Alumni & Community Partners
Alumni
After leaving DePaul, our wonderful “Green Blue Demon” Alumni spread out around the world to make a change. Many of our Alumni are working in sustainability and environmental justice positions here in Chicagoland and across the world.
If you are a DePaul Alumni working in Sustainability and Environmental Justice and don’t see your name, please let us know here.
| Name | Areas of Research/Creative Work |
| Dana Yanocha | Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) |
| Joana Zaidan | Project Manager at WSP, USA working for CDOT‘s Livable Streets Program |
| Marisol Becerra | Program Officer for Climate Solutions, The Joyce Foundation |
| April Janssen Mahajan | Sustainability Manager, Waste Management at ALDI USA |
| Erin McConnaughhay | Network Operations at Shell Recharge Solutions |
| Isabella Corya | Director of Zoning and Sustainable Urban Development: 43rd Ward of the City of Chicago |
| Kyle Acevedo | FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance(FMA) Grant programs |
| Mike Shiffer | Senior Vice President, New York City MTA Regional Planning |
| Gary Scott | Senior Project Manager, Pace Bus |
| Ashley Fisseha | Foreign Service Officer at U.S. Department of State (previously Tribal and Environmental Justice Coordinator at the EPA) |
| DJ Forbes | Public Grants Manager at Trust for Public Land |
| Molly O’Donnell | Program Director, El Fuego del Sol (Haiti-based anti-deforestation nonprofit) |
| Cassandra Allen | Lead GIS Specialist for Web and Mobile GIS at Bureau of Land Management Arizona |
| Diana Rodriguez | Senior Manager, Niyam IT (works with FEMA on flooding and risk mapping) |
| Susi Acord | Development Manager, Schoodic Institute, Acadia National Park |
| Stijn Van Der Slot | Urban Planner, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Reilly O’Neill | Chicago Dept. of Transportation, Complete Streets Planner + Project Manager |
| Dominique Edwards | Benton Harbor Justice 40 Project Manager, West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum |
| Jesse Schaffer | Farmer Training Coordinator, The Land Connection |
| Mike Davidson | President and CEO of Openlands |
| Kadee Tseitlin | Nature Conservancy |
Community Partners
At DePaul, we learn in partnership and by taking action with Chicagoland communities and community-based organizations. Our students and faculty join with organizations in teaching and research. We also learn from the leadership and innovations of Chicago communities and organizations in the areas of environmental action, sustainable workplaces and communities, and social and environmental justice.
Members of the DePaul community and those who want to connect with community-based organizations can reach out to the Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning. Community organizations who seek university partners can contact the Steans Center or our other community-engaged initiatives, including the Center for Community Health Equity, HumanitiesX, and the Student Urban Research Corps.
Featured Teaching Partner: Friends of the Chicago River
For 44 years, Friends of the Chicago River has been devoted to improving the ecological health of the Chicago River system for us humans, plants, and animal life. Friends has an outreach, educational, and engagement mission, and is a great partner for faculty looking to engage students in science, Chicago’s natural spaces (they give great group tours of the river by kayak!) or environmental advocacy.
In Spring 2023, Friends partnered with Profs. Steve Harp (Art) and Miles Harvey (English) in a course called “Rivers of Life: Documenting Chicago’s South Side and its Waterways in Words and Images.”
Featured Project Partner: NeighborSpace
NeighborSpace is the only nonprofit urban land trust in Chicago that preserves and sustains gardens on behalf of dedicated community groups.
NeighborSpace has worked extensively with Howard Rosing to evaluate a pilot composting program that could improve food access in the city.
Engage with Chicagoland’s Sustainability Community
If you are a faculty or staff member looking for a sustainability-focused organization to connect with in your teaching or research, reach out to the Steans Center. You can also visit the Collaboratory, DePaul’s online database of community engagement, and review activities, community organizations, faculty and staff, and courses related to sustainability.
Students, volunteer your time and talents on Vincentian Service Day, or any day!
Here are just a few of our community partners working on sustainability…
Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development
Openlands
Divvy Bikes
