The CSF staff is a sustainability-minded group of undergraduate and graduate students here to help you with your project or project idea, whatever it may be.

Kyle Mcdermott (He/Him)

CSF Program Manager

csfprogram@uw.edu
3rd Year PhD , Sustainable Systems & Prototypes, College of Built Environment
Tucson, AZ

 

Hello! I oversee the CSF, its student staff, University partnerships, strategic direction, and fiscal processes. I have a diverse background, working in fields ranging from Information Technology, journalism, youth education, to soil and plant sciences and research. These experiences shape my approach to sustainability and the importance of making connections across disciplines.

I completed my master’s degree at UW in 2019, writing a 78-page report on the recent organizational development and strategic planning efforts by the CSF staff and Committee. I am now a PhD in the UW’s College of Built Environment and manage the CSF in a full-time capacity. When not thinking about ways to improve the CSF, I spend my time bicycle touring, cooking, and experimenting with manual photography techniques.

Tatiana Brown (She/Her)

CSF Coordinator

csfcoord@uw.edu
MPA/MPH
Vienna, VA

 

Originally from Virginia, Tatiana (she/hers) is at the UW as a dual master's candidate at the School of Public Health and Public Policy. She hopes to learn how to create better solutions for the US healthcare system and establish health as a human right. Given her interdisciplinary background largely focused on anthropology, health disparities, food justice, mutual aid, and coalition building, the CSF felt like a natural fit. 

Tatiana is particularly excited about the CSF's dual commitment to sustainability — both fighting for sociocultural longevity and environmental justice. As the CSF Coordinator, Tatiana is responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic visioning. Tatiana hopes to build key relationships throughout her three years at UW that will help the CSF become a beacon for justice work and a leader in environmental innovation. She is looking forward to meeting all the students she will have the opportunity to work with and learn from.

When not studying, she enjoys discovering new music, anything outdoors, cooking (and eating new foods), and exploring the city.

Francis Abugbilla (He/Him)

Diversity Equity and Inclusion Coordinator

equitysustain@uw.edu
Ph.D , Ph.D. candidate in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies
Bawku, Ghana

 

Francis is a Ph.D. candidate in international studies in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. He is currently a Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation 2021 Emerging Scholar and a Visiting Researcher at the German Development Institute in Bonn, Germany. His dissertation research is on conflicts and peacebuilding in post-conflict societies. He researches sustainable conflict resolution mechanisms in Africa.

Francis is actively engaged in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives on campus. He has served on the Jackson School of International Studies Diversity and Equity Committee where he advocated for the recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff of color. He is currently the graduate representative to UW Population Health Initiative Executive Council to advance health equity on campus and beyond.

In addition to his academic research and DEI advocacy, Francis is an environmental justice advocate and social entrepreneur. He has been championing rural electrification efforts in his home country of Ghana using solar. In 2018 and 2019, he received the Marcy Migdal Fund for Educational Equality from the UW and fundraised to electrify his community's primary and junior high schools as well as the teachers’ quarters. He believes in sustainability and renewable energy. He is currently collaborating with the UW chapter of Engineers Without Borders to manufacture substantive charging stations for the community and also with the UW Global Renewables Infrastructure Development (GRID) to design solar modules for fundraising to build a computer laboratory and a library complex for the community.

Born and raised in rural Ghana, when he is not working on his research and promoting social justice, he loves to enjoy the beauty of nature. His pastimes are hiking and jogging.

Gulsima Young (she/hers)

Project Development Specialist

csfproj@uw.edu
Junior , Environmental Studies and Informatics
Pullman, WA

 

Hello! My name is Gulsima and I am a Junior at UW pursuing a double degree in Environmental Studies and Informatics. I am from Kazakhstan, and I grew up in Pullman, Washington. While at UW, I have enjoyed interning at the UW Farm, working as an Undergraduate Research Assistant, and serving as a TA for an introductory Informatics course. Some of my areas of interest include environmental justice, food systems, transportation, and policy. I love biking, gardening, cooking with friends, and going on walks around Seattle!

I am excited about the CSF’s commitment to the fundamental role of intersectionality and resilience within the realm of sustainability, and to begin speaking with students about their experiences and ideas. As the Project Development Specialist, I look forward to providing support for projects that enrich diversity, wellbeing, equity, and environmental stewardship on campus and beyond.

Kort Maeda (She/Hers)

CSF Outreach Coordinator

uwcsf@uw.edu
Freshman , Visual Communication Design and Environmental Studies
Irvine, CA

 

Hi there! My name is Kort and I am incredibly excited to dive into my role as the Outreach Coordinator with the CSF to continue to foster an inclusive community surrounding student-led projects. I am passionate about redefining the sustainability narrative away from mainstream environmentalism and towards the intersections of race, class, and gender within environmental justice. I find myself most drawn to combining my interest in sustainability across cultures, visual design, and the human experience of place. I find it fascinating to explore the ways that we can integrate all facets of creativity, storytelling, and media into creating compelling narratives around justice-centered sustainability.

A little bit about me, I’m a first-year student pursuing a double degree in Visual Communication Design and Environmental Studies. I was born in New York and have lived in Southern California for most of my life until recently moving (and falling in love with) Washington. On slow days and whenever I can, you can find me rock climbing, experimenting with film photography, and designing typography posters. I’m a curiosity-driven creative who likes to ask a lot of questions — about how the world around us works and how we can create inclusive spaces for conversation and ultimately, transformative change. 

My experience working as a graphic designer for The Daily, serving as Actions Lead for the UW Sunrise Movement, and doing fieldwork as a Marine Naturalist Interpreter has shown me the need for BIPOC representation and experiences across media and within environmental spaces. I can’t express this enough — there is a role and space for everyone within environmental justice. I am excited for what’s in store in the year ahead, let’s get in touch!