Full Time Employees

Brandon Trelstad (he/him): Sustainability Officer 
After earning a degree in environmental science with a political science minor, Brandon worked in OSU Government Relations for four years. During this time, he worked to create the Sustainability Officer position and began that role full time in November 2005. His primary duties include employee and student engagement, infrastructure development, renewable energy systems, policy change and strategic planning. Brandon leads and coordinates OSU's decarbonization efforts and serves on several committees outside OSU, including the City of Corvallis Climate Action Advisory Board (vice chair) and Corvallis Sustainability Coalition Steering Committee (vice facilitator).

In 2010, Brandon was recognized by 1000 Friends of Oregon as one of the state's 35 Innovators Under 35.  Read more in an April 2011 article about Brandon and the Sustainability Office. 

Email Brandon

Leticia Cavazos (she/her): Sustainability Assessment Manager
Leticia was hired as a student at the Sustainability Office in June of 2014. After earning a PhD in Industrial Engineering in December 2016, she transitioned to a full-time position. Her primary duties include sustainability assessment & reporting, utility data acquisition & analysis, managing the Eco-Reps program, sustainable purchasing & procurement, and new employee orientation.

Email Leticia

STUDENT TEAM

Ava Wright (she/her): Student Policy Coordinator
Ava joined the Sustainability Office in Winter 2022 as the Digital Media Marketing and Outreach Intern. She is a fourth-year pursuing degrees in Environmental Sciences and Sustainability, with a minor in Natural Resources. Now acting as the Student Policy Coordinator, Ava is a Co-Facilitator of the Sustainability Council, a new departmental program by the Sustainability Office and Community Engagement & Leadership. She also provides other support where needed. Outside of the Sustainability Office, she volunteers at the Corvallis Environmental Center and participates in IM bowling.

Trevor Herzog (he/him): Energy Project Intern
Trevor joined the Sustainability Office in Winter 2022 as an Energy Project Intern. He is pursuing a double degree in Mechanical Engineering and Sustainability. Trevor is an Eagle Scout with an affinity for the natural world and has a mind full of creativity. He hopes to be an active participant in the effort toward solving the climate crisis. Currently, his duties include reading utility meters across the Corvallis campus and reading drawings for Corvallis campus buildings, as well as managing invasive species removal projects around OSU's solar arrays and transporting the solar trailer to different events.

Jeff Huang (he/him): Software Engineering Intern
Jeff joined the Sustainability Office in Winter 2023 as a Software Engineering Intern. He is a fourth-year Applied Computer Science Major with an option in Web and Mobile Development. He contributes to the maintenance and development of the Sustainability Office’s various websites and software applications, such as the Energy Dashboard and Carbon Calculator. In his free time, Jeff enjoys playing video games (a fan of the Hitman series, Age of Empires 3, and anything from Fromsoft Studios), cooking soup, and biking around Corvallis.

Isabella Clemmens (she/her): Graphic Design Intern
Isabella joined the Sustainability Office in Summer 2023 as the Graphic Design Intern. She is a third-year student pursuing a degree in Marketing with a minor in Graphic Design. Isabella creates all our marketing materials, as well as making some of the office’s research and resources more visually appealing and accessible. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with loved ones.

Samantha Egge (she/her): Software Engineering Intern
Samantha joined the Sustainability office in Fall 2023 as a Software Engineering Intern. She is a third-year student pursuing a degree in Computer Science with an option in Web and Mobile Development. She contributes to the maintenance and development of the Sustainability Office’s various websites and software applications. In her free time, she enjoys taking her dogs on hikes when the weather is nice, and sewing or reading when it's not.

Hoku Tiwanak (she/her): Outreach and Marketing Intern
Hoku joined the Sustainability Office in Fall 2023 as the Marketing and Outreach Intern. She is a first-year student pursuing a degree in Marketing. Hoku aspires to be a wedding/event planner in the future.  In her free time, she enjoys hiking, going to the beach, and painting.  Her love for spending time in nature is what inspired her to get involved in sustainability.  Hoku manages our social media and email, as well working on our newsletter, blog, and website.

Mia Saunders (she/her): Student Engagement Intern
Mia joined the Sustainability Office in Spring 2024 as the Student Engagement Intern.  As the Sustainability Council Facilitator, she works to connect students to resources for advancing sustainability objectives. Mia is a third-year student pursuing a degree in Marketing and Sustainability, with a focus on international business. In the future, she plans to support the promotional operations of a sustainable business, non-profit, or NGO that she feels connected to!  In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors and hanging out with friends.  

Tucker Kirkes (he/him): Assessment and Planning Intern
Tucker joined the Sustainability Office in Spring 2024 as the Assessment and Planning Intern. Tucker works to implement and promote projects and practices that reduce carbon emissions. He assists with OSU’s annual sustainability assessment and helps improve OSU’s green building and construction standards. Tucker is a first-year student pursuing a degree in Environmental Science and he is also an active member of the Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra!  Tucker loves to travel and has been 9 countries and 22 states!

Mission

The Sustainability Office exists to - in the most sustainable way possible - support OSU’s mission to promote economic, social, cultural and environmental progress for the people of Oregon, the nation and the world. The Sustainability Office fosters a culture of sustainability, enhances student competency around issues of sustainability, reduces the university’s overall environmental impact and communicates sustainability efforts to the campus community and external audiences. It aims to offer the highest quality of services to the OSU campus in its four functional areas:

  • Policy and Infrastructure
  • Outreach and Networking
  • Academic Engagement
  • Sustainability Assessment
     

Our Work

Mirroring the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability, many projects and initiatives overlap multiple functional areas. Several projects and programs detailed on this website are managed or directly supported by the Office, while others are partnerships with other OSU units.

Click here for a detailed list of what we're working on and what's on the horizon.

History

The Oregon State University Sustainability Office is housed within University Facilities, Infrastructure and Operations, part of the Finance and Administration division. The Sustainability Office was formed by the creation of a full time sustainability position in November 2005. In December 2007, an additional half-time position was created primarily to support the collection and management of campus utility data. In November 2008, the half-time position was moved to a permanent full time position and duties expanded to focus on energy conservation efforts. For more about the history of Sustainability at OSU, take a look at our Sustainability Timeline!