CLDC’s next industry panel to explore careers in sustainability

For Ohio University students who are interested in working in sustainability, the Career and Leadership Development Center (CLDC) will be hosting its third industry panel of the year from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in CoLab - Alden Library 301. The panel will run for one hour and will be followed by a 30-minute networking session with light hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

The panel will allow students to learn more about the field of sustainability and the career paths of more experienced professionals in that industry as well as gain insight about how they can apply their majors to a future career. The panelists will include: 

• Scott Miller, associate dean for industry partnerships and outreach for Ohio University’s Russ College of Engineering and Technology. Miller started this role in 2016. He works to strengthen the Russ College’s research and technical collaborations with industry, government and nonprofit partners. Formerly, Miller worked with the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs where he formed an applied research unit called the Consortium for Energy, Economics and the Environment (CE3) which brought together more than 40 faculty researchers from across five Ohio University colleges to bring an interdisciplinary approach to issues ranging from watershed management and climate change policy, to the economic and social implications of the shifting nature of energy generation regionally and nationally. Currently, Miller serves as the college and University’s point person on the development of the Russ Research Center in Beavercreek, Ohio near Dayton. The 60-acre research and technology commercialization park, a gift from the Fritz and Dolores H. Russ Trust, currently houses businesses focused on aerospace and aviation, cybersecurity, advanced materials, digital manufacturing and autonomous vehicles. Miller was named a 2010 National Energy Executive with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, was board chair for the University Clean Energy Alliance of Ohio and was the principle program manager for the State of Ohio’s Climate Change Action Plan in partnership with The Ohio State University. He received his Master of Science in environmental studies from Ohio University and his Bachelor of Science from Wright State University.
• Alex Slaymaker is the Smart Mobility Adoption Manager at Smart Columbus for the Columbus Partnership. Slaymaker graduated from Ohio University with her Bachelor of Specialized Studies in environmental planning and policy as well as a geography minor and environmental studies certificate. Directly after graduating from Ohio University, Slaymaker pursued her master’s in sustainable solutions from Arizona State University with a focus on urban sustainability. Slaymaker has worked on impactful sustainability projects across the United States and in Europe on a variety of topics including urban design, smart cities, urban agriculture, zero waste and business sustainability. In her spare time, Slaymaker co-founded and leads Ohio University’s Sustainability Alumni Network, which is focused on connecting Bobcats who are passionate about creating more sustainable communities. Through her role at Smart Columbus, she leads innovative programs focused on changing the commuting culture in Central Ohio so people drive electric and drive less. During her time at Ohio University, Slaymaker was a Voinovich Research Scholar with the Appalachia Ohio Zero Waste Initiative.
• Brian Vadakin is the Social Enterprise Coordinator for Rural Action. After graduating with his Bachelor of Arts from Ohio University, Vadakin completed a 10-month U.S. Fulbright research grant in Costa Rica, studying rural community tourism and agricultural cooperatives. He began working at Rural Action in 2016, helping to develop and grow its two social enterprises (the Chesterhill Produce Auction and Zero Waste Event Productions LLC), and creating a partnership with the international zero percent interest loan platform Kiva to bring more capital to micro-entrepreneurs in Appalachian Ohio. He also serves as the chair of the board of directors for ReUse Industries, an Athens-based non-profit that operates the ReUse thrift store on Columbus Road, a used book and fabric store called "ReUse on Union" and the Athens Makerspace. Vadakin is a proud alumnus of the Honors Tutorial College where he majored in Spanish language and literature with a minor in economics and certificates in environmental studies and Latin American studies.

Students can register for the event and get more information on Handshake. For more information on this and other CLDC events, click here.