Faculty Spotlights

Lilly Sabet, Associate Director of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) at SDSU, combines her passion for sustainability with the scientific knowledge she gained through her master’s research in public health. Being from San Diego, Lilly is committed to creating a safer and more sustainable future, both locally and within the research community.

Madeleine Falco is a Sustainability Professional IV for the Office of Energy and Sustainability at SDSU. She plays a vital role in advancing sustainability on campus, making sure the systems that keep SDSU running are working as efficiently and sustainably as possible. Her work behind the scenes has a major impact on our campus, and it deserves to be appreciated.

Ever wonder where SDSU’s heat, electricity, and hot water come from? Bobby Webb and his team at the Cogeneration Plant work behind the scenes to keep campus running efficiently, safely, and sustainably. Bobby is the Supervisor of the Cogeneration Plant, where he oversees the plant’s daily operations, maintenance, and the team that is responsible for ensuring the campus has reliable power and steam every single day. Bobby and his team work hard to keep SDSU running smoothly, providing energy that supports every classroom, office, and residence hall on campus.

Jordyn Savard at San Diego State University’s ZIP Launchpad is helping students turn their ideas into meaningful change. As the Events and Outreach Lead, Savard plays a key role in planning all internal and external events across campus, including the 2026 SDSU Social Venture Challenge.

Laurence Grove is a professor of text image studies at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. This semester, he’s teaching as a scholar in residence at the Center for Comic Studies alongside Frank Quietly, who’s worked on things such as Superman and Batman. Comics may not be the first thing that come to mind when thinking about the environment, but Grove's line of work has a unique and important connection to sustainability: eco-comics.

Have you ever wondered how the San Diego State University campus stays so beautiful? The campus community has Kandyce Hajosy’s team to thank for the pristine landscaping and cleanliness that define our campus. As SDSU’s Manager of Landscape and Fleet for Facilities Management, she works with her team to ensure our campus is clean, aesthetically pleasing, and sustainable.

Ramez Elsalman is currently working as San Diego State University’s Chief Engineer. He passionately works with his facilities services team to ensure the community is powered safely, and closely works with the Office of Energy and Sustainability to make sure our campus is efficient and sustainable. Elsalman plays a key role in campus sustainability and money saving initiatives.

Dr. Iana A. Castro is currently a professor of marketing in the Fowler College of Business and named the Zahn Professor of Creativity and Innovation. She is also actively involved in sustainability efforts on campus and the local San Diego area. As the co-founder of BrightSide produce and a co-chair of the President’s Sustainability Advisory Committee, Castro is making a lasting impact on the San Diego community as a whole.

Kelly Hansen is currently the lead electrician for Facility Services at San Diego State University, where he collaborates with the Office of Energy and Sustainability through his work with meters. Measuring energy and water consumption across campus is crucial to sustainability—after all, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Read more about his contributions to sustainability on campus through his meter work.

Adam Manley is currently Associate Profes­sor of Furni­ture Design and Wood­work­ing at San Diego State Univer­sity, where he combines art and aspects of sustainability to teach and create his crafts. Whether teaching or doing residency programs at universities, he has left a large impact on various communities across the country. Recently, he designed the 2024 Sustainability Champion Award for the 2nd Annual Sustainability Summit.