About Us

In September of 2011, Ryan was named the University at Buffalo’s first Chief Sustainability Officer. In his role as the CSO, Ryan connects people across the university with information, innovation, and tools to reduce UB’s footprint on the future and enhance quality of life by improving environmental stewardship, increasing economic efficiency and augmenting cultural values and awareness. He specifically works closely with university partners and employs an integrated campus-wide strategy that leverages the university’s operations, curriculum, external engagement and research to further UB’s sustainability efforts.

Derek works to connect students, staff and faculty across the university with information, innovation and tools to reduce UB’s footprint on the future and enhance quality of life. He does this by improving environmental stewardship, increasing economic efficiency and augmenting cultural values and awareness to the UB community through campus outreach and communication. Derek will coordinate the engagement efforts of the university’s Localizing Buffalo’s Renewable Energy Future project awarded by the State through the REV Campus Challenge.

Erin has over twenty years of experience, expertise and relationships in the sustainability field to move UB’s sustainability work forward.  Erin develops solution-based approaches to help departments achieve sustainability on campus, and assists passionate students in creating and implementing initiatives which further our climate neutrality goal.  Erin coordinates the UBReUSE move-out program, our professional clothing closet Hired, and develops collaborative strategies to achieve Zero Waste on campus.  Erin works closely with colleagues in Facilities, and Contracts and Purchasing to institutionalize sustainability practices.

Carrie joined UB Sustainability in 2021 as Administrative Assistant after spending time at UB's School of Management, Dental School and the Student Wellness Team.  Carrie brings with her a comprehensive knowledge and experience in the University's business systems, and a personal commitment to live as sustainability as possible. She works closely with the Chief Sustainability Officer and Sustainability Team to ensure that day-to-day office operations run smoothly and efficiently.

1. Name, hometown, year, major and personal passion: Hi everyone! My name is Amy Bentley, and I’m from the small town of Greene, NY, outside of Binghamton. I’m a senior in the Environmental Studies program. I’m passionate about making sustainable living easier for everyone to adopt by making it the default option in everyday situations. I’m also a nerd who loves learning!

2. Why did you decide to work with UB Sustainability? UB is working on a lot of great sustainability projects that I wanted to get involved with! I’m also trying to figure out what direction I want to take in my career, and working with UB Sustainability will give me experience in a variety of areas and help me develop new skill sets. Plus, everyone at the office is excited about their work, which makes me more excited!

3. What do you love most about UB? I love that UB has given me the opportunity to get more involved on campus and become more of a leader, working with like-minded people.

4. When you visit UB in 25 years, what do you hope to find? In 25 years, I hope that sustainability will be a larger part of UB’s culture. I hope to see a sustainability curriculum requirement so that every graduating student has the skills to bring sustainable work into their careers.

5. Fun fact/secret skill:  I’m a lifeguard, and I love teaching swim lessons at the summer camp in my hometown! My secret skill is hula-hooping, with a personal record of 50 minutes.

1. Name, hometown, year, major and personal passion: Hi there! My name is Michael Griffin and I’m a 1st year master’s student in the Sustainability Leadership program here at UB. I hail from a small town 45 minutes Northeast of Buffalo called Medina. Because of the community I come from, I have a vested interest in agriculture and carbon sequestration methods, but more recently I’ve been enamored with how social equity can be achieved as a result of agricultural processes! 
   
2. Why did you decide to work with UB Sustainability? UB Sustainability offers a wide range of services that appeal to my interests. I believe that my involvement would promote the diversity, equity, and inclusivity subsets of sustainability in a manner that highlights public engagement and truthfulness about the issues at hand.
   
3. What do you love most about UB? I think it’s fantastic that UB has taken the steps to fund and initiate a wide range of programs that address our carbon footprint. As of this year, UB has been designated as one of NY’s flagship universities, so I hope to see potential increases in funding for both on and off-campus projects.
   
4. When you visit UB in 25 years, what do you hope to find? When I visit in 25 years, I hope to see the preservation of UB’s many green spaces. Academic greenspace promotes education outcomes while simultaneously promoting students’ mental and general well-being. Overall, I hope to see a further emphasis on the people/plant relationship and the effects it can have on day-to-day routines around campus!
5. Fun fact/secret skill: A fun fact about me is that I’ve recently inherited a 27-acre grape farm which I’m slowly turning into an area for permaculture testing. This summer I hope to take areas of soil with preexisting grape roots and measure nutrient content so that I may use that soil elsewhere on the farm for different projects! 

1. Name, hometown, year, major and personal passion: I’m Alexandra Saccone, a third-year student in the English, Journalism, and Environment and Sustainability Studies departments. I have a passion for plants, growing/ foraging my own food, and spending time outdoors.

2. Why did you decide to work with UB Sustainability? My role model is David Attenborough because he has spent his entire career expanding public knowledge of the environment, wildlife, and the climate crisis. I hope someday to create as powerful of a platform in order to fight misinformation and complacency in the fight against climate change. I have to start my journey somewhere, and I believe garnering experience in sustainability in an environment like UB where people and energy usage are concentrated will provide diversity in the foundation of my career.

3. What do you love most about UB? I love the walkability of the campus and the fact that it is a part of my hometown.

4. When you visit UB in 25 years, what do you hope to find? I hope that the campus will become more walkable and less focused on cars. I hope the parking lots will become green spaces for wildlife and relaxation.

