How long have you been with the University?

I just hit the two-year mark this past May.

What department and/or unit are you in?

I work within UChicago Dining on the operations team. I primarily oversee front of house operations and external relations (both interdepartmental and student-facing).

What is your education or training?

I studied Food Science at Ohio University for my undergrad (Athens, OH) and moved to Chicago for my coordinated MBA & dietetic internship program at Dominican University (River Forest, IL). Ohio University is centered in one of the poorest counties in the state. Fortunately, our program offered many opportunities to help alleviate food insecurity and improve child nutrition for the region. In my undergrad, while studying to be a dietitian, I volunteered at a nonprofit organization in Athens called Community Food Initiatives. During my time there, I helped provide education programs for families, volunteered at the farmers’ market, and would help with receiving/distributing food to nearby food pantries. 

After completing my master’s program and passing my licensure exam, I’ve been working as a registered dietitian for about seven years in various health systems, summer diabetic camps, and fitness centers. Just before working for UChicago, I helped run a dietitian consulting firm as their Regional Director of Operations and one of their Renal Dietitians. During my time there, I helped the company double its staff and expand into four states. 

How does your job relate to sustainability?

My job relates to sustainability in a multitude of ways. As an operator, I need to be conscious of where and how we receive our food. Not only should the food we receive be healthy for students, but we need to ensure it’s healthy for our planet. 

As the sustainability lead for the UChicago Dining team, we’re always looking to improve our program by imagining new ways to positively impact not just our students but also the greater community. A portion of my job is overseeing our contract with Chartwells Higher Education, our food service vendor on campus. Fortunately, our leadership team had the foresight to include standards in our vendor agreements for responsibly and sustainably sourced procurement on campus; part of my job is ensuring compliance with these agreements. You can view our Sustainable Dining dashboard to learn more. I also assist with the oversight of our Green Restaurant Association (GRA) certifications, which are currently held at Cathey Dining Commons and Café Logan.

Another aspect of my job is establishing and maintaining relationships with our students as well as other departments around campus. Finding new ways we can partner with one another to achieve a mutual goal is always rewarding. For instance, we partner with Phoenix Sustainability Initiative, a registered student organization, throughout the school year. They collect our unsold fresh food from our retail locations and donate it to nearby food pantries in the neighborhood throughout the week. 

Exploring new sustainability programs and ventures is another facet of my job. Not only are we mindful of where our food comes from, but we continue to monitor food after it arrives and eventually departs our dining locations. Understanding pre- and post-plate food waste is another function of what I do on campus. The tablet-based digital platform Waste Not 2.0 is a critical program we use to better measure how and where we can decrease food waste. I can’t disclose much yet, but we are very excited about adding a new program to Cathey Dining Commons this fall. This project will replace Cathey’s former eco digester that recently reached its end of life. We’re looking forward to sharing more once we get up and running! 

How long have you been with the University?

10 years

What department and/or unit are you in?

Department of Safety & Security

What is your education or training?

I have twenty years of experience in the commercial property, parking, transportation, and facilities management fields. Prior to coming to the University of Chicago, I was at Kennesaw State University, where at first I was the Director of Parking. Then I became the Director of Parking & Transportation after we created a shuttle program to reduce the usage of single occupancy vehicles due to increasing traffic and sustainability concerns.

At UChicago, I oversee Parking & Transportation operations, including garages and lots, paid visitor parking, virtual metered parking, RideSmart by Via, charter and event services, evening bus routes, day and medical center routes, University-sponsored CTA routes, and the programs for Dial-a-Ride, Injured Student, and Metra Pass. I hold a BA from the University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

How does your job relate to sustainability?

A big part of Transportation & Parking operations is Transportation Demand Management (TDM). This involves promotion and programmatic creation of alternative modes of transportation (outside of single occupant vehicles), incentivizing carpool and occasional parking programs, car sharing, daily permit options, and pricing permits to match market demands to manage single occupancy vehicle usage as much as possible.

One recent example of implementation of TDM strategies was the decision to eliminate the Lyft program for students and replace it with the RideSmart by Via program. Lyft did not offer a shared use option and had no plans to reintroduce one in the Chicago market. RideSmart by Via is a micro-transit solution that essentially provides point to point rides along an algorithmic ‘route’ that demands maximizing the shared ride aspect of this solution. With this new solution, we can provide many more rides for the students, in a much more sustainable way.