Speakers
Michelle Dyer, MSLS
Second Nature
Michelle Dyer is vice president of Second Nature and has fifteen years of experience in management consulting and project management, specializing in transformational change and negotiation in the energy, health, higher education and entertainment (film, television, and music) industries. Before joining the Second Nature team, Michelle was a founding partner of Greenland Enterprises, a consultancy specializing in strategic leadership towards sustainability for accelerating the role businesses and other organizations play in sustainable development. Before founding Greenland Enterprises, she worked in the energy sector, and was part of a team that negotiated an amended $1 billion outsourcing deal between BC Hydro, one of the largest electric utilities in Canada, and Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing firm. She also worked on the re-structuring of BC Hydro's transmission line of business, a project which created a new organization to manage a $3 billion, 500kV bulk transmission system.
Michelle's is a member of the National Expert Advisory Board of the Green Schools Alliance, and the Green Advisory Council of Green Realty Trust, which has registered an offering with the SEC for the first all-green REIT. She is a member of the U.S. Partnership for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, and a volunteer for Stratleade Sustainability Education.
Michelle's graduate research focused on carbon reduction projects under the Kyoto Protocol and EU Emissions Trading Scheme, and she holds a Master of Strategic Leadership toward Sustainability from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlskrona, Sweden, and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Art and Culture Studies from Simon Fraser University. She is a member of The Society for Organizational Learning, participating in the Sustainability Consortium and the Women Leading Sustainability working group.
Rick Martin
Principal Sustainability Analyst, Syracuse University
Rick led Syracuse University’s efforts to complete the Greenhouse Gas Inventory required by the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and the University’s participation in piloting AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). He is currently involved in development and implementation of a master plan to reduce SU’s greenhouse gas emissions (net of any offsetting activities) to zero, reporting of greenhouse gas emissions under the terms of The Climate Registry, and the provision of sustainability opportunity identification services to departments across campus. Before joining the Sustainability team, Rick led a long list of projects involving technology implementation, corporate reengineering, policy development and strategic planning. He is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers, the University Sustainability Action Coalition, the North-Eastern College Sustainability Consortium, GreeningUSA, the Society for College and University Planning, the Project Management Institute, the International Institute for Business Analysis, and the Association for Systems Management, and is a certified Carbon Reduction Manager. Rick teaches project management and business analysis for SU’s School of Information Studies, and is pursuing an MS degree through the School of Education.
Joanna Moore, LEED AP, DGCP
NYSERDA
As project manager at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Ms. Joanna Moore is responsible for helping commercial and industrial facilities across the state achieve their energy efficiency goals through NYSERDA’s portfolio of technical and financial assistance programs. In addition, Ms. Moore is managing a college and university sector-focused effort to encourage energy efficiency in higher education buildings and campuses, including assistance on creating Climate Action Plans for the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) initiative. Ms. Moore holds a Bachelor Degree in Mathematics from Villanova University, is an LEED accredited professional (LEED AP) and a Distributed Generation Certified Professional (DGCP).
Leith Sharp
Harvard University
Leith has a bachelor of engineering (environmental) from UNSW, Australia and a Master of Education (human development & psychology) from Harvard University. She has 18 years of experience in greening universities, beginning her career as the founder of the University of New South Wales Environmental Management Program in 1995. In 1999 Harvard recruited Leith to become the founding director of Harvard’s Green Campus Initiative. Over the next 9 years Leith worked to build the largest green campus organization in the world funding this effort largely on the savings it produced, employing over 23 full time professional staff and 30 part time students, bringing Harvard to the forefront as a global leader in campus sustainability. Specific achievements include over 50+ LEED building projects (mostly Gold or better), a $12 million revolving loan fund achieving an ROI of 30%+, wide scale engagement in occupant behavioral change, onsite renewable energy, a significant GHG reduction commitment, alternative fuels for vehicles, green cleaning, environmental purchasing and much more.
Leith instructs two courses offered through the Harvard Extension School, Organizational Change Management for Sustainability and Sustainable Buildings: Design, Construction and Operations, and has consulted and presented to over 100 organizations. Leith sits on the governing committees and editorial boards of numerous organizations dedicated to greening higher education including AASHE and the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. Leith has received numerous awards for her work including a Churchill Fellowship and Young Australian of the Year, NSW Environment Category.
