be in order to push sustainability issues and social responsibility into the mainstream - and he has no plan on giving up. Dominic has since returned to his native San Francisco where he has worked as an environmental educator for Save the Bay, a non-profit dedicated to protecting, restoring, and educating the public about San Francisco Bay, and currently works for the federal government to administer the Clean Water Act. Dominic was a SustainUS policy co-coordinator for the past two years, and attended CSD 14, 15, and 16 and was a member of last year’s Bali COP delegation. In addition to playing trumpet in his spare time, Dominic loves to hike, swim, kayak, and cycle. |
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Development Director - Small Grants & Individual Giving (Amherst, MA)
Vicky Liang
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Partnerships Coordinator (Paris)
Juan Carlos Soriano After graduating from Lester B. Pearson College UWC in 2006, Juan Carlos Soriano Yabar spent last year volunteering for Youth Encouragement Services (YES). YES is a small NGO based in western Uganda that sponsors orphan children by not only providing them with an education, but also supporting them in their social and economic development. Juan worked with the rural development, agricultural training, and project management programs. Juan currently attends College of the Atlantic and is majoring in Human Ecology with a focus on project management and rural development.
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Member-At-Large (Vanderbilt, TN)
Michael Semeraro
Michael is a senior at Vanderbilt University in the School of Engineering, double-majoring in Civil Engineering and Economics. He was born and raised in Northern New Jersey 20 miles outside of New York City. Michael has been interested in sustainable development since researching the subject of climate change for a high school Model UN conference. He became involved in sustainable development work through the THIMUN Youth Network, having attending CSD -16 &17 with the TYN delegation. At CSD Michael was introduced to SustainUS and is now looking forward to working with his fellow SustainUS delegates to work on this CSD-18 cycle’s thematic issues and is excited for the work ahead. |
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Agents of Change Coordinator (Bar Harbor, ME)
Lauren Nutter is currently a student at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, and working towards a degree in Human Ecology. Lauren has been for the past 2 years the Agents of Change Coordinator for SustainUS. Through SustainUS, Lauren has helped organize and prepare youth delegations to the United Nations Climate Change Negotiations, Commission on Social Development and the Commission on Sustainable Development. Last December she traveled to Poland for the UNFCCC COP 14 negotiations and worked with youth from around the world to have a presence there and impact the negotiations. Lauren is also leadership instructor for a non-profit, the Student Leadership Training Program. Through SLTP she has spent the past several summers teaching leadership skills to high school students throughout the New England area, tackling issues of bullying, abusive relationships, and issues of hate that students deal with every day. On campus she is involved with the local SustainUS organization, and has been a Resident Advisor. In her free time Lauren enjoys spending time with friends, dance, and discovering new and wonderful foods. |
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Agents of Change Coordinator (Wellesley, MA)
Jennie Hatch is a senior at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA, where she is working towards a degree in Peace and Justice Studies and Mathematics. She is particularly interested in land use planning and climate change issues, and how mathematical modeling can be used for sustainable development applications. She is an active member of the Sierra Student Coalition, where she worked on the March to ReEnergize New Hampshire. She helped start Massachusetts Youth Climate Action, a youth network in Massachusetts dedicated to fighting global warming. |
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Agents of Change Coordinator (Philadelphia)
Julia Wong is a student at the University of Pennsylvania. Her interest in sustainability began when she studied the effects of land reclamation on Hong Kong's marine ecosystem. To coordinate efforts and share best practices for a sustainable campus, Julia collaborated with students from eight universities to develop a joint policy statement and formulate implementation plans. Volunteering with National Student Partnerships has given her the opportunity to help alleviate urban poverty by connecting the community to vital resources and services. Julia is thrilled to engage youth in sustainable development and help organize dynamic delegations to the UN. |
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Policy Coordinator (Bar Harbor, ME)
Matt Maiorana
Matt is originally from Detroit, Michigan, and is currently working towards a degree in Human Ecology at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. Following his passion for the environment, Matt has been deeply involved with the youth climate movement at the local, regional, national, and international levels. In his role as the SustainUS Policy Co-Coordinator, Matt attended the 2007 UN Climate Negotiations in Bali, Indonesia and the 2008 Commission for Social Development in New York. Molding his studies around his interests, he has become increasingly involved with international negotiations, developing an independent study this past spring which brought him to the Biosafety Protocol negotiations at the Convention on Biological Diversity in Germany. When not running from meeting to meeting, Matt enjoys backpacking and other activities that get him closer to trees. |
