Our Staff

Cindy Klein-Banai, Associate Chancellor for Sustainability

Cynthia (better known as Cindy) has been serving as the Associate Chancellor for Sustainability at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) since January 2008. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to found the Office of Sustainability at UIC. Prior to her current position, Cynthia was Assistant Director for Chemical Safety in the Environmental Health and Safety Office at UIC for over seven years. There she oversaw environmental compliance, hazardous waste management, the laboratory safety program, and chemical safety training. She has also worked as an environmental consultant. Her university career started at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Division of Environmental Health and Safety where she spent two of her six years there working on a study on pollution prevention in laboratories.

Cynthia has a B.A. in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and a M.S. in Environmental Science from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In 2010 Cynthia completed her Ph.D. in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at UIC. She conducted her research on sustainability metrics for higher education (see "A Greenhouse Gas Inventory as a Measure of Sustainability for an Urban Public Research University" and "An urban university’s ecological footprint and the effect of climate change").

Cynthia enjoys outdoor activities such as gardening, hiking, and camping, especially with her husband and three daughters.

Kate Yoshida, Program Coordinator (Grants & Development)

Kate's role in the Office of Sustainability focuses on identifying funding opportunities, proposal preparation, and working with subcommittees. She completed her Master's in Urban Planning and Policy at UIC in 2008, with concentrations in environmental planning and economic development. She has BSGS in economics from Northwestern University. Kate worked as a commercial real estate underwriter and documentation analyst at a large commercial bank before staying at home with her two sons. Her volunteer work includes community gardening and playing double bass in the Evanston Symphony Orchestra.

Dan Fredman, Program Coordinator (Outreach)

Dan manages outreach activities and marketing materials related to UIC's sustainability initiatives, frequently presenting to groups around campus about UIC's sustainability programs. He currently serves as the Office of Sustainability's webmaster and oversees all social media efforts.

Dan completed his Masters in Urban Planning & Policy at UIC's College of Urban Planning & Public Administration (CUPPA) in 2009, with self-designed concentrations in Sustainable Development & Data Visualization. He came to Chicago after 8 years in Burlington, Vermont, where after graduating from the University of Vermont (UVM) with a BA in Psychology and Geography he worked as Assistant Director of UVM Admissions.

Joe Iosbaker, Assistant to the Associate Chancellor

Joe has worked for UIC for over 20 years.   He believes that recycling is the responsibility of every person, and works to give more recognition to the unheralded support staff and building service workers for their contributions.  While serving as assistant to the Associate Chancellor, Joe helps coordinate and bring new buildings into the UIC Recycling Program (If your department doesn’t have recycling yet, just ask). 

He is married and has two sons.

Andrew Lueck, Graduate Assistant (Tree Campus USA)

Andrew is pursuing a Masters in Urban Planning & Policy at UIC, with a concentration in Environmental Planning. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, with a concentration in Urban Forestry. Before coming to UIC, Andrew worked as a consulting arborist for 5 years for a private company around the Chicago area. At the Office of Sustainability Andrew is working towards helping UIC achieve certification under the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus USA program.

In his free time Andrew enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling and exploring Chicago’s museums and bike routes.

Darshan Pather, GHG Emissions Intern

Darshan is pursuing his Masters in Energy Engineering at UIC.  He received his bachelors degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kansas.  At the Office of Sustainability, he is currently working on obtaining more accurate readings for UIC’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

Outside of school and work, Darshan also enjoys running, playing tennis, watching sports and enjoying life in the city.

Gibran Rezavi, Graduate Assistant (Data Management)

Gibran is currently working on his PhD in Economics concentrating in Public Policy and International Economics. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, MS in Mechanical Engineering, MA in Economics and a Graduate Certificate in Software Engineering. He has over 10 years of industry experience in the transportation sector where he focused on efficiency gains. He strongly believes in sustainability through efficiency and energy conversation. He teaches Economics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University and ITT Technical Institute. 

Gibran's main responsibility at the Office of Sustainability includes developing processes for smoother data collection, structuring the data for a more efficient reporting procedure. He also serves on the Transportation, Recycling and Energy & Utilities subcommittees of the Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability & Energy (CCSE).

Shashi Singh, Graduate Assistant (Data Reporting)

Shashi is pursuing her Masters in Computer Science with focus on database management system and its applications. She has Bachelors in Computer Science from University of Pune India. She worked for four years as System Engineer for Nihilent Technology in India. Shashi came to Chicago in 2009 and is currently working on a project to automate and streamline the recycling data collection process on campus and visualize the collected data.

In her free time Shashi likes to explore the state parks and forest preserves in an around Chicago. She also likes to play tennis.

Lauren Smith, Graduate Assistant (CCSE)

Lauren is pursuing her Masters of Urban Planning and Policy, focusing on Physical Planning and Sustainable Development.  She received her undergraduate degree in International Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After Champaign, Lauren moved back to Chicago and spent time at the consulting firm Towers Perrin before deciding to continue on to graduate school.  At the Office of Sustainability, Lauren is assisting with the Chancellor's Committee on Sustainability and Energy as it works towards reaching UIC's sustainability objectives.

When not in the office, Lauren likes to spend as much time as possible outside and enjoying the city with friends and family.

Andre Thomas, Jr., Multimedia Intern

Andre Thomas is an Undergraduate majoring in Neuroscience at UIC. His life ambition is to have a positive impact on the world through media. As a Multimedia Intern at the UIC Office of Sustainability, he uses media as a tool for education - as well as entertainment - to support sustainability initiatives on campus.

Colin Pannier, Undergraduate Recycling Assistant

Colin Pannier is a Recycling Assistant with the UIC Recycling Program and the Office of Sustainability. He is a third-year Earth and Environmental Science major/Chemistry minor. He plans to continue with grad school and find a career in which he can help better the environment. Colin enjoys playing/writing music, watching movies and being with his friends or family.

John Wise, Undergraduate Recycling Assistant

John is a senior majoring in Urban and Public Affairs. He's considering joining the United States Air Force or going to graduate school for Public Administration. John is interested in pursuing a political at the state, local, and/or federal level to work towards social justice. He enjoys politics, following local and international news, going to the mall, playing games, and hanging out with friends and relatives.

Lee Canel, Sustainability Lunch Series Coordinator

As a volunteer, Lee currently coordinates the UIC Sustainabiity Lunch Series.   He concentrated on sustainability issues while earning at Master of Science in Environmental Management and Sustainability from the IIT Stuart School of Business in July 2009.  He is an experienced commercial real estate appraiser, writer, researcher, and consultant.  He is an MAI designated member of the Appraisal Institute.   He plans to combine his sustainability and real estate backgrounds to make real estate more sustainable.   Lee obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University in Industrial Engineering.

Mike Piano, Tree Campus USA Intern

Mike Piano is an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is studying Landscape Architecture with a focus on Urban Design. While he is home in Chicago for the summer, he serves as a part-time intern in the Office of Sustainability supporting the process of qualifying UIC for Tree Campus USA. Mike Hopes to graduate from UW within the next 2-3 years from the accreditted Professional Landscape Architecture Program, and then hopes to one day attend graduate school for Urban and Regional Planning. In the meantime, he loves spending his time outdoors, partakng in athletic, leisurely, and camping activities. Mike's Love of the outdoors is what motivates him to work and play his part in developing a more sustainable planet.