Dr. Anthony Levenda, Director
I am the Director of the Center for Climate Action and Sustainability and a member of the faculty here at Evergreen. My work focuses on building a community for climate action and learning through the CCAS and the programs that I teach. I developed and taught the Climate Policy and Action Certificate Program in PaCE to help students learn about climate science, the policy process, and different approaches to climate advocacy. Starting in Fall 2025, I will also be teaching in the Master of Environmental Studies program. I recently co-edited a book, Urban Climate Justice (UGA Press 2023), and have written about energy transitions, urban political ecology, critical theory, and more. My current research focuses on energy justice in the Pacific Northwest. I hold a PhD in Urban Studies from Portland State University, a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. (he/him) Anthony.Levenda@evergreen.edu
Michael Joseph, Assistant Director
First connecting with Evergreen in 2013, Michael has since worked to connect students, faculty, and community partners through sustainability projects that blend creativity, education, and real-world impact. With a passion for Solarpunk (a meliorism movement that imagines hopeful, sustainable futures rooted in equity and community resilience) Michael integrates this ethos into everything from campus initiatives to game-based learning.
Michael specializes in Regenerative Design-Thinking and sustainable project management, helping students and community partners plan, organize, and sustain projects with long-term succession or legacy plans in mind. He is always excited to hear new ideas and support emerging projects through the Idea Intake Form.
One of his favorite projects to date is the Thunderdome Solar Array, a large-scale renewable energy project revitalized through CCAS student leadership and campus partnerships. This built on Michael’s earlier undergraduate work with peer students to launch the $175,000 Tacoma Campus Solar PV array, and was co-funded through the Clean Energy Committee and Department of Commerce.
Active Advisory Boards and Committees:
- Clean Energy Committee Advisor
- Campus Space and Land Use Group Consultant
- WA Tabletop Gaming Alliance’s Non-Profit and Education Advisory Board member
- Indigenous Futurists Society Advisor
- Campus Sustainability Council member
- Olympia Green Drinks Volunteer Coordinator
- South Sound ECO-Net Grants Advisory Board
For guidance or collaboration on sustainability projects or initiatives, reach out and book time with him.
Marisa Gilbert, Assistant Undergraduate
Hello! I’m Marisa, a sophomore in The Evergreen State College’s undergraduate program, where I am studying humanities and the environment, with the aim of a career in literature. I was born and (mostly) raised in Michoacan, Mexico, with some stops throughout North America. I have come to love every environment in which I have resided, especially here in the Pacific Northwest! I have always maintained an unflappable deep appreciation for and will to safeguard the natural world amidst an increasingly volatile international effort towards its exploitation. I have worked under various environmentally based non-profits such as The Save Our Monarchs Foundation, centered around Monarch habitat restoration, population growth and community outreach. Currently, I am also working for Grupo Cuidea, a foundation focused on re-pollinating academic institutions by installing community pollinator gardens throughout Michoacan. I enjoy reading, writing, cooking and spending much of my time outside! I hope to supplement the Center for Climate Action and Sustainability’s amazing work in any way I am able during my time with this team.
The Sustainability Fellowship MES Team
Gwendolyn Heaton
Pronouns: They/Them
Academic Program/Year: Master of Environmental Studies Program 2024-2026
Hometown: Stillwater, Oklahoma
A Fun Fact About Me: I play bass!
Bio: I grew up in Oklahoma near Oklahoma State University but moved up to Olympia in 2016. I received my Bachelor of Science from Evergreen in 2023, focusing on integrated biology and chemistry. My degree was interdisciplinary, with course work in organic chemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, and more. After that, I started to work with the Puget Sound Estuarium on various restoration, outreach, and K-12 education programs. Now in the Master of Environmental Studies program and fellowship through CCAS, I am excited to expand on my background in small organisms and apply it to big problems! Some areas of interest right now include ocean acidification, eutrophication, and estuary restoration.
Ian Mann
Pronouns: They/Them
Academic Program/Year: Master of Environmental Studies Program Year 1/2
Hometown: San Diego, CA
A Fun Fact About Me: I love playing music!
What’s one project or initiative you’d love to work on during your time here?
I am excited about working with the bulkhead removal project, particularly in terms of working on the erosion control measures (soft armoring) and helping manage construction impacts and upland revegetation.