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Policy Coordinator (Riverside, CA)
Kavita Kripalani has an extensive background in event and organizational management. Kavita has served as chair of UC Riverside’s CalPIRG chapter, and has helped to host the first ever student-initiated Earth Day events at Riverside. The events ultimately served as a catalyst for building momentum towards campus-wide awareness of sustainability issues and best practices. Grassroots organizing has shown Kavita the unique power of the youth voice, and the need for it to be fully exercised at all level. |
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Policy Coordinator (Raleigh, NC)
Marcie Smith is a graduate of Transylvania University with a B.A. in International Affairs and French, and a concentration in Environmental Studies. She is a member of the Student Environmental Action Coalition's National Council and an Associate Fellow with the Institute for Environmental Security. In 2006, Marcie founded Transylvania's environmental action group, TERRA, which has gone on to receive national media attention for its work advancing environmental justice in Kentucky. In 2007, she helped found the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition, one of the first coalitions of its kind in the U.S. She was a U.S. youth delegate to the UN Climate Change Convention with SustainUS in 2008 and will be returning to the Copenhagen talks in December 2009. In 2009, she was solicited to testify before Congress on the need for bold, just federal climate legislation, the impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining, the security implications of climate change, and the need for constructive U.S. leadership in the UNFCCC negotiation process. She has interned for Congressman Ben Chandler in the U.S. House of Representatives, has initiated independent research on the coincidence of ecoviolence and gendercide, and has studied ecology, local environmental law, and mining code modernization in Madagascar. |
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Citizen Science Coordinator
Sara Asad was the previous Citizen Science High School and Under Category Winner for "Not Cast in Concrete". Sara is a high school sophomore. She was born in Pakistan and moved to the United States early in her childhood. She enjoys reading and writing in her free time and loves to swim and play badminton. Her extracurricular activities include Model United Nations and volunteering at a daycare. Sara is fascinated by the latest developments in the field of science and technology that enhance our community and world, and hope to be part of such a project one day. |
| Other Leadership |
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Webmaster (Charlottesville, VA)
James Zhenyu Liao
James is an undergraduate student at University of Virginia, where he studies Electrical Engineering and Economics. He was born in China and came to the States at age 13. As a student, he is concentrated on issues involved with sustainable development especially on education, rural development, and the environment. He believes education is the key to practically solving social challenges, especially the education of children. For the past three years, he has been working with an NGO, Dream Corps, to organize international volunteers' work on library projects in rural and urban China. The organization's mission is to promote education equity in underprivileged communities. James has also been involved with student activism in green campaigns such as Power Vote and is part of organizing large youth summits such as Power Shift 2009. Lastly, he is also a geek who loves tech gadgets and obsessed with websites and videos. He is hoping to use his passion for technology to support social development. Currently he is pursuing a career in consulting or full-time grassroots organizing. James is currently the webmaster for SustainUS. |
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Membership Coordinator (Buffalo, WY)
Kendra Kallevig formerly served as SustainUS's first Climate Program Coordinator. She currently works for the Wyoming Wilderness Association and is a recent graduate of the University of Montana, where she studied Environmental Studies and International Development. On study abroad trips to India and Nicaragua, Kendra was able to explore the intersection of social and environmental issues. She pursued this interest while at the University of Montana by working to institute ethical university purchasing policies. During her senior year Kendra served as a Northwest Regional Organizer for United Students Against Sweatshops. She also conducted research for the university's first greenhouse gas emissions inventory and is a 2007 Morris K. Udall scholar. In her spare time, Kendra enjoys exploring the mountains of Montana.
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Commission for Social Development (CSocD)
Policy Advisor (Philadelphia)
Bob Ma was an Agent of Change at CSD 15, CSocD 46, and CSocD 47, and has been a social justice and social development activist for seven years. In addition to UN activism, he has focused on slum development research in Mumbai and Beijing, activist-organizing in Alberta, Canada and the Northeastern U.S., and sociopolitical journalism in Pennsylvania and Canada. He grew up in Calgary, Canada, and has lived in Ottawa, Houston, New York City, Philadelphia, Mumbai, Beijing, and Singapore. |
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Commission for Social Development (CSocD)
Policy Advisor (Riverside, CA)
Anisha Gupta
Anisha recently graduated from Wellesley College, double majoring in English and Peace & Justice Studies. Her honors thesis proposed a constructive approach to establishing dialogue between government institutions and grassroots movements around agricultural development and land rights.
