Our Team

Meet the team behind sustainability initiatives at Penn! Housed in Facilities and Real Estate Services (FRES), Penn's Sustainability Office includes Sustainability Director Nina Morris, Sustainability Coordinator Austin Sutherland, and many great undergraduate and graduate interns!

  

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Nina Morris

Sustainability Director

Beginning in October 2020, Nina Morris joined the office as the Sustainability Director. Nina is responsible for managing the sustainability staff; tracking and reporting key performance indicators; and providing outreach, education, and collaboration with stakeholders to improve sustainability performance across campus. She also serves as the University’s primary spokesperson regarding sustainability performance and is responsible for compliance with University membership requirements for the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, the Ivy+ Sustainability Consortium, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, and the Global University Leadership Forum’s International Sustainability Campus Network.

Previously, Nina worked for 10 years at the University of Virginia's Office for Sustainability. There, she served as co-chair of the Civic Engagement Subcommittee and helped found and run the Equity & Environment Fund and hosted annual environmental justice events. Nina holds a B.A. in Spanish & Religious Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and a M.S. in Community and Regional Planning from Temple University. Nina is a LEED Green Associate, certified PROSCI Change Practitioner, and a mother who can be found exploring Philadelphia’s parks and playgrounds during her family time.

 

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Noah Swistak

Sustainability Manager

Noah is the Sustainability Manager in the University of Pennsylvania's Sustainability Office. He implements projects in support of the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan across a broad spectrum of sustainability topics such as decarbonization, GHG reporting, stormwater management, procurement, transportation, and waste. Noah also helps oversee the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee, manages the Student Eco-Reps program and School & Center Sustainability Coordinators group, and assists in the production of many of the Sustainability Office's outreach events.

Previously, Noah worked as the Membership Director for the Philadelphia-based Energy Co-op where he managed all campaigns and analyses pertaining to the cooperative’s sales, customer and business development; ran an internship program; and served as a subject matter expert for renewable energy financing, campus sustainability planning, and emerging renewable power technologies. Previous to his time at The Energy Co-op, Noah worked for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) as their Membership Development Manager. In this role, Noah provided direct technical consultation to academic member institutions to further their sustainability and decarbonization goals and supported the annual AASHE international sustainability conference. He received his Master of City Planning degree from the Stuart Weitzman School of Design in 2010 and his Bachelor of Arts in Geography from Villanova University in 2008. Noah lives in Philadelphia and serves on the Board of Directors and Zoning Committee of his neighborhood civic group, the Queen Village Neighbors Association

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Austin Sutherland

Sustainability Analyst

Austin is the Sustainability Analyst in the University of Pennsylvania Sustainability Office. Austin serves as the primary data and metrics analyst by collecting and reporting university sustainability performance metrics. He oversees the Green Office Certification program, Green Labs, ULT Freezer Rebate Program, the Integrating Sustainability across the Curriculum (ISAC) program, and the Civic Sustainability Fellows (CSF). Austin is also responsible for submitting University sustainability data to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), and the City of Philadelphia.

Previously, Austin worked for a local recycling and waste company, consulting on sustainability and landfill diversion projects. There, he was responsible for supplier emissions reporting as well as identifying new zero waste strategies tailored to each clients’ operations. Prior to that, he worked at the University of South Carolina as their Sustainability Coordinator where he lead the completion and submittal of the university’s comprehensive sustainability report (AASHE’s STARS); managed the office’s financial operations; tracked progress on university sustainability goals; and supervised the Sustainable Carolina Garden program. During his time at USC, he was selected to participate in the Obama Foundation’s inaugural Community Leadership Corp where he started an initiative in Columbia, SC providing Latinx and undocumented high school students and their parents with resources to pursue a higher education after graduating high school. Austin holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of South Carolina and is a LEED Green Associate. Austin has lived in Philadelphia since 2020 and in his free time you will likely find him hiking; camping; kayaking; with his two rescue dogs, Lizzie and Willow, in tow.

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Faith Bochert

Undergraduate Outreach Intern 

Faith is a junior from Denver, studying Finance and Business, Energy, Environment, and Sustainability with a minor in Environmental Humanities. At Penn she is a cheerleader, Co-President of Penn for Wildlife, and on the executive board of Alpha Phi sorority. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys hiking, running, and crafting.

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Emily Shaw

Graduate Sustainability Intern 

Emily Shaw is a Master of Architecture candidate at Penn's Weitzman School of Design. She earned her BA in design at UC Davis, where she focused her studies on sustainability in the built environment and using design as a form of activism. While at Penn, Emily hopes to further her studies in sustainability and community engagement in architecture and design. When Emily isn't working, you can find her practicing pet photography with her cats. 

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Gigi Lam

Undergraduate Green Labs Intern

Gigi Lam is the Summer Green Labs Intern with Penn Sustainability. She is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania, studying Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a concentration in energy and the environment and a minor in architecture. She is passionate about developing interdisciplinary solutions to the climate crisis and education on sustainability. At Penn, Gigi is involved in APO, a community service organization and Soundworks Tap Factory, a tap dance group. In her free time, Gigi enjoys drawing and painting, playing the ukulele, and hiking.