UNH Today

Alumni, faculty, staff and students were recognized for their sustainability efforts during the third annual UNH Sustainability Awards on Tuesday, May 9.

Awards included lifetime achievement recognition in each of the non-student categories, as well as selection of a Student Organization of the Year.

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.

“For over 25 years, UNH has been a leader in sustainability, and what we saw here was a celebration of that leadership, from our faculty and staff to our students and our graduates,” UNH Provost Wayne Jones said at the ceremony. “It’s a moment to be proud of for UNH. I know it makes me very proud to be a part of this community.”

The event also featured an alumni awardee panel that sparked engaing conversation on a number of sustainability topics.

"We are facing significant global challenges, challenges that are going to require new ways of thinking, new technologies, new ways of overcoming barriers. And I was thinking, what does UNH bring to that? Community,” Jones said. “It brings community that is inspired by the words of our alumni here on stage. It brings a community that is going to be listening, a community that is going to put people first … that thinks about the future and the world we live in, that promotes education as the solution that we all must strive for. That’s the community that really makes me proud.”

Below is a complete list of the honorees this year.

2023 Sustainability Awards

ALUMNI

Lifetime Achievement

Kerem Durdag ’94G, chief operating officer and president, Great Works Internet; founder/managing partner, Indus Fund

Jason McBriarty ’92, director of communications and operations, Levi Strauss Foundation

Sharon Runge ’83, executive director, Kenya Connect

Graduates of the Last Decade

Andres Mejia ’14, ’18G, director of DEIJ Initiatives, SAU 16 (Exeter, N.H.)

Andreanecia Morris ’20G, executive director, HousingNOLA

Sarah Wrightsman ’15, ’17G, community engagement coordinator, New Hampshire Housing

FACULTY

Lifetime Achievement

Thomas P. Ballestero, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, ocean engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences; UNH Coastal Habitat Research Team; director, UNH Stormwater Center

Joanne Burke, linical professor emerita, eepartment of agriculture, nutrition and food systems, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture

Mary Friedman, principal lecturer, department of natural resources and the environment; program coordinator, community and environmental planning program, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture

Ju-Chin Huang, James R. Carter Professor of Economics, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics

Campus and Community Engagement

Gabriela Bradt, associate fisheries state specialist, NH Sea Grant/UNH Cooperative Extension

Jennifer Griffith, associate professor of organizational behavior and management, Morrison Faculty Fellow of Diversity, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics

Amy Hollar, state specialist and area of expertise chair for healthy living, UNH Cooperative Extension

Kaitlynn Liset, clinical assistant professor, department of nursing, College of Health and Human Services

Amy Taetzsch, clinical assistant professor, director, Dietetic Internship Program; College of Life Sciences and Agriculture

Curriculum: New

Theresa Oehmke, Postdoctoral Diversity and Innovation Scholar, mechanical engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Wendy Pothier, associate professor, business and economics librarian

Cinthia Satornino, assistant professor marketing, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics; research director, UNH Sales Center

Curriculum: Existing

Judy Sharkey, John & H. Irene Peters Professor of Education; core faculty, women’s and gender studies, College of Liberal Arts

Research: Emerging

Cristina Faiver-Serna, Postdoctoral Diversity and Innovation Scholar, geography, women’s and gender studies, College of Liberal Arts

Sherri Simmons-Horton, assistant professor, department of social work, College of Health and Human Services

LGBTQ+ Food Insufficiency Research Team: Analena Bruce, assistant professor, department of agriculture, nutrition, and food systems; Jess Carson, research assistant professor, Carsey School of Public Policy; Isaac Sohn Leslie, postdoctoral research associate 

Youth Retention Initiative: Andrew Coppens, associate professor, education dept.; Cindy Hartman, associate professor, recreation management & policy dept.; Jayson Seaman, associate professor and chair, recreation management & policy dept.; Erin Sharp, associate dean, College of Health and Human Services; Molly Donovan, former community and economic development state specialist, UNH Extension; Sarah Jusseaume, doctoral candidate, education department

Research: Established

Bonnie Brown, professor and chair of department of biological sciences, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture

Mary Stampone, associate professor, department of geography, College of Liberal Arts; Earth sciences affiliate faculty; New Hampshire State Climatologist

Faculty Nominees – Sustainability Champions

For a complete list of faculty nominees, click here.

STAFF

Lifetime Achievement

Katharine Duderstadt, research scientist, Earth Systems Research Center

Andrea O’Brien, director, Business Sustainability Program, NH Small Business Development Center, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics

Campus Culture and Operations

Jack Aydelott, chef, UNH Conferences and Catering

Neil Sirota, assistant dean, career services, Franklin Pierce School of Law

Darleen Smith, graphic designer, UNH Printing Services

UNH Library Furniture Repurposing Project: Tracey Lauder, assistant dean for library administration; Jennifer Daly, senior administrative assistant for library administration; Donald Dow, information desk manager; Zach Lewis, evening library services specialist; Kevin Connolly, director, athletics development

Campus Community and Engagement

Career and Professional Success

Zeanny Egea, program manager health and well-being,Nutrition Connections, UNH Cooperative Extension

Katherine Gaudet, associate director, University Honors Program; affiliate faculty, department of classics, humanities, and Italian studies, College of Liberal Arts

Paul Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee: Victoria Parker, associate dean of graduate education and faculty administration & Jennifer Griffith, Morrison Faculty Fellow for Diversity, and all committee members

Staff Nominees – Sustainability Champions

For a complete list of faculty nominees, click here.

STUDENTS

Student Organization of the Year

Black Student Union: Tinotenda Duche, DK Alakwe, MaryRose Wainaina, Ama Owusu, Christian Katumba, Morgan Williams, FaithBonett, Bilal Kamal, Renee Brogan

Undergraduate: Campus Culture, Operations and Engagement

Daisy Young '23, English and sustainability dual major, social justice leadership minor

Jason Plant ’23, entrepreneurship

Kayla Landino ’25, occupational therapy; Samantha Pearson ’25, physics

Aliya Sarris ’23, political science, women's and gender studies, and Spanish

Graduate: Campus Culture, Operations and Engagement

Jo Field ’26G, Ph.D. student, natural resources and environmental Studies

Roozbeh Ghasemi ’24G, Ph.D. student, civil and environmental engineering

Taler Bixler ’23G, civil and environmental engineering Ph.D. candidate

Sydney Rollins ’24G, biotechnology 

Student Research Awards and Student Nominees: Sustainability Champions

For a complete list of Student Research Awards and student nominees, click here.

Funding Award Recipients

For a complete list of Funding Award Recipients, click here.