Meet Our Team
Courtney Gallaher
cgallaher@niu.edu
Altgeld Hall 308
Courtney Gallaher, Ph.D. is the director of Campus Sustainability. She oversees major sustainability initiatives and partnerships at the university..
A broadly trained human-environment geographer, Gallaher has experience researching and teaching a range of interdisciplinary global issues, including sustainable food/agricultural systems, water management and environmental justice. Prior to her current role, she was a jointly appointed associate professor in the Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment and the Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality.
Gallaher holds a bachelor’s degree in soil and environmental science from UW-Madison and two degrees from Michigan State University: a master’s in crop and soil science and a Ph.D. in geography. She has also completed training in gender and environmental justice.
Contact Courtney (cgallaher@niu.edu) for more information about campus wide initiatives, especially related to energy and waste, campus-community or public-private partnerships, and large-scale collaborations.
Holly Hansen
hhansen3@niu.edu
Altgeld Hall 310
Holly Hansen (she/her) is the assistant director of Campus Sustainability. She oversees projects related to landscaping and restoration and outreach and engagement opportunities. She also shares her time with the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability (NICCS) to help build foundational programming building blocks. Her professional background is in environmental education, habitat restoration, and public programming.
Holly embodies the saying “Once a Huskie, Always a Huskie.” She obtained both her B.A. in Environmental Studies and her M.S.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from NIU and has now dedicated her work to helping shape sustainability at NIU. She is committed to seeing NIU thrive, while keeping the student experience and sense of belonging at the heart of her sustainability work.
Contact Holly (hhansen3@niu.edu) for more information about sustainable landscaping and restoration efforts, outreach and engagement opportunities and partnerships, and ways to be involved as a student, faculty or staff member.
Laura Fehling
lfehling@niu.edu
Altgeld Hall 328
Laura Fehling (she/her) is the assistant director of Edible Campus. She manages the Edible Campus program, serves as an instructor and supports a variety of campus sustainability initiatives. Laura is working to transform NIU’s campus into a living learning laboratory that connects students with new education, research and workforce development opportunities. Prior to joining NIU, Laura obtained a B.S. in Environmental Science from UW-Green Bay, and a M.S. in Botany from Miami University. She has a background in undergraduate teaching, urban agriculture and natural areas management.
Contact Laura (lfehling@niu.edu) for more information about current projects, opportunities for collaboration or general questions about Edible Campus.
Steve Schultz
sschultz3@niu.edu
Altgeld Hall 328
Steve Schultz is the Garden Manager for the Edible Campus program. He oversees the operations of all Edible Campus growing spaces including the hydroponic systems. Steve’s background includes addressing food equity and managing a sustainable farming program on the west side of Chicago.
Prior to farming, he worked over ten years as a high school counselor in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Steve holds a master’s degree in Counseling and Student Personnel from Minnesota State University, Mankato and is also a graduate of Windy City Harvest’s Sustainable Urban Agriculture program. He is excited to engage students and staff on growing food within an organic and regenerative philosophy.
Contact Steve (sschultz3@niu.edu) for questions about what’s growing, volunteer opportunities or student employment.