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. He helped create the Sustainability Officer position and began that work full time in November 2005. His primary duties include employee and student engagement, infrastructure development, renewable energy systems, policy change and strategic planning. Brandon chairs OSU's Transportation Committee and Sustainability Advisory Council, and serves on several other committees.
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.
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.
STUDENT TEAM
Milan Donhowe (he/him): Utility Data Analyst Student Technician
Milan joined the Sustainability Office in the Spring 2021 as a Sustainability Tech Assistant. He is an Applied Computer Science Major with an option in Data Science from Portland, Oregon. Milan mostly focuses on managing and implementing software and other computer related projects by the Sustainability Office. Outside of the Sustainability Office, Milan spends time competing with the OSU Forensics team in Speech & Debate and participating in OSU Security Club’s internal CTF challenges.
Ava Wright (she/her): Digital Media Marketing & Outreach
Ava joined the Sustainability Office in Winter 2022 as the Digital Media Marketing and Outreach Intern. She is a third-year student pursuing degrees in Environmental Sciences and Sustainability, with a minor in Natural Resources. Ava manages the social media presence, Green Certifications, event outreach, and Ecologue blog. She also writes the bi-weekly Sustainability newsletter. Outside of the Sustainability Office, she volunteers at the Corvallis Environmental Center's NaturePlay preschool.
Montana Murphy (she/her): Graphic Designer
Montana joined the Sustainability Office in Winter 2022 and is a Graphic Design major with a double minor in Photography and Business. She aims to combine her appreciation for the outdoors with the skillsets she is developing at OSU to promote eco-friendly practices in her creative works. In her free time, Montana enjoys exploring local hiking trails, biking through the quaint neighborhoods of Corvallis, and searching for good landscape scenery spots to photograph. As the office graphic designer, Montana creates digital and print media for the Sustainability Office and affiliated university departments with the intent of spreading environmental awareness and taking action to reduce our ecological impact.
Salah Miller (he/they): Student Policy Coordinator
Salah joined the Sustainability Office in Spring 2022 and is a third-year student pursuing a double major in Natural Resources and Music, with a minor in Political Science. They have experience in sustainable policy from their work with Sunrise Corvallis, a local group fighting for climate justice in Corvallis through policy and mobilization. Before joining the Sustainability Office, he worked on state climate legislation with various organizations, such as Oregon Just Transition Alliance and Our Climate Oregon. Now, his primary duties include incorporating public and expert feedback on policy proposals, supporting the Green Certifications program, and engaging with campus stakeholders to support policies to reduce OSU’s carbon footprint.
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.
Rishabh Srivastava (he/him): Software Engineering Intern
Rishabh joined the Sustainability Office in Winter 2023 as a Software Engineering Intern. He is a graduate student studying Computer Science. Rishabh moved to the United States last term from India. He loves outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and more. He has a dog and is a big animal lover. For the past few years, Rishabh has been working with a charitable organization that helps the poor and animals.
Jeff Huang (he/him): Software Engineering Intern
Jeff joined the Sustainability Office in Winter 2023 as a Software Engineering Intern. He is a third-year Applied Computer Science Major with an option in Web and Mobile Development. Jeff 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.
Sam Albert (he/him): Energy Project Intern
Sam joined the Sustainability Office in Winter 2023 as an Energy Project Intern. As a second-year Political Science major and Earth Sciences minor, Sam combines his passion for climate action with policy development, and is looking forward to studying abroad in France for the Fall 2023 term. He is also an avid reader and musician, and can normally be found playing pianos around campus.
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!