Annual Sustainability Champion Awards
Every year, The Office of Energy & Sustainability honors some great, green leaders on campus with our own Sustainability Champion Awards.
Nominate your Sustainability Champion for this year's award here. We'd love for you to nominate those you feel are worthy of the honor.
We strive to annually recognize a faculty member, a student, and a staff member.
2025-2026 Academic Year
Faculty
Dr. Cyrus Taylor
Cyrus is an inspiration and a climate warrior -- he defends the scientific integrity essential to national policy while simultaneously empowering a new generation of climate leaders across every academic discipline here at CWRU.
He's dedicated his post-dean career to education (winning the Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching for his course Introduction to Climate Change: Physics, Forecasts, and Strategies; he's one of 85 authors who authored the 439 page rebuttal to the Energy Department’s recent report that stated the effects of climate change are overblown, see NYT coverage here), research (from the sociology of climate perceptions), and activism (being a co-founder and leader of the CWRU Climate Action Network).
He understands both the physics of climate change, and the culture changes that need to happen to combat it. Furthermore, he and Dr. Hodgetss are driving force behind the development of new climate minor here at CWRU, creating a formal pathway for climate study and prepare students to be leaders in the green economy.
Dr. Andrea Wolk Rager, Associate Professor, Department of Art History and Art
Dr. Andrea Rager is an art history professor at Case Western Reserve University whose scholarship, teaching, and service consistently integrate sustainability and environmental awareness. She incorporates ecological themes throughout her work, most notably through her Art and the Environment course, which encourages students to critically examine the relationship between visual culture and environmental issues. She is also deeply involved in the Ecology, Attention, Action (EHI) project, an interdisciplinary initiative that brings together faculty and students to explore how environmental challenges intersect with perception, ethics, and action. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Rager is active in plastics awareness initiatives and groups like the CWRU Climate Action Network (CAN).
This is what her colleagues had to say about her and her work, “learning from Andrea as part of our Ecology, Attention, Action discussion group has taught me new ways of seeing and understanding. Her work exposes the complex stories behind materials. Looking at a work of art with her, using the ecocritical lens, is a revelation. This is not just an intellectual exercise: Sustainability actions are grounded in human feelings, patterns of thinking, and values.
In the Ecology, Attention, Action initiative, Andrea was inspiring and energized and reminded our group that offering sustained visual attention to our environments--- the beautiful alongside the difficult and sad--is one of the foundations of knowledge building and action.
Students
Vibha Mandayem
Vibha exemplifies the importance of bridging complex climate data with meaningful community action. As a Student Intern for the Midwest Climate Summit 2026, she has gone above and beyond to connect CWRU students with climate leaders and to create opportunities for interdisciplinary engagement in regional climate conversations. Through this role, she actively highlights how diverse fields of study can contribute to climate solutions and policy dialogue. Vibha’s experience as a Sustainability Ambassador with the Office of Energy and Sustainability, a ThinkEnergy Fellow, and Vice President of Campus Initiatives reflects her strong dedication to sustainability and her ability to lead interdisciplinary teams. She is particularly skilled at fostering thoughtful discussions around renewable energy, equity, and inclusion. More than a passionate advocate, Vibha is a relationship-builder who creates the partnerships necessary to turn sustainability goals into action, making her a true champion of climate leadership.
Kiera Borthwick
Kiera is a fourth-year medical student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, applying for neurology residency this year. She is a member of the Climate and Health Pathway through the School of Medicine and a Sustainability Ambassador with the Office of Energy and Sustainability. During medical school, her longstanding passion for sustainability has evolved into a focus on advancing climate-conscious healthcare and learning about the effects of climate change on health outcomes. She has been an active member of the CWRU Climate and Health Education Collaborative and has been leading a research project to survey healthcare professionals in NE Ohio about climate change and health. This year, she is also co-leading a project to complete the CWRU Planetary Health Report Card, a self-assessment tool used by medical schools around the world to identify an institution's strengths and weaknesses with regards to planetary health education. She has also enjoyed fostering enthusiasm for sustainability among her peers as a former leader and member of the student group "Medical Students for Sustainability", and she hopes to continue integrating sustainability into her medical career and personal life long-term.
