UC Davis Sustainability announces the appointment of Eric O’Brien as its new Director of Sustainability. O’Brien, who has led sustainability initiatives at the University of Northern Iowa since 2010, brings a wealth of experience and a lifelong passion for sustainability to his new role. 

As a “rural kid from the Midwest,” O’Brien’s awareness of sustainability started with his grandpa.

“When I was very little, I loved to go out on the tractor with my grandpa,” O’Brien said. “He was the first person in our area who really employed conservation techniques in his farming.”

Education and experience

This sparked an interest in the environment, which was nurtured by O'Brien's parents, who taught him about the origins of Coldwater Creek, a stream that flowed through the back of their rural Iowa farm. Those lessons fueled O'Brien's passion for water quality, shaping the direction of his early career with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources where he served as the primary decision maker for all state organized water quality efforts.

Next, Eric served as the inaugural sustainability coordinator then director of sustainability at the University of Northern Iowa (his alma mater) where he spent almost 15 years spearheading transformative projects and advancing the campus culture of sustainability.

O’Brien expects that his experience at public, agricultural university will allow him to “hit the ground running” at UC Davis.

Why UC Davis?

One of the major draws of UC Davis for O’Brien, is the university’s dedication to furthering sustainability and combating climate change

“The level of commitment at UC Davis is novel,” O’Brien said. “Here, it isn't just an uphill battle of one person trying to change hearts and minds.”

In particular, O’Brien cited the university’s leadership to reducing fossil fuels, which includes the in-progress Big Shift project and the comprehensive Fossil Fuel-Free Pathway Plan.

Beyond his professional commitments, O’Brien is passionate about exploring the diverse natural landscapes that surround UC Davis. He looks forward to taking advantage of the region’s unique outdoor opportunities.

“I’m really excited that I can just go any direction — east for Sierras, west for the coast, north for redwoods — and find opportunities to connect with nature in different ways,” O’Brien said.

Leadership and collective action

O’Brien is excited to continue and further the university’s sustainability efforts by engaging folks across the university, including staff, academics, alumni, community partners and, especially, students.

“Students are going out to be leaders across the world. [They can] instill the importance of sustainability and addressing climate change when they’re sitting on boards or making decisions for Fortune 500 companies,” O’Brien said.

As a leader, O’Brien aims to “empower others.” “I want to put people and groups into positions [where they’re able] to help each other to make changes,” he said

O’Brien plans to take a collaborative approach to addressing pressing issues of sustainability by building coalitions across the university and connecting groups that haven’t collaborated, but are natural allies. In doing so, O’Brien hopes to strengthen the culture of sustainability at UC Davis.

“I want my lasting legacy to be that everybody is thinking of sustainability in their jobs,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien’s first goal as director is to meet and connect with people who care about and want to take action for sustainability.

“My immediate goal is to get to know people, meet them face to face. I want people to feel like they can reach out and connect with me,” O’Brien said.

Contact Information for Eric
Email: ehobrien@ucdavis.edu
Tel: (530) 759-3167
Connect with Eric on LinkedIn