An Introduction to the Conference Storytelling Series
By: Roya Ojarood
This summer, as a Marketing Intern at AASHE, one of my projects involved reaching out to and interviewing various sustainability professionals in leadership positions whose work is linked, in some way, to AASHE. The six people I had the pleasure of speaking with—Kate M. Nelson, Carley Rice, Hannah Lauber, Megan Butler, Shane Stennes, and Steph Fregosi—shared their experiences of what it is like to attend an AASHE Conference for the first time. I wanted to know about the little, unconventional aspects that made the conferences so memorable, what surprised them, and most of all, what helped them to not just feel welcome in that setting, but deeply impacted in a way that stuck with them long after attending. What came from these conversations was not a simple anticipated checklist of favorite sessions or top speakers— I grasped something much more personal from them that revealed reflections on what it means to be in a space where sustainability isn’t just discussed but felt.
My first interview was with Kate, the Director of Campus Sustainability at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She spoke highly of the many encounters and relationships with colleagues—both new and known—that made her conference experiences so memorable: “I just really look forward to the people.” She expressed the value of conversations that happen between sessions—the type of encounter you’d least expect to be a major takeaway—noting, “I get more out of the hallway conversations sometimes than I do in the workshops.”
My second ‘double’ interview was with Carley Rice, the Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and Hannah Lauber, the Senior Marketing and Communications Strategist at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Carley talked about the value of attending the keynotes. For her, they weren’t just good— they moved her. “I remember always leaving [keynote speeches] feeling very positive and hopeful,” she said to me with a kind smile. What stood out to her about the presentations wasn’t simply the quality of the speakers but the clarity and meaning of the messages shared. “There’s this emotional resonance,” she added, “It’s not just theoretical. It sticks with you.” Hannah expressed the loneliness that can pervade sustainability roles, especially when they’re siloed or stretched thin. “Sustainability is often a tiny office,” she told me, “So, to connect with others and hear what’s been working for them… that’s huge.” She was honest about the reality that many professionals within sustainability and higher education face, but she also lit up when describing the community and network: “People just want to share what’s working. It’s not competitive.”
Next, I interviewed Megan Butler, the Sustainability Director at Macalester College, who so kindly reflected on how applied and welcoming the AASHE Conference felt, which is something that stood out to her compared to other conference spaces. She told me that the AASHE Conference “felt like people were translating theory into action in a way that I myself am drawn to.” She, like Kate, spoke of meaningful hallway conversations with colleagues, all-around supportive energy, and the comfort that is felt when connecting with others who share similar roles and values.
Steph Fregosi, the Sustainability Analyst at Portland Community College and the current Board President of AASHE, brought up an important and similar sentiment to Hannah: “When you work in isolation, that is how you forget that you do this work for future generations and lose all sense of hope.” The conference, for her, provides her with the opportunity to recharge and regain the fervor necessary in this line of work: “I need that sense of connection in order to continue doing the work. I cannot do without it.” When I asked about what attending her first conference was like, she reflected on how attending the conference helped her, especially early on in her career, by providing her with insights and reference points that weren’t always so easy to find— specifically within a community college context. Now, the conferences serve as a proud reminder of how far sustainability in higher education has come. “We need to do better at telling our story… Understanding that we have made significant progress over time will give us more empowerment to students and help us to do more in the future.”
And then there’s Shane. Shane Stennes, the Systemwide Chief Sustainability Officer for the University of Minnesota System, stressed the importance of ‘showing up’ even if the space feels unfamiliar and daunting at first. When I asked him what advice he would give to someone attending an AASHE Conference for the first time, he didn’t hesitate to say, “Participate in all of it… Even if you don’t feel like you’re part of the network yet, go do it.” Then he added, “Especially if you’re an introvert. Put yourself out there, meet people. It’s worth it.”
What I remember most—and what really made me feel excited—from these conversations was not the language people used to talk about their experiences, but the way they said it. Everything that was shared felt careful and considered, like everyone has held on to these little moments from their experiences. What may seem like a standalone leave-it-at-the-door conference contains moments that have resonated. Not every moment shared was ‘big,’ but the feeling of being in the right place, even for a few days, was enough to matter.
Sometimes, the takeaway from a conference isn’t a major concept or a big fancy quote. Sometimes, it can be a sense that, for a while, you were somewhere that felt aligned with the kind of work you want to do and the kind of person you’re trying to become. And, in this work, that is something to hold on to.