Rishabh Kundu
Rishabh is a doctoral student whose commitment to sustainability took shape during his undergraduate years, driven by a growing awareness of the urgency of maintaining planetary health. What began as an academic interest has since evolved into a central focus of his research and professional work. He has worked to integrate sustainability into technical spaces, most notably by organizing a first-of-its-kind sustainability symposium at a major international materials science conference.and is currently working on the second forum for April 2026. Within his department here at CWRU, he is leading the development of an environmental footprint dashboard to support data-driven sustainability decisions. He is also an active member of the International Alliance of Societies for a Sustainable Future, where he was invited as the youngest member of a global working committee tasked with compiling best sustainability practices across universities worldwide. He also collaborates internationally on research examining India’s role in global sustainability efforts.
Anurag Rakesh
Anurag is a sophomore at CWRU, pursuing majors in Neuroscience and Psychology, with minors in Bioethics and Chemistry. His interest in sustainability began during his freshman year with a Food and Environment course, where he developed a strong passion for climate change and sustainability. He is also a Sustainability Ambassador with the Office of Energy and Sustainability and is the VP of campus initiatives for UDC, the Undergraduate Diversity Collaborative, in the fall of 2025 in an effort to expand his impact on the student experience, he’s brought his passion for climate and sustainability topics to this existing roll to leverage the opportunity for seeding sustainability and climate knowledge and action in new ways.
Kayla Hudson
Kayla is a second-year medical student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to sustainability, first founding a climate action committee during high school and continuing that advocacy through various initiatives since. Here at CWRU, Kayla served as co-leader of the student group “Medical Students for Sustainability”, where she helped foster engagement and action among her peers around climate-conscious practices. She has also shown a deep commitment to the local community, organizing and participating in two neighborhood clean-ups with CSR, the medical student government. In addition, she spearheaded new efforts to improve cardboard box recycling within the School of Medicine. Kayla’s peers describe her work as proactive, collaborative, and solutions-oriented. Her peers look to her as a strong example of a thoughtful, effective leader in environmental stewardship.
Past Award Recipients
2024-2025 Academic Year
Faculty
Dr. Cassi Pittman Claytor, Associate Professor of Sociology
Dr. Pittman Claytor has been at CWRU since 2014. She is deeply committed to climate justice and ensuring that marginalized communities are included in conversations about the environment. She led a research study team to better understand the climate attitudes of our Cleveland neighbors and stakeholders on campus. And this Fall she led the creation of a community conversation event on climate justice and fostering local engagement and action at the East Cleveland Library. She teaches a course on race, climate change, and environmental justice that equips students with tools to also create change beyond the classroom.
Dr. Alp Sehirlioglu, Department Chair of Materials Science and Engineering
Dr. Sehirlioglu came to CWRU in 2006 as a research associate, in 2014 he became a tenure track assistant professor. He not only brings a sustainability focus to his classes and his research but to his professional associations, voluntarily taking on roles that drive collaboration for good with groups like the SFS International Alliance of Societies for a Sustainable Future and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is striving to harness his Phd, Masters and undergraduate students to analyze CWRU’s real research and lab footprint to lighten the environmental impact of research, starting with his own department and labs.
Staff
Grant Goodrich, is the Executive Director of the Great Lakes Energy Institute and has been at CWRU since 2016. Grant was a co-founder of the CWRU Climate Action Network and has helped create three Climate Action Weeks on campus. He strives to bring sustainability and Climate to much of his work on campus and in the community. He is a part of the CWRU team consulting with the City of Cleveland’s decarbonization planning efforts. He represents CWRU and the School of engineering in many community conversations about local climate action and is always striving to think critically about how to harness CWRU’s community to do good outside of our institution’s walls. Grant is also on the campus Sustainability & Energy Committee.
Dr. Ina Martin, is the Director of Research Cores and Operations with the Office of Research & Technology Management AND is Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Dr. Martin was a co-founder of the CWRU Climate Action Network, has led three CWRU Climate Action Weeks, and also worked on the CWRU CAN research study team to better understand the climate attitudes of our Cleveland neighbors and campus stakeholders. She helped create and lead the Lab Greening Committee and helped create the Quad Clean out program that has moved 50,000 tons of end of life or broken materials out of CWRU labs. And she’s mentored dozens of students doing sustainability and climate-oriented research on campus. She is also on the campus Sustainability & Energy Committee.
Laurie Dudik has worked at CWRU for 39 years, since 1986. She is a Managing Engineer in the Engineering Design Center. Laurie was also a founding member of the Lab Greening Committee four years ago. Due to Laurie’s volunteer efforts, organizational prowess, and collaborative nature, the three-year quad cleanout total material collected exceeds 50,000 pounds, recycled, re-homed, and properly disposed of metal, small equipment (some of it not so small), and e-waste! Laurie brings a sustainability mindset to her lab, school and work.
