Meet the Sustainable Campus Team: 2020-2021
Elizabeth Swiman
Position at Sustainable Campus: Director, 13 years
Favorite part of your job: seeing the impact we have on campus, working with incredible students who are going to take over the world!
What is one way you incorporate sustainability into your daily life? Constantly advocating for sustainability - I carry it with me everywhere I go, in everything I do. I’m “that” girl...my friends and colleagues love it!
Currently reading/listening to: reading a book about sand and the immense positive and negative impact it has in our lives and on the planet
Fun fact: I used to be an alligator biologist!
Cyndel Brunell, M. Ed.
Position at Sustainable Campus: Sustainability Engagement Coordinator, I’ve been here 2 years and 3 months
Favorite part of your job: Learning from all the amazing students I get to work with. I am a better student affairs and sustainability professional because of them.
What is one way you incorporate sustainability into your daily life? Re-purposing! I love re-purposing or upcycling items into new things. I am a really crafty person and love reimagining fibers or materials as something new.
Currently reading/listening to: Folklore on repeat. Sorry, not sorry. My friendship with my two best friends is build upon running and Taylor Swift.
Fun fact: My name comes from a Star Wars spin-off movie!
Laurelin Haas
Position at Sustainable Campus: Academics and Partnerships Coordinator since July, 2019
Program of study: Also graduate student in the Masters of Public Administration program
Favorite part of your job: I love getting to connect with people across campus and the Tallahassee community who are passionate about sustainability!
What is one way you incorporate sustainability into your daily life? I cook the majority of my meals, and at home, I have a vegetarian kitchen. But when I treat myself and eat out, all bets are off!
Recently Finished Reading: Saving Florida: Women’s Fight for the Environment in the Twentieth Century by Leslie Kemp Poole. It’s a super inspirational book about female environmental leaders right here in Florida and how women helped push the environmental movement forward across the United States!
Fun fact: I’m a proud corgi aunt, I might be addicted to bubble tea, and my quarantine hobby is learning how to play the ukulele!
Michelle Presley
Position at Sustainable Campus: Communications Coordinator, been with SC for one year
Favorite part of your job: My favorite part of working for SC is working alongside my amazing and passionate colleagues. It’s such a great environment to bounce ideas off of one another and collaborate.
What is one way you incorporate sustainability into your daily life? One way I incorporate sustainability into my daily life is by buying the things I need secondhand. This started out as a love of finding unique clothing pieces at thrift stores, but slowly I’ve begun to shop secondhand for nearly everything I need including furniture, decorations, kitchen supplies, sports and outdoor gear, and more!
Currently reading/listening to: I am currently reading White Fragility by Robin DiAnhelo with a book club. I am also listening to the podcast This Land by Crooked Media about the Supreme Court case that decided tribal ownership in Oklahoma.
Fun fact: I earned both of my degrees from FSU (B.A. in English Literature in 2014 and a Master's in Public Interest Media and Communication in 2020)
Stephanie Cornais
Position at Sustainable Campus: Sustainability Coordinator, been here just a few months, but in a pandemic it feels like a few years!
Favorite part of working at Sustainable Campus: My favorite part of working with Sustainable Campus is getting to know my co-workers, they are all amazing women!
What is one way you incorporate sustainability into your daily life? Composting and gardening is my favorite daily activity.
Currently reading/listening to: The Bell Jar by Slyvia Plath and listening to Hamilton Soundtrack, over and over and over again.
Fun fact: My 10 year old (almost 11 she would say!) daughter and my beloved husband of 17 years is my entire world.
Jake Tidwell
Title: Graduate Assistant since August 2020
Student Status: First year grad student, Higher Education program
Favorite Part: So far, working on the bikes!
Sustainability in my Life: Most of my house has been thrifted/bought secondhand (furniture, clothes, etc.) and I’m working on eliminating single use products entirely
Currently Reading/Listening to: A lot of grad school readings, but also working through my book backlog. Next up is The Crises of Capitalism: A Different Study of Political Economy by Saral Sarkar. Currently listening to The Shutdown Fullcast (podcast), early 2000’s rock hits, and Star Wars scores on repeat.
Fun fact: I am currently planning on running an Ironman before I graduate (fingers crossed), I have one cat who is the worst roommate in the world at 7 am every day, and my favorite hobby is Microsoft Excel
Diana Conrad
Position at Sustainable Campus: Food Recovery Network Coordinator I’ve been with SC for 3 years!
Year in school and program of study: Senior, B.S. Chemistry, minor in Mathematics
Favorite part of working at Sustainable Campus: I love the work environment we have! It’s amazing to be surrounded by people who share a similar world vision and are dedicated to making a difference. I love hearing their ideas and perspectives on things.
What is one way you incorporate sustainability into your daily life? I try to refuse single-use plastics whenever I can! It’s an easy way I can reduce the amount of waste I’m producing. Whether it be ordering food and asking for no utensils, buying produce that doesn’t come wrapped in plastic, bringing a reusable bag to any store I go to, or even skipping a bag all together, it’s amazing to see how unnecessary single-use plastic truly is.
