Katie Maynard, who serves as the Event Manager and Sustainability Coordinator for UCSB’s Sustainability Staff, was recently recognized for her tremendous contributions to the UC’s sustainability efforts with the UC System Sustainability Champion Award.
Katie’s career in sustainability began at UCSB as an undergraduate student where she helped lead system-wide change to create the Education for Sustainable Living Program, a set of courses designed to encourage dialogue and learning on sustainability topics. After graduating, she began working at UCSB and continued her contributions by helping lead many of the UC’s system-wide committees. Through her efforts, she has made UC’s labs more sustainable, established healthier campuses, and fought against food insecurity. She staffed the Academic Senate Sustainability Work Group for the past decade, through which the Faculty Sustainability Champion Program was established. The program is now a model across all of the UCs.
In addition to her time at UCSB, Katie runs the Sustainability Internship Program which consists of a team of over 80 students — all of whom she mentors and provides sustainability knowledge and professional development skills. As of today, Katie has mentored over an astounding 1,000 students.
On top of it all, Katie has been the driving force behind the annual California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) since 2005. CHESC brings in almost 1,000 attendees from California Community Colleges, California State University, University of California, and private colleges and universities in California. In operations since 2002, CHESC provides an important venue for cross-system best practice sharing, partnership building, and strategic conversations.
Katie continuously serves as a pillar of innovation and mentorship for the UCSB community and beyond. Through her contributions, she has created lasting change and impact for sustainability efforts UC-wide. It is without a doubt that Katie deserves recognition for all of the amazing things she has done for her community and those a part of it.
For more information, feel free to read up on the official UC Newsletter about it here!