For years Anisha has been a community social justice activist, working on issues related to homelessness and education. After her junior year abroad with the International Honors Program - Rethinking Globalization, she grew more globally focused. During this interdisciplinary exploration of globalization’s impacts in Tanzania, India, New Zealand, and Mexico, Anisha lived with and learned from indigenous communities, grassroots activists, farmers, educators, policy-makers, and 27 inspiring classmates. She then spent a summer interning with the U.S. Department of State at the U.S. Mission to the UN, working in the Executive Office of Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. She was later asked to stay on through the end of the Administration and serve as policy adviser to the senior leadership on issues ranging from women's rights, the Israel Palestine conflict, and children in armed conflict. Prior to her departure from the Mission, she was appointed Deputy Control Officer for the transition team and worked to prepare for the arrival of Ambassador-designate, Susan Rice. In January, Anisha received a grant to attend the 2009 World Social Forum in Belém, Brazil, which recharged her engines. Currently, in addition to her numerous grassroots projects, Anisha teaches science classes at Full Circle Farm in California. |
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Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
Policy Advisor (Bar Harbor, ME)
Geena Berry is a student at College of the Atlantic originally from Amelia, Ohio. At COA, Geena’s studies have concentrated on water and sanitation. She attended the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and the Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2009, where she worked to make sure sure women and youth were factored into the outcomes. |
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Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
Policy Advisor (Oklahoma City)
Brandon Mikael is a student at the University of Oklahoma and an avid runner and baseball fan. He was born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas. After growing up in the heart of the nation's energy industry, he's interested in creating a sustainable, clean energy economy that provides for lasting growth for all generations. At OU he's pursuing a business degree in Entrepreneurship with a minor in Finance, focusing on cleantech, renewable energy, and sustainable business, as well as a BA in Economics with minors in Spanish, Political Science, and Environmental Studies. As the first-ever Coordinator of the Office of Green Initiatives, he's focusing on student-led initiatives to ensure OU meets its commitments under the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment as well as decrease the footprint of the university's student organizations. He also serve as the National Teach-In Chair for OUr Earth, the student environmental organization. His research interests include clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and global systems. |
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Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
Policy Advisor (Atlanta)
Imran Battle attained a B.S. in Human Development from the State University of New York at Binghamton. In 2007 he was a Young People For (YP4) fellow and participated in the Center For Progressive Leadership New Leader program. In May of 2009, he served as a SustianUS Agent of Change delegate to the 17th Commission for Sustainable Development at the U.N. Imran has been involved in a number of peace and social justice issues including anti-war demonstrations, Katrina relief, Afghanistan aid, violence against women of color, and activism against the prison industrial complex. As a former coordinator for the Student Action Collective, he dedicated his time in promoting a free flow of ideas to cultivate direct action and greater youth solidarity. Imran recently served as the Georgia and South Carolina Coordinator for the Southern Energy Network and encouraged students and youth to promote anti-oppression principles in the mainstream environmental movement. He currently serves as the outreach coordinator for Let's Raise a Million (LRAM) project based in Atlanta GA. LRAM is dedicated to building green pathways out of poverty and advocating for a more just, equitable, and sustainable society. |
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Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC)
Policy Advisor (Boston)
Joshua Galiwango is a professional social scientist who has participated in various phases of development planning and policy research and analysis. He has undertaken various responsibilities such as Country Coordinator of Global Climate Campaign in Uganda, an annual campaign that takes place prior to climate negotiations, as well as Founder and Programs Director for YouthAction on Climate Change Uganda; and Founder, Member, and Chairperson of the Steering Committee for Youth Plus Policy Network Uganda. As a Policy Analyst for climate change projects for Climate and Development Network, he has worked on all aspects of the wide variety of development policy studies and programmes including poverty assessments, climate change, agriculture, environment, trade policy, education, health, Gender, HIV/AIDs, and rehabilitation of communities in sometimes support positions to other consultants and at other times as a Team Leader. He was also a delegate to COP12, COP13, & CSD16 and contributed to the consultation processes of youth contributions to Fifty-third UN Commission on the Status of Women. |
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Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Policy Advisor (Boston)
Lea Lupkin is a 2009 graduate from Roanoke College with a BA in Environmental Policy. While at Roanoke, Lea was an avid organizer on her campus and in the state of Virginia to mobilize youth for environmental causes. Her interest in sustainable development led her to study abroad in the exhilarating city of Dakar, Senegal during her junior year. Lea proudly worked with the Energy Action Coalition to organize the extremely successful Power Shift 2007 conference. As a 2008 Research Fellow and Regional Coordinator for the Sustainable Endowments Institute, she helped to create the College Sustainability Report Card 2009 and assisted students in running Green Endowment campaigns. Lea is a Founding Director of the Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition, a local nonprofit committed to reducing carbon emissions. She has also interned with the Verde Ventures program at Conservation International, which invests in conservation-oriented businesses in biodiversity hotspots. Recently relocated to Boston, Lea is a big fan of Slow Food and Freecycle. |
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Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Scout
Kendra Kallevig
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Community College Outreach Coordinator
Jeff Gustafson
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High School Outreach Coordinator
Sara Asad
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