Currently reading/listening to: I’m currently reading Circe by Madeline Miller for fun and Atomic Habits by James Clear to get inspired to set up some habits for the new school year!
Fun fact: I love hiking! Last school year I started going to Florida State Parks frequently because it’s such a fun and low-cost activity. So far I’ve been to 40 of the 175 state parks in Florida!
Jordan Welniak
Position at Sustainable Campus: Now with SC as an employee for 1 year as the role of ReCycle Bike Coordinator. I have also been volunteering and attending SC events for over 4 years.
Year in school and program of study: I will be a senior this fall studying Marketing with a completed minor in Communications as well!
Favorite part of working at Sustainable Campus: My favorite part about working at Sustainable Campus is meeting new people from around Florida State that share the similar passion and interest in sustainability.
What is one way you incorporate sustainability into your daily life? I am able to incorporate sustainable transportation into my life by biking to work instead of driving a car! I am always looking to make everyday swaps to sustainable alternatives. Right now, I’m doing a sustainable overhaul on how I do laundry, including eliminating single-use products.
Currently reading/listening to: I am a huge fan of podcasts! I listen to new podcasts all the time, but right now I like to listen to an episode of “Stuff You Should Know” by iHeartRadio once a week to learn about new topics.
Fun fact: My fun fact is that I LOVE to craft and make art with my friends! Painting, tie dying, thrifting and flipping clothing/furniture...anything like that and I’m in.
Emma Masters
Position at Sustainable Campus: Seminole Organic Garden Coordinator, been working with SC 1 Year, but attending the garden and Take Back the Tap since my freshman year; Food Recovery Network since my Sophomore year.
Year in school and program of study: B.S Environmental Science, B.A Spanish, and a minor in Biology. Senior graduating in Spring 2021
Favorite part of working at Sustainable Campus: Not just “reinventing” the sustainability wheel but completely taking the wheel apart and our ideas about student engagement to find new ways to integrate sustainability into the lives of college students. Students have so much power and influence, it’s awesome to know we help the up and coming leaders!
What is one way you incorporate sustainability into your daily life? I love growing my own vegetables and try to share as many of my vegetarian meals with others. I’ve been a vegetarian for 4.5 years and my wallet probably appreciates the endeavour the most, the environment second, and my friends who get free food third.
Currently reading/listening to: I am currently listening to Little Fires Everywhere on audible, which very subtly discusses the importance of owning what truly matters to you and taking those things with you from place to place within the story, not amassing things you don’t need or want.
Fun fact: Tea is one of my favorite drinks, and when you have access to flowers and herbs, it takes on an art form of it’s own.
Tayah Meattey
Position at Sustainable Campus: Social Media Coordinator; Been working at SC for 1 year. Been with SC for 4 years (Since Freshman Year volunteering)
Year in school and program of study: Senior; B.S. in Media/Communications Studies and B.S. in Hospitality/Tourism Management with minors in General Business, Psychology, and Hospitality Entrepreneurship
Favorite part of working at Sustainable Campus: My favorite part of working at SC is being able to combine my professional goals with my personal passions. As a communications student and avid SC volunteer, I was thrilled to hear that there was an opportunity to get integrated in the environmental communications field through our office. I also love my coworkers! I love that while we all have different backgrounds, career goals, and areas of expertise, we are all able to come together through our passion for sustainability and work towards our common goals. Through Sustainable Campus, I have learned that there is room for sustainability in every career field and room for everyone at the table.
What is one way you incorporate sustainability into your daily life? When it comes to my personal sustainability journey, I am a big believer in the phrase “small actions lead to big change.” I try my best to carry this idea with me and make as many conscious choices as I can each day. Whether this be recycling in my home, skipping the plastic silverware, eating a plant based meal, or being aware of my purchases, I try to continuously incorporate sustainability into my daily life. The most important thing I try to remember is that sustainability is not “all or nothing.”
Currently reading/listening to: Currently I am loving the new “Michelle Obama Podcast”! I find her to be a huge inspiration and I love the fun tone to her podcast while still having the deeper conversations and keeping the fresh.
Fun Fact: I love anything and everything pop culture related. If you need someone to chat about the latest celebrity gossip, watch reality TV, or send TikToks to, I’m your person.
Erin McCormick
Position at Sustainable Campus: Graphic Designer, just started with Sustainable Campus.
Year in school and program of study: Junior studying Media Communications Studies and Psychology
Favorite part of working at Sustainable Campus: So far, I’ve enjoyed how open and welcoming everyone in Sustainable Campus is, and I’m excited to be a part of something that contributes such meaningful work to FSU.
What is one way you incorporate sustainability into your daily life? I try to buy a majority of my furniture and clothes from thrift stores and re-purpose things I already own.
Currently reading/listening to: I’m currently reading The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison, and I’ve been listening to NPR’s Throughline podcast.
Fun fact: I’m a triplet.