Members & Subcommittees

Below is a list of Committee members and the different subcommittees. Access our Committee's directory here for contact information. If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact our office at sustainability@wayne.edu.

  • Elena Past Ph.D.- Associate Professor of Italian and Associate Chair, Classical and Modern Languages, Literature, and Cultures, Chair, President's Standing Committee on Environmental Initiatives 
  • Daryl Pierson- Chief Sustainability Officer, Office of Campus Sustainability  
  • Barry Johnson Ph.D.- Alumni and former WSU instructor
  • Kami Pothukuchi- Distinguished Professor, SEED Wayne
  • Damon Wade- Associate Director of Parking and Transportation
  • Paul Bernard- Director of Utilities and Energy Management
  • Bridget Baker DVM- Clinical Veterinarian Medical School 
  • Tim Dittrich Ph.D.- Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering  
  • Jon Frederick- Director, Parking and Transportation 
  • Steve Gilsdorf- Senior Director of Facilities Operation, Associate VP to Facilities Planning and Managment
  • Jack Raab- Senior Director of Special Events and Services
  • Nic DePaula- Assistant Professor in School of Information Sciences
  • Noah Hall- Professor of Law 
  • Shirley Papuga Ph.D.- Associate Professor, Geology  
  • Michelle Serreyn- Biology Lab Coordinator and Program Coordinator for The Office for Teaching and Learning
  • Donna Kashian- Professor of Biological Sciences, Sustainability Learning Community Professor
  • Grace Maves- Student, Office of Campus Sustainability Intern
  • Camille Bedford- Student, Office of Campus Sustainability Intern
  • Jenna Steele- Student, Office of Campus Sustainability Intern

Subcommittees

Below is a list of the nine subcommittees under the President's Standing Committee on Environmental Initiatives. Each subcommittee creates guidelines and regulations for the Wayne State Sustainability Strategic Plan that must be followed by the university. If you are interested in joining a subcommittee, please contact our office at sustainability@wayne.edu.

  • Environmental Justice- the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies. 

  • Urban Biodiversity- the vitality, variety and variability among living organisms found in a city and the resilience of the ecological systems in which they occur. 

  • Energy- the different energies used within a built urban area, more strictly referring to the acts of conservation and waste reduction, and implementation or renewable forms.

  • Built Environment-  the common shared interest in human configurations of the environment and the interactions among the constructed, social and natural environments.

  • Waste Reduction/Recycling/Compost- a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycles (sustainable consumption).

  • Transportation and Mobility- creating and managing mobility options, at both the systemic and system-to-customer levels, and to improve the reach, efficiency, and affordability of public transportation services. 

  • Water Quality and Quantity- the management of ecological consequences, contaminents, and disease found in stormwater and wastewater, as well as maintaining the health of water and its increase in availability

  • Sustainable Food Practices- the range of issues in security, health, safety, affordability, and quality of a food supply. Encompasses jobs and growth associated with the industry, and environmental sustainability of issues like climate change, biodiversity, water and soil quality. 

  • Carbon Reduction and Footprint- the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with all the activities of a person or other entity (e.g., building, corporation, country, etc.). It includes direct emissions, such as those that result from manufacturing, heating, transportation, electricity, goods & services, and greenhouse gasses.