Cal Poly Alumni is excited to announce the launch of its first cross-curricular industry group, Cal Poly Alumni — Green Community (also known as Cal Poly Green), which will serve alumni who want to connect and engage in environmental, sustainability and climate change issues and topics in both the natural and built environment. This affinity community will span a variety of majors, industries and professions, and will give back to current Cal Poly students by providing insights and best practices from sustainability industry leaders and experts on what they are doing after graduating from Cal Poly. 

Matt Miller (Civil Engineering, ‘15) is one of the volunteer alumni leaders of this new group and is excited to help spearhead this effort. He works in the construction industry as a Senior Superintendent for Webcor, a general contractor with projects in both the Bay Area and Southern California and is involved in both estimating and running projects. 

“The main goal of the group is to bring back current sustainability practices that are going on in the real world to the student community and to get alumni involved,” he said. “We want to grow this community as much as possible and hope it will bring in people from many different majors and fields to cross collaborate and learn about things that can help them in their professions and career paths.” 

Miller fondly recalled his time on campus as helping him get into this field, from his days in the society of civil engineers club to his time on the Cal Poly logging team, where he met friends in natural resources related fields such as Forestry and Environmental Management & Protection. He knows Cal Poly grads are unique and thinks this group can benefit current students who are interested in these fields to get their foot in the door.  

“We want to give students the resources they need to learn while they're at Cal Poly, and then come to intern for us, and eventually come to work for us,” said Miller. 

This is a new alumni community and is the first of a new type of alumni affinity network to be offered through the Cal Poly Alumni Engagement office. 

“We are excited to see what the future holds for the Cal Poly Alumni – Green Community – and other potential industry-based affinity communities – that aim to bring together Mustangs across academic backgrounds who are focused on timely, relevant topics impacting California and beyond,” said Kelly Owens-Dávalos, Director of Alumni Programs and Engagement in the office of Alumni Engagement. 

Another alumni leader of this community is Gabe Worthington (Environmental Earth & Soil Sciences, ‘20), who is a Sustainability Program Manager with Measure to Improve, a company that works with the produce industry to help organizations measure, improve and credibly report sustainability efforts.  

“I think creating an interdisciplinary community where we can learn from each other is really important,” he explained. “This is a really great opportunity for students and alumni to get connected. It is equally valuable for students to learn more about the industry and for professionals that are already in the industry to potentially find some great candidates from Cal Poly.” 

Hope Springer (Environmental Management & Protection, ‘22; MS Environmental Sciences and Management, ‘23) is another alumni volunteer group leader and was actively involved in sustainability efforts while she was a student on campus, including being a part of the Real Food Collaborative student club, serving as ASI’s Secretary of Sustainability, interning on the Green Campus team and helping to draft the first comprehensive sustainability framework for Swanton Pacific Ranch. She now works as an Environmental Educator focused on waste reduction and recycling in Thurston County, Washington. 

Springer feels that this group can be especially beneficial for other alumni who are interested in networking and learning more about the numerous opportunities in this field. 

“Even when you're working in sustainability, there are still opportunities out there that you might not be aware of, and hearing what others are up to is a great way to be a lifelong learner,” she said. “It is also a great opportunity for alumni who might be interested in sustainability work but don't know where to start, as this group can showcase the variety of job opportunities out there and allow them to interact with 'boots-on-the-ground' individuals and get a picture of different industries.” 

The group’s first event is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct.,16 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. PT, and will be a virtual industry panel discussion on Sustainability in Practice. The event is free to attend and is open to Cal Poly alumni, current students and supporters.  

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To receive more information about the Cal Poly Alumni — Green Community, complete the interest form to be added to the mailing list and join their group on Cal Poly Career Connections.