Established in 2005, the Office of Sustainability’s mission is to advance sustainability within the Yale community by acting as a catalyst for information exchange and facilitating capacity building, innovation, streamlined operations, and preparation of tomorrow’s sustainability leaders.
Office of Sustainability
Meet Our Staff
Amber Garrard
Director of Sustainability
Amber is the Director of Sustainability for Yale University. In this role, she helps to set and advance sustainability priorities, acting as a liaison to university leadership, and representing Yale’s sustainability portfolio within the institution and externally. Amber chairs Yale’s Operations Sustainability & Resiliency Task Force, Yale’s Resilience Council, and serves on various committees on specialized topics related to sustainability and operational efficiency, facilitating cross-departmental collaboration to address complex issues. She serves as a bridge between operational initiatives, academic interests, and external partners.
She is a member of the Facilities Executive Leadership Team, advising on capital projects, comprehensive planning, operational priorities, and change management strategies. She directs the Office of Sustainability, sets strategic priorities for that group, and leads critical decision-making processes.
Prior to joining Yale, Amber directed the Sustainability Office at Green Mountain College. During her tenure, Green Mountain was twice recognized by Sierra magazine as one of the greenest colleges in the nation and became the second college in the country to achieve climate neutrality.
Amber holds an M.A. in Sustainable Development from the SIT Graduate Institute and a B.A. from the University of Portland. Areas of expertise include nature and health, climate resilience, biodiversity, and diversity/equity/inclusion/belonging.
Lindsay Crum
Associate Director
Lindsay provides strategic direction for streamlined sustainability operations and helps identify the economic, social, and environmental benefits of Yale’s sustainability projects and programs. She manages Yale’s annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory with The Climate Registry and supports efforts to address Scope 3 emissions. Lindsay is also actively involved in the Ivy Plus Sustainability Collaborative, Northeast Recycling Council, Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council, and in other sustainable materials management initiatives. Lindsay is a Lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment, and co-teaches a course entitled “Sustainability Implementation: Change Management in Institutional Settings.”
Prior to her current role, Lindsay served as Interim Co-Director and Operations & Volunteer Program Director at New Haven Farms. Earlier in her career, she worked at Yale University Press as a Senior Acquisitions Administrator and as Managing Editor for the Yale Drama Series and the Yale Series of Younger Poets.
Lindsay holds a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment and is a LEED AP BD+C. She has held leadership roles including Executive Co-Chair of the Ivy Plus Sustainability Collaborative and Chair of the Reuse Work Group for the Northeast Recycling Council, and has served on the Board of the Connecticut Recyclers Coalition. Areas of expertise include reuse, recycling, upcycling, composting, procurement, sustainability metrics, GHG inventories and protocols, and LEED.
Sarah Jane Compton
Senior Administrative Assistant
Sarah Jane provides administrative and operational support to advance the university’s sustainability goals. She helps coordinate office activities, manage projects and communications, support staff and student programs, and facilitate the day-to-day work that connects Yale’s sustainability initiatives across campus. Sarah Jane brings a collaborative, organized, and service-oriented approach to her work, with a focus on making programs and processes run smoothly and effectively.
In her role, Sarah Jane supports a wide range of sustainability efforts and helps foster a welcoming and well-organized environment for colleagues, students, and campus partners. She is particularly interested in the practical side of sustainability—connecting people, programs, and resources to turn sustainability goals into meaningful action across the university and beyond.
Sarah Jane holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont and a M.A. in Romance Languages from Southern Connecticut State University. Areas of expertise include administrative operations, project management, program support, event coordination, sustainability program administration, and cross-campus collaboration.
Maria Gutiérrez
Sustainability Engagement Manager
Maria leads efforts to increase sustainability visibility across the student population and advance Yale’s sustainability goals by collaborating with students and staff across Yale’s residential colleges and its graduate and professional schools. She supports student interest groups and campus partners, leads Spring Salvage, and helps plan and deliver events such as Celebrate Sustainability Week and Earth Month. An experienced educator and higher education professional, Maria brings a focus on community building, cross-cultural communication, and environmental justice principles to initiatives aimed at positive cultural change.
Before moving into her current role, Maria served as a Program Manager in Yale’s Title IX Office and as Assistant Director of Programs and Communications in Yale’s Office of International Students and Scholars.
Maria earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from Yale University, along with an M.A. in Egyptian Art and Archeology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. in Art History from Penn State University. Areas of expertise include program management, student engagement, co-curricular experiential design, and situational leadership.
Andy Bromage
Sustainability Communications Officer
Andy leads communications for Yale Sustainability, helping tell the story of the university’s efforts to advance a more sustainable future. His work spans editorial strategy, digital communications, and campus engagement, including the Yale Sustainability website, newsletters, social media, and the university’s two largest annual on-campus sustainability events: Celebrate Sustainability Week and Earth Month.
Before joining Yale, Andy worked in communications and journalism, with roles spanning education and local news. He served as Director of Communications at The Foote School and previously worked as News Editor and Staff Writer at Seven Days newspaper in Vermont, Editor of the New Haven Advocate, and Staff Writer at the New Haven Register. As an award-winning journalist, he reported on a wide range of environmental issues, from nuclear power to asbestos mining to the impacts of lead shot on wildlife.
Andy holds a B.A. in Sociology from Colorado College. Areas of expertise include strategic communications, editorial strategy, research translation, websites and digital communications, social media, newsletters, and event planning.
Jen Baldwin
Assistant Director
Jen Baldwin manages employee engagement efforts, supports sustainable transportation initiatives, and leads the compilation and reporting of sustainability data.
Prior to joining Yale, Jen worked internationally on environment and climate strategy. Her previous roles include Environment Foreign Service Officer at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Climate Strategy Consultant at the International Finance Corporation, and Clean Energy and Environment Consultant at the Inter-American Development Bank.
Jen holds a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment and a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Tufts University. Areas of expertise include sustainable transportation, renewable energy, climate resilience, and nature-based solutions.