Students
Shejuti Wahed is a senior graduating this Spring with a Neuroscience B.S., a Psychology B.A., Minoring in Bioethics, Medical Humanities and Chemistry. She is a student sustainability ambassador with the Office of Energy & Sustainability and was also the Climate Action Network’s most excellent intern for this year’s Climate Action Month. Shejuti was involved in planning most (if not all) of the 2024 Climate Action Month events, from booking rooms, to speaking on panels, and bringing together students across campus, as well as doing ALL the social media. She's a truly effective student leader really driving collaboration between many student groups on sustainability and climate topics.
Joel Linebach is anticipating completing a PhD in Macromolecular science and engineering in 2026, he’s been at CWRU for seven years for his undergrad, masters, and now PhD.
Joel is studying sustainable processing for recycled plastics and is directly involved with Precious Plastics, a student group chapter of an international project. The local Precious Plastics group is working to take some of CWRU’s plastic recycling stream and turn it into new usable products right here on campus. Joel also choreographed a dance performance about plastic waste and recycling which was performed in Chicago last month.
2019-2020 Academic Year
Faculty: Dr. Beverly Saylor, Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences Department and endowed Armington Professor
Student: Maia Gallagher, Civil Engineering, class of 2020, Sustainability House Captain (leader), former Student Sustainability Council Chair
Staff: Siu Yan Scott, School of Medicine Registrar, Master Recycler
Learn more about these winners in our 2020 news post about the awards.
2018-2019 Academic Year
Faculty: Dr. Kurt Rhoads, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at CWRU and the director of the new first-year engineering experience.
Students: John Turner, MBA student who also studied at CWRU for his undergraduate degree with a dual major in Economic and Environmental Studies. He is a Fowler Family Fellowship Recipient of the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit. Catherine Chervenak, Biology and Environmental Studies dual major has served as a Sustainability Ambassador with the Office of Energy & Sustainability for two years.
Staff: Sam Arlia, Mechanical Coordinator for Plumbing in the Facilities Services Department.
Learn more about these winners in our 2019 news post about the awards.
2017-2018 Academic Year
Faculty: Dr. Chris Laszlo, PhD, Professor of Organizational Behavior, former Executive Director of the Fowler Center, currently leading the Quantum Leadership initiative at Weatherhead.
Students: Cara Fagerholm, fifth-year Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Studies major, member of the initial cohort living in the CWRU Sustainability House and past chair of the Student Sustainability Council (SSC). Also, Naveen Rehman, fourth-year Nutritional Biochemistry major/ Religious Studies minor, held many exec positions with CWRU’s Food Recovery Network, and instrumental in the development and expansion CWRU's Food Symposium, Sustainability Ambassador for the Office for Sustainability.
Staff: Bill Frank, CWRU Biomedical Service Engineer, recipient of the 1995 CWRU President's Distinguished Service Award.
Learn more about these winners in our 2018 news post about the awards.
2016-2017 Academic Year
Faculty: Dr. Narcisz Fejes, SAGES professor in the CWRU College of Arts and Sciences; and faculty advisor of CWRU’s Food Recovery Network
Student: Grace Cammarn, Statistics and Environmental Studies major with a Spanish minor, Student Sustainability Council past Chair and past PR Director, former Office for Sustainability SURES intern and student worker
Staff: Brian Gray, Team Leader of Research Services at Kelvin Smith Library; Librarian of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Macromolecular Science & Engineering; and Chair of the Garden@Case
Learn more in our 2017 news post about the awards.
2015-2016 Academic Year
Faculty: Dr. Peter McCall, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences professor
Students: Matt Patten and Kelly Hacker, both Mechanical Engineering majors, University Farm SURES research students
Staff: Kathleen Dowdell, Senior Administrator at the Department of Anthropology
Learn more on our 2016 news post about the event and the awards.
2014-2015 Academic Year
Faculty: Dr. Karen Braun, Associate Professor of Accountancy, Weatherhead School of Management
Students: Mischelle Brown, Positive Organization Development and Change graduate student and Steven Cramer, Cognitive Science and Economics major and Chair of the Student Sustainability Council
Staff: Gene Matthews, Director of Facilities Services and Kathy O’Linn, HR and Facilities Manager FPB School of Nursing and Green Team Leader
Learn more on our 2015 news post about the event and the awards.