Lizotte named University sustainability officer

Michael Lizotte is the University sustainability officer, which is part of the Facilities Management Department in the Division for Business Affairs.

Prior to UNC Charlotte, Lizotte was a tenured professor and administrator who led sustainability initiatives at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. In undertaking his role on campus, Lizotte will work to integrate the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) into the University’s sustainability program. The UNC system’s sustainability policy encourages such practices as a “core value of institutional operations, planning, capital construction and purchasing practices.”

STARS is managed by Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). It allows universities to measure their progress on sustainability practices and policies. Oshkosh became the 25th university to earn a gold rating from the AASHE during Lizotte’s tenure.

“It‘s a major undertaking but provided a great opportunity for me to build relationships with the people on campus who are working on sustainability in curriculum, research, operations and administration,” said Lizotte, who added he plans to explore how UNC Charlotte can build collaboration among already established academic and social organizations.

He stated, “We’ll look into the best ways to coordinate projects, track progress, advance research and learning and share lessons learned with people on campus and businesses in the Charlotte region.”

Lizotte is an ecosystem ecologist with a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California; he has degrees in environmental science, botany and marine biology. He said he was attracted to UNC Charlotte by the institution’s belief in embracing and harnessing change.

“The most important skill I hope to share is working with a wide range of people to find positive ways to build a campus and community that can be sustained for a long and prosperous future,” said Lizotte.