5. Fun fact/secret skill: I practice Germanic Pagan witchcraft

1. Name, hometown, year, major and personal passion: Matthew Taboni (he/him), Tonawanda, NY, first year graduate student, JD/MBA 2025, personal passion is social justice 
2. Why did you decide to work with UB Sustainability? I decided to work for sustainability to expand my skill set in sustainability and so I could make more of an impact on the social issues that are intertwined with sustainability. 
3. What do you love most about UB? AThe thing I love most about you are the opportunities that I have been able to have and the community I have made along the way.  
4. When you visit UB in 25 years, what do you hope to find? In 25 years, besides a pastry shop on campus, I hope that UB has a comprehensive and robust student support center that serves as a one stop for all student support needs. 
5. Fun fact/secret skill: I am an avid baker and want to open up my own pastry shop one day and my secret skill is that I know how to juggle.

1. Name, hometown, year, major and personal passion: Hello! My name is Nicole Tremsky and I come from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I am a junior studying Environmental Engineering with a minor in Environmental Studies. I am passionate about traveling and the cultural exchange I get from it.
2. Why did you decide to work with UB Sustainability? I decided to work with UB Sustainability to pursue my desire to be a Sustainability Engineer. My decision became even firmer once I met the team. I had no option but to join them. 
3. What do you love most about UB? Opportunity. UB has an immense range of opportunities for each student. I am grateful for all the extracurricular activities that UB offers. It helps us make new friends and take some time off academics.
4. When you visit UB in 25 years, what do you hope to find? I hope to walk around UB and encounter greener ways of living, such as more sustainable food options, energy from renewable sources and having our own big scale garden. 
5. Fun fact/secret skill: I am passionate about eating and cooking plant based foods! I love trying new recipes and foods of different cultures.

1. Name, hometown, year, major and personal passion: She is from Holland Patent NY, and is a second year master’s student in the Sustainability & Leadership program. Her areas of expertise are: gender equity, political institutionalism & intersectional environmentalism.
2. Why did you decide to work with UB Sustainability? I was involved in a carbon offset project for one of my classes and knew I would love to work with everyone in the office! Promoting social sustainability is also really important to me so it seemed like a great fit and opportunity to incorporate it more in our future projects.
3. What do you love most about UB? What I love most about UB is all the exciting research everyone is doing. I loved working with the gender studies department in undergrad and it is so exciting to be able to bring that analytical lens to the EVS department.
4. When you visit UB in 25 years, what do you hope to find? That we run on 100% renewable energy! It would be great to see UB producing their own food and composting in every building/office too.
5. Fun fact/secret skill: I help run social media accounts which I love doing so hi everyone!

1. Name, hometown, year, major and personal passion: Hi there, My name is Andy Whitehead, and I am from New York City. I came to Buffalo in 2017, and am currently in my second year of the MSW program. I am passionate about impacting ongoing change and empowering myself and others to do the same.

2. Why did you decide to work with UB Sustainability? As the Environmental Justice SA, this seemed like the perfect combination of my interest in sustainability and my career in social work. I have always been interested in promoting sustainable living, but also see the complexities and injustices that affect certain communities. I hope to be able to inspire other students and expand on community partnerships to educate and influence change.

3. What do you love most about UB? UB has been my home for the past 6 years. I love how UB has so much to offer for students to get involved in, and if it doesn't exist, students have the power to create and expand. It can be challenging coming into such a big school in one's first year, but UB has the potential for people to find community and their home. (I apologize for how cheesy that was).

4. When you visit UB in 25 years, what do you hope to find? I want to see UB continue to "beautify" its buildings and expand on a student support services center. I would love to see social workers have more of a place in higher-ed to work directly with students and provide resources to the larger UB community. Oh, and a bakery!

5. Fun fact/secret skill: I had 12 hamsters growing up... and hope to never have a hamster ever again. Secret skill: I love to cook and to bake, and actually helped pay my way into college through my baking!

1. Name, hometown, year, major and personal passion:Tendaji Ya'Ukuu | The Bronx, NY | Junior | Environmental Design | Building and leading ecologically low-impact communities, focused on Human Flourishing
2. Why did you decide to work with UB Sustainability? I wanted to become a part of UB Sustainability because I am deeply invested in improving the ways in which we as humans live, work, leisure, parent, and coexist.
3. What do you love most about UB? What I love the most about UB is that we are truly a melting pot of cultural and ethnic diversity.
4. When you visit UB in 25 years, what do you hope to find? I hope to find a school that treats students with the utmost humility, and dignity, while also operating by offsetting 100% of their emissions.
5. Fun fact/secret skill: A fun fact about me is that I am an Arcology advocate that hopes to build sustainable cities across the globe.

1. Name, hometown, year, major and personal passion: Hello! My name is Sammy Zyla, and I'm a senior studying biological sciences/neuroscience from Clarence, NY. Some personal passions of mine are reading, exercising, and traveling whenever possible. 

2. Why did you decide to work with UB Sustainability? I'm also very passionate about minimizing waste from clothing and other products, so projects like UB Hired and UBReUSE drew me here to contribute.

3. What do you love most about UB? UB is a strong community full of exciting research, competitions, clubs, and other opportunities.

4. When you visit UB in 25 years, what do you hope to find? Maybe not in 25 years, but eventually I hope to see a physical location combining the concepts of UB Hired and UBReUse, where students can donate and purchase used items year round.

5. Fun fact/secret skill: I played travel ice hockey for 15 years but decided to go to school instead of juniors.