Meet Our Team

Courtney Gallaher

Courtney Gallaher, Ph.D. is the sustainability coordinator for Northern Illinois University. Prior to working in this role, Gallaher was a jointly appointed associate professor in Earth, Atmosphere and Environment and the Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality. As a broadly trained human-environment geographer, she has taught and researched a broad range of global interdisciplinary issues including sustainable food and agricultural systems, water management, and environmental justice. Courtney graduated with a B.S. in soil and environmental science from UW-Madison and holds an M.S. in crop and soil science as well as a Ph.D. in geography from Michigan State University. In addition, she has specialized training in gender and environmental justice. Courtney oversees all campus sustainability initiatives and loves to engage with faculty, staff and students on a broad range of projects. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, gardening and exploring nature with her family.

Rena Cotsones

As chief engagement officer for NIU, Cotsones, Ph.D. leads the Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development, advancing the university’s public mission and providing leadership, partnership and support for faculty, staff and students interested in engaging with the broader region. She oversees the Center for Governmental Studies, the P-20 Center for Engagement, Northern Public Radio, the university’s three regional centers and field campus, NIU’s centralized conferencing and event management function and NIU’s Public Engagement Networks. Dr. Cotsones is also actively engaged in a number of university-wide initiatives such as the development of the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability and the new Strategic Development Team, looking for new ways to create, enhance and fund transformational university projects.

See Rena's full bio

Amy Jo Clemens

Amy Jo Clemens, Ed.D. is the assistant vice president of the division and director of the Northern Illinois University Center for P-20 Engagement. She has spent 34 years in education, with more than 15 of those years in policy development, program delivery and student advocacy, including the past 7 years in higher education.

For the division, Dr. Clemens works on priorities that cut across colleges and divisions, including the Strategic Development Committee and the NIU Engagement Task Force. As director of the P-20 Center, Amy Jo oversees five directors with P-20 responsibilities that span from birth through lifelong learning with a focus on STEM readiness, diversity in the workforce, continuing education and bridging secondary to postsecondary for Illinois’ most vulnerable students and families.

Read Amy Jo's full bio

Laura Fehling

Laura Fehling is the program coordinator for Edible Campus at Northern Illinois University. Laura joined in June of 2024 and oversees all of Edible Campus’s growing spaces, including the market garden, hydropod and more. She also coordinates crop planning and production, educational opportunities and events associated with the program. She works with a team of student employees and volunteers that help to make all that Edible Campus does possible. Before coming to NIU, Laura earned a B.S. in environmental science and an M.S. in botany. She has prior experience in a variety of positions in horticulture, research and teaching.