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 Director

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

 

Hello! I oversee the UW Campus Sustainability Fund (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, higher-ed curriculum development/teaching, 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 Environmental Horticulture in 2019 with an emphasis on nonprofit management, and am now a PhD student in the UW’s College of Built Environments and manage the CSF in a full-time capacity. In the spring of 2022, I built & taught curriculum for a core, 5-credit course titled "Society And Sustainable Environments" for UW's undergraduate Environmental Science and Resource Management (ESRM) Program. Through my various endevours, I work to emphasize the importance of culture & class in how sustainability is conceptualized and enacted. I encourage students to go beyond mainstream, manufactured, and transactional sustainability narratives by looking at everyday, colloquial examples that are personally resonant and relational.

Outside the world of academia, you can find me practicing my cross-over dribble at the local basketball court, involved in community efforts, or watching hummingbirds come through my native plants garden. 

Tatiana Brown (She/Her)

CSF Associate Program Director

csfcoord@uw.edu
3rd Year Masters , MPA/MPH
Vienna, VA

 

Tatiana (she/hers) is the Associate Program Director for the Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) here at UW-Seattle. She leads our day-to-day operations, strategic visioning, and student committees (e.g., CSF Committee and Student Energy Task Force). Tatiana works closely with the Program Director on managing our long-term partnerships and capacity building to bring more opportunities for you all the engage with justice-centered sustainability! At the Evans School of Public Policy, Tatiana focuses on social and economic policy – exploring the connections between creating sustainable societies and regenerative economies. At the School of Public Health, Tatiana concentrates in Health Systems and Policy to better understand how social determinants of health (e.g., wealth, policy, built environment, racism, etc.) impact our health outcomes on the community and population levels. Overall, Tatiana approaches sustainability as a solution for inequity and injustice. She carries theories like Just Transition and Political Determinants of Health into her work – to achieve justice, sovereignty, and sustainability, we must prioritize relationships, practice reciprocity, strive for deep democracy, and invest in the power of communities of color.

These past two years, she has greatly enjoyed deepening connections with the UW community to further shift the perception of sustainability away from the traditional, white-centric narrative into an intersectional collaboration for a just future. This year, she is most looking forward to growing the CSF’s Intersectional Sustainability Initiative – on the docket are putting together a BIPOC student collective to reclaim our role in the environmental/sustainability movement and working with the UW Sustainability Office to amplify student voices in university-wide decisions related to sustainability.

Outside of her studies, Tatiana enjoys spending time with friends, exploring the city, cooking and trying new restaurants, and getting outside!

Boyang 'Boe' Zhou (He/Him)

CSF Grant and Project Coordinator

csfproj@uw.edu
Junior , Bachelor’s in Computer Science and Environmental Studies
Nanjing, China

 

Boe Zhou is pursuing a double degree in Computer Science and Environmental Studies at UW. He is enthusiastic about utilizing AI and data to create impartial and accessible solutions for environmental and societal challenges. Boe perceives CSF as the central hub for student engagement in all things sustainability, serving as the catalyst for building a resilient UW community. As the Grant and Project Coordinator, Boe assists prospective project teams in navigating the grant application process and supports active project teams through check-in meetings, partnership building, and resource sharing. Additionally, Boe is responsible for collecting and analyzing project metrics to evaluate student engagement and impact.

Previously at UW, Boe worked as an undergraduate researcher at the UW Reality Lab and Climate Risk Lab, where he explored innovative approaches to sustainable healthcare and data transparency. Boe has also been involved in ASUW and has held roles in various committees advocating for the student body.

In Boe's free time, he enjoys developing games for VR, climbing, and biking around the Burke-Gilman Trail.

Kort Maeda (She/Her)

CSF Outreach and Education Coordinator

uwcsf@uw.edu
Junior , Bachelor’s in Visual Communication Design and Environmental Studies
Irvine, CA

 

Kort is an undergraduate student pursuing a double degree in Visual Communication Design and Environmental Studies with a minor in Urban Ecological Design. She is interested in how creativity and storytelling can center BIPOC narratives within justice-centered work. Kort is passionate about equity in outdoor spaces, decolonizing sustainability narratives, and community organizing. As the CSF Outreach and Education Coordinator, Kort focuses on building community and engaging in conversations about intersectional sustainability in non-traditional environmental spheres. This past year, she collaborated with the team to publish the CSF Resource Guide, an introduction to intersectional sustainability for students. Kort is excited to continue amplifying groups working to redefine the sustainability narrative on campus away from mainstream environmentalism. This year, she hopes to focus on expanding education outreach and integrating arts by creating a CSF zine.

On slow days and when the sun is out, she enjoys rock climbing, mountain biking, experimenting with film photography, and making all kinds of art.