Bio: Ian grew up in San Diego, CA, and has been slowly crawling northward since graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2019 with a B.S. in Environmental Earth and Soil Science. After completing their undergraduate degree, they lived in Chico, CA; worked for a year for the primary cleanup contractor on the Camp Fire Cleanup Project in Paradise, CA, conducting on-site hazard assessments, site mapping, soil sampling, and contamination monitoring; and also served a summer term with the Washington Conservation Corps. Ian is a first-year student in the MES program and is passionate about a wide range of environmental topics such as biogeochemistry, soil contamination, and political ecology.
Emma Hamaker-Teals
Pronouns: She/Her
Academic Program/Year: Masters in Environmental Studies 1st Year
Hometown: Kennewick, Washington
Fun fact: I am an avid reader and hiker.
Bio: I grew up in Washington, but left to pursue my undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon. I graduated with a degree in general social science and a minor in environmental studies. This past spring I did a study abroad in New Zealand and was able to learn firsthand about some of their indigenous environmental conservation methods. This, along with my academic work, got me interested in our environment and the different ways that we can lessen human impact on our earth.
Enija Reed
Pronouns: She/They
Academic Program/Year: First Year MES Student
Hometown: Arlington, Washington
A Fun Fact About Me: I love photography and travel.
Bio: Enija grew up in Washington State, leaving for a year to live in Arizona. With a passion for Marine Biology and Environmental Action, she came back to Washington and started her undergraduate degree at The Evergreen State College. As an undergraduate, she studied climate change’s effect on migration and traveled to Morocco to meet with different NGOs who work with migrants and climate change. In addition to this, she worked with CCAS and participated in a community internship program at the Puget Sound Estuarium, focusing on environmental education, exhibit design, and grant database development.
Currently, in the MES program and Sustainability Grad Fellowship program, Enija hopes to gain more perspective and knowledge in the field of climate change and sustainability, to participate in the public knowledge building surrounding the restoration efforts of the bulkhead project off Geoduck Beach, and to gain skills that help in her hopeful future of climate and environmental action.
Past Student Workers
Aeowyn Isobel, Lead Office Aid & Editor
Hi! I’m Aeowyn, the Admin Student Lead & Editor for the CCAS. I am a senior at Evergreen, and I have worked for the CCAS for over a year. I am a creative writing student, and I believe that stories can change the hearts and minds of people reading them. Stories contain hope, and people need hope moving forward in the chaotic world that we live in today. This is my first job in the field of climate action and sustainability, but I hope to continue on in the future.
Amanda Rueda
Pronouns: She/Her
Academic Program/Year: Master of Environmental Studies Program 2nd Year
Hometown: Born in Riverside, CA but grew up in Centralia, WA.
Bio: Amanda graduated from Western Washington University in 2021, majoring in biology with a marine emphasis. She began studying marine mammals as a volunteer in the WWU Marine Mammal Ecology Lab. Then, she interned with Pacific Mammal Research in Anacortes, WA and assisted with photo identification of harbor seals and porpoises. During this time, she was a long-term substitute teacher at Centralia Middle School and enjoyed teaching and encouraging youth. Next, she joined Sealife Response, Rehabilitation, and Research as an animal husbandry intern and helped with rehabilitating stranded and malnourished harbor seal pups. Now, she is in the final year of the Master of Environmental Studies Program with Evergreen and is collaborating with Cascadia Research Collective on her thesis, studying gray whale foraging in the Puget Sound.
What’s one project or initiative you’d love to work on during your time here?
I am excited to broaden my research experience to include habitat restoration and climate science with new ecosystems. One goal is to help with project development for long-term monitoring of forage fish after the Bulkhead removal project!
We’re proud to announce that Amanda has since been selected for the Sustainability in Prisons Project in their pollinator butterfly program!
Jamie Fiano, Project Assistant (Green jobs listening project)
Mina Morris, Project Assistant (Climate curriculum for incarcerated students)
Nicky Darden, Climate Cafe & Event Programming Co-Host
Nicky (He/Him) mainly hosts the Climate Cafe. He guides people through scientific literature on climate change, while creating a fun atmosphere in which to discuss solutions. His interests lie in how climate change will generally affect the global population and how we can transition our energy and infrastructure systems to prevent catastrophic levels of global warming. He also is interested in carbon recapture methods that focus more on ecological solutions. Nicky has an AA in Biology and is an Eagle scout. His Boy Scouts’ experience contributes to his views on nature conservation and use. He wants to extend the reach of the Climate Cafe further into the community at Evergreen.
Nicky is currently working on a B.S. in Environmental Studies. He hopes to use this degree and experience to participate in ecological restoration projects that allow for greater community engagement, participating in projects that garner community support for restored environments that are taken care of locally.