Leith recently left her position at Harvard to engage in a range of writing, teaching and consulting activities and can be contacted via lsharp@hsph.harvard.edu or leithsharp@yahoo.co.uk
Dr. Debbie Sydow
Onondaga Community College
Dr. Debbie L. Sydow, the 7th president of Onondaga Community College, has served as a community college educator and administrator for nearly 20 years. Throughout her career, she has worked in support of high quality educational programs and comprehensive support services for students seeking transfer, job training, or basic skills education. In her various administrative roles as president, vice president, dean, and, previously, as a faculty member, she has actively worked with all college stakeholders to ensure curricular quality and program alignment with community need.
As president of Onondaga Community College, which is one of the 64 institutions comprising the State University of New York (SUNY), Dr. Sydow serves more than 10,000 students on a 216-acre main campus located four miles from downtown Syracuse. Onondaga Community College, founded in 1961, offers more than 50 programs of study and has firmly established itself as student-centered, learning-focused, community-oriented institution of higher education in Central New York. Working collaboratively with faculty, the Onondaga Community College Board of Trustees, SUNY administration, and community leaders, Dr. Sydow has guided record enrollment growth at Onondaga Community College, as well as significant increases in grants and gifts, expanded access through distance education and flexible program offerings, and enhanced campus-community relations. Dr. Sydow brings to the college proven leadership in areas of critical importance at this stage of the college’s evolution, including workforce development, strategic planning and professional development.
Marian Brown
Ithaca College
Marian Brown, special assistant to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Ithaca College, provides primary College staff support for the pursuit of the range of campus-wide sustainability activities, including developing academic-operational project opportunities, promoting sustainability education events, and on-going documentation of the progress of the sustainability initiative. Brown serves as academic liaison to various campus sustainability-related groups, including the Presidents Climate Commitment committee, IC Sustainability, the Natural Lands Committee, the Resource and Environmental Management program steering committee, and the Sustainable Transportation committee. Brown serves as Ithaca College liaison to a number of external organizations dedicated to fostering regional sustainable development, including Sustainable Tompkins, Ithaca Carshare, Finger Lakes Environmentally Preferred Procurement Consortium, Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative, Tompkins Renewable Energy Education Alliance, and the City of Ithaca Mayor’s Local Action Plan implementation team to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Brown also provides logistical support for the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, one of only seven such content-specific film festivals in North America.
Kim Babcock
Finger Lakes Community College
Kimberly Babcock became Finger Lakes Community College’s first sustainability coordinator in September of 2008. Babcock leads the FLCC Sustainability Committee comprised of faculty, staff and students as well as FLCC’s “Go Green” initiative, which strives to integrate sustainability into the college’s curriculum, operations, student life and community outreach. Kimberly has helped FLCC implement a number of green practices including increasing the recycling efforts and incorporating sustainable building principles into the design of the new Student Services Center on campus.
Her current projects include the development of a sustainability certificate, establishing a Yellow Bike Program on campus and in the surrounding community, the creation of a Sustainability Trail that will connect existing campus hiking trails, and conducting a garbage assessment to gather baseline data on current waste practices at FLCC. She also works to raise sustainability awareness among the FLCC community by organizing events such as the Campus Sustainability Day, Go Green Week, and the Earth Day Celebration.
Kimberly plays an integral role in the development of FLCC’s comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality under the direction of the American College & University President’s Climate Commitment, signed by FLCC President Dr. Barbara Risser in March 2008.
Steve Lloyd
Syracuse University
Steve Lloyd is the chief sustainability officer in the Sustainability Division at Syracuse University. He has a background in maintenance management systems, building operations and energy management. He is a Certified Sustainable Development Professional.
Melissa Cadwell
Syracuse University
Melissa Cadwell is the marketing manager for the Sustainability Division at Syracuse University. Her background includes energy management, food service operation, web site development and communication.
Dr. Neil Murphy
SUNY ESF
Dr. Murphy has served as president of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry since May 2000. Prior to being President of SUNY-ESF, Neil held various positions at O’Brien & Gere Engineers, Inc. starting out as a Laboratory Technician in June 1970, and working his way up to President in 1993 and Chairman of the Board in 1998.
His technical expertise lies in the areas of environmental science and engineering management, hazardous waste management, environmental assessment, renewable energy systems, limnology, urban runoff planning, and industrial wastewater treatment.
Neil belongs to various professional affiliations including the American Chemical Society, Environmental Chemistry Division; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Water Pollution Control Federation: Toxic Substance Committee, Pollution from Non-Point Sources Committee (former chairman), and Acid Precipitation Committee; New York Public Consultation Panel of the International Joint Commission on the Great Lakes’ “Pollution from Land Use Activities” Reference Group, Mid-Atlantic Industrial Waste Conference, Member, Planning Committee; and the American Management Association.