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UVA Office for Sustainability launched the Staff Sustainability Leadership Program professional development pilot to engage UVA staff in advancing initiatives that conserve resources and reduce waste within their departments. Participants will build sustainability knowledge, strengthen leadership skills, and implement a workplace project focused on waste reduction, in support of UVA’s 2030 sustainability goals.  

The program kicked off with a gathering of 22 participants over Zoom (due to inclement weather) on Thursday, Jan. 29, and will include bi-weekly, in-person sessions from January through April, followed by monthly project support meetings from May to July. The program will conclude with a final showcase and reception in August. This professional development program is offered at no cost to UVA staff.  

“This program is an opportunity to galvanize the passion and expertise among our staff here at UVA,” said Shannon Sahs, Education and Outreach Specialist at the Office for Sustainability. “We look forward to bringing this cohort together, learning from one another, and seeing the impacts of their waste-reduction projects at the end of the summer.”

The 2026 cohort is made up of a group of staff members from across UVA, ranging from Housing and Residential Life, the Darden Institute for Business in Society, Student Affairs, Virginia Humanities, and eight members from various departments across UVA Health. Participants will first learn about the University’s sustainability goals and programs, with a focus on waste reduction. The staff members will also learn sustainability leadership and change management skills, in order to develop waste reduction projects tailored to their department.

Participant Reflections

"At the Center for Community Partnerships and in the Starr Hill Pathways Program, we have been wanting to integrate sustainability holistically into our programs. I am excited to be part of this cohort and to do this work in community." — DeVon Wade, College and Career Access Program Manager, Center for Community Partnerships

"My motivation for joining is that environmental health is innate to public health — there has been a recognition of this connection and cultural shift at our school. I recognize in our students that there is a desire to do more for sustainability. I am interested in learning more and incorporating sustainability into the curriculum for students." — Alexa Eisenbart, Accreditation Specialist, Department of Public Health Sciences