Student Life Sustainability

Core Values

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice as integral to sustainability
• A student-centered approach
• Transformational behavior and culture change
• Collective impact
• Narrative and data-driven storytelling
• Personal and community well-being and resilience

Who We Are

Student Life is made up of all the services and support organizations offered to U-M students — from dining and housing to counseling and legal support, student organizations, clubs sports and more.

As a large part of the U-M community, we are uniquely positioned to make a substantial contribution to sustainability. Our units occupy one-fifth of the Ann Arbor campus, so even the smallest environmental changes, if implemented widely, have a big effect. And because virtually 100 percent of the student body participates in at least one of our services or support organizations, including a range of co-curricular programs, academic partnerships and internships, we have an opportunity to collaborate with students and promote sustainable habits and principles for life. With the Excellence in Sustainability Honors Cord program and paid sustainability leadership programs like U-M Sustainable Food Program, Planet Blue Student Leaders, and the Student Sustainability Coalition, Student Life facilitates opportunities for students to use our campus as a lab to develop and test projects at the intersection of sustainability and social justice.

Read the 2023-24 SL Sustainability Annual Report.

Staff

Alex Bryan

Alex Bryan joined Student Life Sustainability with years of experience in community organizing, food insecurity, sustainability, and sustainable agriculture. As the unit Director, Alex connects SL Sustainability with work across Student Life and UM, helping to elevate student voices and perspectives in UM's ambitious carbon neutrality and sustainability actions. He is especially focused on the 'living-learning-lab' approach to engaging students through experiential learning by leveraging operational opportunities. He serves on many different campus-wide task forces, including the Well-being Collective Steering Committee. Prior to joining Student Life, Alex served as director of agricultural programs for the Greater Lansing Food Bank, where he managed two programs, Garden Project and Lansing Roots. Alex also co-founded Food Field, a 4-acre urban farm in the city of Detroit, and has served on various national non-profit boards, including the National Young Farmers Coalition. Alex studied English at the University of Michigan with minors in the Environment and Earth Science. When not at work, he can be found running long distances and growing food.

Clara Gamalski

Clara Gamalski joined Student Life Sustainability as the Assistant Director. In this role, she manages the student-facing work of the unit, from developing experiential learning curricula for the unit’s four cohort-based programs and sustainability culture change strategies for all UM students. Clara also works directly with the UM Sustainable Food Program, the UM Farm Stand, and the Sustainability Cultural Organizers as an advisor and manager. Clara joined Student Life Sustainability with years of experience in education and engagement around sustainability and equitable food systems at higher education institutions. She is passionate about facilitation, food, visionary organizing as social change, and creating opportunities for students to ask for more from their institutions. Clara worked in food service for a decade. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in History of Art in 2011 and Chatham University with an MA in Food Studies in 2015. When she’s not working, she can be found playing with yarn and hosting friends and family for meals.

Brendan Gallagher

Brendan Gallagher joined Student Life Sustainability as the Sustainability Leadership & Learning Manager. In this role, he supports the efforts of two year-long cohort-based programs: the Student Sustainability Coalition and the PlanetBlue Student Leaders. Additionally, he coordinates the Sustainability Honors Cords program, which recognizes student’s commitments to sustainability at UMICH. Brendan draws on his experiences teaching and community organizing to drive asset-based community-identified change. His previous work with the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at UMICH supported students in deepening their learning, as well as the impact of their community engagement efforts, by centering their work on community-identified needs. He continues to take that approach in his current role as he supports students in working toward sustainable behavior and campus culture change. Brendan has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a master's degree in Higher Education from Grand Valley State University. When he’s not working, he can be found camping, exploring with his family, and homesteading.

Heather King

Heather King joined Student Life Sustainability as the Campus-as-Lab & Student Engagement Manager. Within her role, she develops and supports sustainability-focused projects and experiential learning opportunities with students from various disciplines, faculty, staff, and SL colleagues. She supports programming that is centered on partnerships and the student experience while providing operational sustainability and living-learning-lab opportunities. Heather’s previous experience at Virginia Commonwealth University ranged from strategic project management of the new Sustainability Plan (in which she advocated for student involvement throughout the planning process, not after), developing science communication curriculum, mentoring student researchers, and coordinating community greening efforts. She earned a master’s in Environmental Studies and a Sustainable Urban Planning certificate from VCU while focusing her research on the campus food environment. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and Social Psychology from the University of North Texas. Heather is interested in how art and science converge, would like to visit all the National Parks, and can often be found with her nose in a book.

Phelicia Jozwiak

Phelicia Jozwiak joined Student Life Sustainability as the Sustainability Engagement Specialist, bringing with her over 6 years of environmental education and engagement experience. Most recently, she worked with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, where she played a key role in assisting new and experienced interpreters in designing and strategically promoting education programs.  In her SLS role, she continues to draw from her interpretive background as she collaborates with students, thoughtfully weaving their stories and sustainability initiatives into compelling narratives to share with the campus community and beyond. Phelicia holds a master’s degree in Liberal Studies with a certificate in Strategic Sustainability Leadership from Indiana University- South Bend, and a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from Purdue University. Outside the office, she enjoys hiking, reading, and experimenting with new DIY projects.