Anna Wallace, Student Engagement Manager for Duke Arts, was cited for her passionate advocacy about sustainable practices across Duke Arts operations and her ongoing conversations about environmental impact. She has supported colleagues at Duke Arts and beyond by advising on sustainable practices in special events. Her leadership has inspired Duke Arts to think creatively about sustainability at every level of operations.

Kay Jowers, Director of Just Environments at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability and the Kenan Institute for Ethics, was cited for being a prime example of what ethical and sustainable community engagement looks like for climate justice. She has helped inspire many students and works collaboratively across Duke to ensure partnerships intra- and inter-institutionally.

Amy Kenyon, Director of Special Projects for Duke Learning Innovation and Lifetime Education, was recognized for embodying the spirit of our sustainability goal. She not only practices sustainable living herself but also actively encourages and enables others to do the same. Her efforts have raised awareness about sustainability issues among our staff and have led to tangible changes in office practices and events for faculty, staff, and students that have campus-level visibility.

Denise Nepveux, Associate Professor in the department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the School of Medicine, won recognition for being a tireless advocate for the inclusion of climate issues in the pursuit of optimal health and well-being. A nominator said she approaches this work with humility, a quick wit, affable sense of humor, and a creative, innovative leadership style that draws others into conversation around climate and sustainability.

Nishad Jayasundara, Juli Plant Grainger Assistant Professor of Global Environmental Health, Assistant Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Health, Assistant Research Professor of Global Health, Assistant Professor in Medicine, has a longstanding interest in effects of environmental exposures (including heat) on human health and has developed extensive field and laboratory-based research programs with collaborators locally, in Sri Lanka & worldwide to examine environmental determinants of kidney injury. He is dedicated to students and mentees and is currently hosting a popular Bass Connections course focused on climate data obtained from Sri Lanka.

Sara Oliver, Executive in Residence, Director of the Masters of Engineering in Climate and Sustainability Engineering, and Strategic Advisor on Climate Solutions to the Dean of Engineering, is the inaugural director of the Masters of Engineering program in Climate and Sustainability Engineering. She has created new four new courses, curated co-curricular programs with other campus leaders, and built an expansive network of industry partnerships supporting the program.

Katie Warnell, Senior Policy Associate,  and Lydia Olander, Program Director, at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, were cited winning a $421 million federal grant to advance nature-based solutions for climate resilience and mitigation. The grant will build a coalition between four mid-Atlantic states, The Nature Conservancy and Duke for a variety of nature-based projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

Ashley Ward, Director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, was recognized forlaunching the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, connecting the clinical expertise of the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, as well as interdisciplinary expertise in Pratt, Nicholas, DGHI and Sanford. The new center led a Heatwise Summit in June.

Undergraduate Environmental Union, Chloe Brenner, Yujin Kim, Nikki Read, and Coral Lin won recognition for working with the Office of Climate and Sustainability to represent undergraduate students' voices. All four students are committed to building a better, more sustainable, and equitable campus environment and have pursued environmental advocacy through multiple avenues. These women show great potential as climate stewards of the future.

Sandra Valnes Quammen, Senior Lecturer in Romance Studies, was one of the earliest Trillium Fellows (the program that has become the Climate and Sustainability Teaching Fellows program), and after participating as a Fellow herself, returned to support subsequent cohorts of the Fellowship. She is now one of the lead faculty organizers of the Climate and Sustainability Teaching Fellows, supporting colleagues in adapting their courses to include more climate and sustainability education. She is also working on a PhD on infusing sustainability into language instruction.

Duke Sustainable Athletics Group: Alayna Burns, Brandon Hersh, Sydney Tomlak, Ari Solomon, Ellie Coleman, Ethan Grimminger, Max Forte, Megan McGinnis, Noelle Fuchs, Sean Morello, Zizi Newhard, were cited for pushing the needle forward in the Blue Devils’ commitment to sustainability and combatting climate change. The student-led group is committed to supporting and leading sustainable projects within athletics and the Duke community.

Drew Shindell, Nicholas Professor of Earth Science at the Nicholas School of the Environment, was cited forbeing a prolific climate scholar with 100,000 citations and membership in the National Academies of Science. His recent research focuses on short-lived greenhouse gas pollutants, particularly methane, and demonstrates the critical need for significant short-term reductions in methane emissions to meet global climate goals. This research is not only groundbreaking but also essential for shaping effective climate policies.

Design Climate: Judy Ledlee, Alexis Carpenter, and Helen Whiteley, were recognized for bringing 'design thinking' to climate solutions. Design Climate is a new course developing and field-testing novel strategies in partnership with Eastern North Carolina partners and communities.

Felicia Wang, undergraduate student, was cited for consistently advocating for Duke to reach higher towards more sustainable campus operations. She participated in the Green Devils and Sustainability Ambassadors programs and has played major roles in climate-focused groups such as Duke Climate Coalition, Duke Environmental Alliance, Devil's Thrifthouse, and Project Earth first-year orientation program. She has organized student-led climate rallies and protests not only on Duke's campus but also at the NYC climate march.

Green Seal Certification Team, a team from University Environmental Services, spearheaded a drive to make Duke the second university in North Carolina and ninth in the United States to earn the sustainable cleaning services certification from Green Seal, a nonprofit devoted to improving environmental health. The team includes Leslye Kornegay, Joshua Eaton, Pamela Bell-Jones, Wayne King, Jackie Little, Erica Sanders, Rashawn Bright, Vickie McCaden, Kristina Thompson Hardy, William McKnight, Vernon Garner, Snodine Harris, Zulma Vasquez Moreno, William Brown, Judy Evans, Joseph Garrett, Curtis Bright, Carlos Borland, Butch Beeks, and Barry Burnette.Duke Kunshan University was recognized for forming a team of core faculty and staff members, students, and admin personnel that worked together to create the Climate and Sustainability Initiative at DKU in 2024. They have successfully cultivated and implemented a variety of exciting activities at DKU over the past year, including a forum, research projects, a university-wide course on climate change and meetings with government representatives in China and writing DKU’s first sustainability report. They also created DKU's first Sustainability Day.