Suzanne Wood is New Growing Green Leader

Suzanne Wood has been appointed the new Sustainability and Energy Manager for UMass Chan Medical School. In that role, Wood will help oversee and expand a range of programs on campus and in partnership with UMass Memorial Health Care.

Wood takes over from Melissa Lucas, who after nearly five years in the post left the medical school in July for a new opportunity with the Orlando Utilities Commission in Florida.

"I am excited about this opportunity and I look forward to working with people all across the campus community to make progress on our sustainability goals," Wood said.

Wood is no stranger to UMass Chan. Before accepting the sustainability position in November, Wood served for nearly three years as a technician and specialist in the school's Environmental Health & Safety Department.

"I was very happy in EH&S, and worked with a great group of people. But when Melissa left, I decided to apply because my professional passion has always been to help organizations be more efficient, reduce waste and make us a more sustainable society," Wood said.

A native of Bolton, Mass., Wood earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in environmental science and policy at Clark University. In addition to her academic work at Clark which focused on the role of environmental management and sustainability within specific businesses, Wood was active in Clark's sustainability programs. She was part of the team that helped develop and promulgate that university's Climate Action Plan and worked on several initiatives to increase campus recycling.

While studying at Clark, Wood also completed two internships at Genzyme in the company's Environmental Affairs Department where she focused on recycling and energy conservation in laboratories.

"Suzanne's education, experience and passion for sustainability will serve our community well in this important role," said John Baker, associate vice chancellor for facilities management. "There were several strong candidates for the job, and it's always great to be able to promote from with the institution."

Looking ahead to 2015, Wood said her top two priorities will be to expand recycling and reduce energy consumption. "The school has made real progress in the past few years, and I believe we can do even better if we all take action," Wood said. "Small steps can make a big impact when we all work together."

As she ramps up in her new role, Wood would like to hear from people across the community who wish to share any feedback or suggestions about sustainability or energy efficiency. Contact her directly at 508.856.6324 or Suzanne.Wood@umassmed.edu