Student honorees at the second annual Sustainability Awards ceremony.
The second annual UNH Sustainability Awards were held Tuesday, May 10, with honorees including alumni for the first time in the ceremony’s brief history.
The awards were established to recognize UNH alumni, faculty, staff and students for their contributions to sustainability, including research and scholarship, curriculum development and teaching, campus initiatives and external activities and achievements.
"These awards highlight the need for collective action, people coming together across sectors and disciplines to advance a more sustainable and equitable future. Programs like the Sustainability Awards shine a light on the array of great work already being done at UNH and encourage others to join in lending their time and talents to sustainability efforts," UNH President James W. Dean Jr. said in his address to the audience.
This year's ceremony recognized a diverse group of honorees for their work in sustainability across the university and featured engaging discussion about critical topics, all of which inspired Dean to briefly depart from his prepared remarks to close the event.
"I’m going to go off script here just for a minute and tell you how moved I am by what I’ve heard. To see the strength and the diversity and the passion of the people sitting in front of me here today, it really is a privilege," Dean said. "I’ve got to tell you, as the person who serves you as your president, I literally cannot imagine another institution anywhere in the world that has the spirit and passion and the love and the hard work around sustainability that this university does."
Below is a complete list of the honorees this year.
2022 Sustainability Awards
ALUMNI
Lifetime Achievement
Bob Leavitt '88, deputy assistant secretary, serving as chief human capital officer, at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Graduates of the Last Decade
Zack Angelini ’14, ’16G, senior environmental stewardship manager, Timberland
Deqa Dhalac ’13G, mayor of South Portland, Maine, family engagement and cultural responsiveness specialist, Maine Department of Education
FACULTY
Lifetime Achievement
Ruth Varner, professor in the Earth Systems Research Center of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, and in the department of Earth sciences; director emerita of the Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education
Faculty Research Awards
Weiwei Mo, associate professor, civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Gregg Moore, associate professor, biological sciences, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
Kenneth Johnson, professor of sociology; senior demographer, Carsey School of Public Policy; Andrew Carnegie Fellow
Catherine Ashcraft, assistant professor, natural resources and the environment, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
Faculty Curriculum Awards
Felix "Skip" DeVito, instructor, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Julianna Gesun, Postdoctoral Diversity and Innovation Scholar, mechanical engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Nan Yi, assistant professor of chemical engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
The Empathy Project Team, UNH Library
Faculty Engagement Awards
David Mortensen, chair and professor, agriculture, nutrition and food systems, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
Shannon Rogers, associate state specialist and associate Extension professor, Cooperative Extension and Department of Natural Resources and the Environment; Co-PI, Nature Economy Collaborative
Jamie Houle, research assistant professor, civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Faculty Nominees – Sustainability Champions
For a complete list of faculty nominees, click here.
STAFF
Lifetime Achievement
Ross Hansen, director of facilities and planning, Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML)
Institute on Disability
Staff Campus Culture and Operations Awards
Basic needs food programs: Swipe it Forward, Cats' Cupboard, and Food Repurposing Project
Olivia Saunders, associate field specialist, Cooperative Extension
Leslie Couse, executive director of engagement and faculty development
Ciara Wright, educational program coordinator, art and art history, College of Liberal Arts
Staff Engagement Awards
Dawna Pérez, executive director of The Institute for Student Success
Lindsey Williams, coastwise and fellowship program leader, NH Sea Grant / UNH School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering
COLSA Food Drive Challenge
Campus Energy Outreach Initiative
Staff Nominees – Sustainability Champions
For a complete list of staff nominees, click here.
STUDENTS
Student Organization of the Year
Net Impact UNH, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics
Undergraduate: Campus Culture, Operations & Engagement Awards
Daisy Burns ’24, economics and sustainability dual major, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics
Mel Nagashima ’22, communication and international affairs dual major, College of Liberal Arts
Chloe Gross ’24, environmental conservation and sustainability, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
Molly Kent ’24, English, College of Liberal Arts
Graduate: Campus Culture, Operations & Engagement Awards
Lindsey Hajduk, master of community development, Carsey School of Public Policy; director of community engagement at NeighborWorks Alaska
Raymond Miller ’23G, biotechnology, UNH Manchester
Beverly Shadley, MBA program, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics; deputy director of the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire (SELT)
Christina Dubin ’22G, MPP, Carsey School of Public Policy
Student Research Awards and Student Nominees: Sustainability Champions
For a complete list of Student Research Awards and student nominees, click here.
