Mia Altieri

Mia Altieri is a policy intern with Dogwood Alliance in Asheville, North Carolina, where she works with communities impacted by deforestation throughout the U.S. South. She has assisted on research projects observing non-industrial private forest-owner and Indigenous community perspectives on forest carbon programs. Mia holds a Master of Arts in Political Science, specialized in Environmental Policy, from Appalachian State University.

Josh Brooks

Josh Brooks is a partner with WayBright, LLC, a project development, finance and management platform designed to accelerate the deployment of clean energy, clean water and infrastructure services across the U.S. and Mexico. Prior to WayBright, Josh served as chief of staff to Amory Lovins, founder, and former chief scientist of RMI, a world-leading energy and economy think tank where he specialized in utility business model innovation and regulatory reform. This reform included the implementation of integrative design across the energy-intensive sectors: transportation, industry, buildings and electricity generation. Prior to RMI, Josh served as project developer for NTE Energy, a private sector energy production company, where he directed the company’s renewables development and related wholesale customer programs in multiple national markets. Josh serves as an advisor to multiple non-profits, energy groups, and climate tech start-ups.

Shannon Caveny

Shannon is the zero waste coordinator in the Office of Sustainability at UNC Charlotte and has been in that role since February 2022. Prior to that, she worked in various roles in the recycling department, including as the construction demolition recycling coordinator and as the campus recycling coordinator. She has been with UNC Charlotte for a total of 20 years, although she did leave and come back a couple of times. In her free time, Shannon is an avid reader and enjoys spending time with her kids.

Stan Chamberlain

As the director of residential dining at Appalachian State University, Stan oversees operations for 6,500 residential students in an All Access dining program. Throughout the growth of the residential dining program, Stan has consistently prioritized sustainable initiatives and seeks to bring sustainability to the forefront of operational decision-making. Stan’s previous experience includes owning Gaijin Noodle Bar and serving as executive chef at Crippens Country Inn. His work earned recognition in Best Chef America and SF Journal. He has consistently sourced local and organic ingredients to reduce environmental impact.

Stan holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a focus on environmental studies from Appalachian State University. His career reflects strategic leadership, operational excellence. Stan has a stong commitment to sustainability, consistently delivering outstanding results and fostering growth and satisfaction among teams and customers.

Ransom Cope

Ransom is a junior at Appalachian State University where he is majoring in construction management with a minor in sustainable technology. Growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina, he comes to App State with a passion for the environment, green building and renewable energy. His experience with energy management techniques, renewable energy system design and project development has allowed him to manage a number of successful projects for the ASUREI.

Joey Crews

Joey Crews is a graduate student and research assistant in the appropriate technology program at Appalachian State University. Since transferring to App State in August 2021, Joey has demonstrated exceptional leadership, serving as chair of the ASUREI, leading App State’s Solar District Cup team to a division championship and contributing to the Town of Boone’s Sustainability Committee. Passionate about environmental solutions, Joey is committed to promoting sustainable practices and innovative technologies. Beyond the classroom, Joey has gained valuable experience as a data analyst intern at Gulf Wind Technology and is currently enhancing renewable energy initiatives as an intern for the Town of Boone.

Jonathan Culpepper

Jonathan Culpepper is a graduate student at Appalachian State University pursuing a master's in sustainable building design and construction. He recently received his undergraduate degree from App State in building science, focusing on sustainable building systems with a minor in sustainable technology. Jonathan has been a leader of App State’s US DOE Solar Decathlon Design Competition Team for the past two years and won the retrofit housing division in 2023.

Jonathan has completed multiple field internships in various industries, including water resources, wind, solar and commercial upfits. He worked with Dr. Sharareh Shirzad as a graduate research assistant on sustainable concrete alternatives and is currently working with Terracon Consultants as a building enclosure consultant intern. He is interested in the decarbonization of the built environment through energy-efficient design and BIM/BEM modeling. In his free time he enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding and camping.

Weston Dekle

Weston Dekle is pursuing a Master’s in the sustainable technology and the built environment, studying sustainable building design and construction. He completed his undergraduate degree in building science with a concentration in sustainable building systems and a minor in sustainable technology at Appalachian State University last fall. This spring, Wes was the architectural lead for App State’s single-family retrofit solar decathlon team. With a strong interest in using BIM for sustainable design and high-performance enclosure detailing, he works as an architectural technician for a local architect who is also part of the department's faculty. Wes will conduct his graduate research on integrating passive design principles into production home design. He also enjoys skiing, playing golf and playing video games.

Tracy Dixon

Tracy Dixon is the deputy director for the State Energy Office of North Carolina. With more than 20 years of experience in developing and managing programs in the public and nonprofit sectors, Dixon is an experienced strategic planner and implementer in addressing long-term, complex and interdependent systems. She has extensive experience in environmental, social and economic sustainability, holding double master’s degrees in public administration and natural resources. Previously, she worked as chief operating officer for The Green Chair Project, the first director of sustainability and then director of strategic initiatives for NC State University, and held positions with Advanced Energy, the NC General Assembly and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Dixon is a graduate of Leadership North Carolina (Class XXI) and was named one of NC State’s 125 Transformational Women. She has served on multiple community boards focused on environment, equity and human services.

Laura England

Laura England serves as associate director for the Pathways to Resilience Quality Enhancement Plan for Appalachian State University. She has taught the natural science that informs sustainable development at App State since 2010 and is a practitioner in residence in the Department of Sustainable Development. She has an academic background in ecology and environmental science and spent seven years in the nonprofit sector communicating about issues of environment and sustainability before coming into the classroom. For years, Laura has applied her outreach experience and climate concern to cross-campus climate literacy efforts, including founding and co-leading the Climate Stories Collaborative and the Climate Responses and Response-Ability initiative.

Hayward Fain

Hayward Fain currently serves as a program analyst for the State Energy Office of North Carolina. With over a decade of experience in the clean energy field in both the public and nonprofit sectors, Fain has excelled in program management, implementation and other skill areas. In his current role, he provides technical assistance for the state in Energy Security (ESF-12) and co-leads performance contracting and the Utility Savings Initiative program (USI) for NC's state agencies, universities and community colleges. Hayward is a graduate of St. Augustine’s University and brings a wealth of experience serving on various boards and committees, including the Wake County Energy Advisory Commission, NASEO Energy Security Committee, and Energy Services Coalition as co-Public Chair, amongst others.

Kelly Freshcorn

Kelly Freshcorn is the recycling and universal waste operations manager at UNC Charlotte. She has been with the Recycling Department for 22 years, 24 years if you count her two years as a part-time student worker. With a passion for the environment, she can often be found digging recyclables out of trash bins or dumpsters. Outside of work, Kelly enjoys hiking and gardening.

Grace Gilwa

Grace Gliwa is an incoming lecturer in the Computer Information Systems Department at Appalachian State University. Grace recently graduated from App State with her MBA and a master's in science in applied data analytics in May 2024, and earned a BSBA in economics in December 2021. Between undergraduate and graduate school, Grace worked at Wayfair in Boston, MA, in product content for their B2B site.

Nick Katers

Nick Katers has been the associate vice chancellor for Facilities Management at Appalachian State University since March 2019. In this role, he oversees the day-to-day operations of all capital projects at App State through the Planning Design and Construction division. Nick also manages Facilities Operations, Sustainability, and New River Light and Power, which supplies electricity to the university and much of the Town of Boone, NC.

Prior to taking the job at App State, Nick retired from the United States Army as a colonel after serving 28 years in the Army Corps of Engineers. While in the Army, Nick served at all levels of construction and project management, overseeing numerous projects in both the United States and overseas.

Delaney King

Delaney works as a Community Recycling Specialist at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), where she is committed to fostering collaboration and exploring new strategies for improved recycling access across North Carolina. She focuses on providing materials management assistance to local governments, colleges and universities, and state agencies. She brings experience working with federal and state representatives, as well as in the research field, including in the areas of local government environmental policy and international arms control. She holds a BA in Political Science, concentrating in American Politics and Environmental Policy, from Bryn Mawr College and an MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill.

John Majernik, EI, PEM, CEM

John Majernik is the director of Energy, Sustainability & Transportation at Wake Technical Community College. He has over 34 years of engineering and construction experience, with an emphasis in energy management and sustainability during the past 14 years. John has been in the facilities department at Wake Tech for over 8 years, leading the college’s sustainability, energy, and transportation initiatives. He holds certifications as a Professional Energy Manager and Certified Energy Manager. John has a bachelor’s degree in applied science, mechanical engineering technology from Youngstown State University.

Dr. Dave McEvoy

Dr. Dave McEvoy is professor and chair of the Economics Department at Appalachian State University. McEvoy’s research focuses on issues related to global environmental problems and international environmental agreements. He teaches courses in Environmental Economics and Policy, UN Climate Negotiations, and serves as the head of App States participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as non-governmental observers. Dr. McEvoy holds graduate degrees in environmental and resource economics from University College London and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Dr. McEvoy is also an affiliate faculty member of the Ostrom Workshop at Indiana University.

Elizabeth Riede

Elizabeth is the executive director of campus dining at Appalachian State University. She joined the Mountaineer community in October 2022. Elizabeth oversees all aspects of the Campus Dining program, including residential, retail, national brands, and support services. Prior to her service at App State, she built her leadership career at Starbucks as a store manager and district manager. She then moved into contract services for Food and Nutrition Services at a major hospital system in Tennessee, managing the contract for both patient and retail food services.

Sustainable purchasing, operations, and practices are a priority as Campus Dining grows. Elizabeth enjoys problem-solving systems and ensuring that dining provides innovative solutions, incorporating long-term, sustainable practices throughout the organization.

Lani St. Hill

As the Communications and Engagement Coordinator for NC State University Sustainability, Lani works with students, staff and faculty to promote an economically responsible, environmentally sound and socially just world.

Dr. Shea Tuberty

Dr. Tuberty joined the Appalachian State Univerity faculty in 2002 and served for seven years as the department’s assistant chair (2015-22). Dr. Tuberty was appointed the QEP Director in the 2022/2023 academic year to lead a 5-year effort to integrate Sustainability & Climate Literacy into the App State curriculum and enhance co-curricular activities. As a professor in the Department of Biology, he teaches Ecotoxicology, Zoology, and Climate Responses & Response-Ability; conducts transdisciplinary environmental justice, water quality, and aquatic biodiversity research; and has long played a leadership role in sustainability and climate literacy efforts on campus. He holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Tulane University and a B.A. in general biology from Vanderbilt University and spent 4 years as a postdoc at the USEPAs Gulf Ecology Division lab in Pensacola, FL. Read more about Shea here.

Rylee Wadman

RyLee Wadman is a passionate junior Sustainable Technology major at Appalachian State. First joining ASUREI a year and a half ago, he served the past academic year as the Public Relations Chair. It was an opportunity to learn leadership skills, network, and gain real-world industry experience while still in school. Some of the notable skills learned through his time in ASUREI were event planning, leading meetings, and the further development of soft skills. He has a keen interest in energy efficiency, energy innovations, and good-quality pizza.

Nich Weber

Nich Weber joined the UNC Charlotte Recycling team in April of 2023 where he made an immediate impact on the program. While initially hired as a technician, Nich’s hard work and dedication led him to being promoted to his current position, Recycling Program Associate, in December of 2023. Before joining UNCC, he became a TRUE Advisor and received his MPA with a concentration in Environmental Policy and Sustainability from IUPUI. In his free time, Nich can be found hiking, traveling and rock climbing.