Jessica Davis. Photo by Indiana UniversityJessica Davis has been named associate vice president and Indiana University’s first chief sustainability officer, where she will lead efforts related to IU’s new Climate Action Plan.

She will guide implementation efforts for the plan on all campuses, including overseeing sustainability directors for the Bloomington, Indianapolis and regional campuses. Leadership on each campus will appoint a committee to work with the directors on campus-specific recommendations and implementation.

Davis had most recently served as IU’s interim university director of sustainability and leads the IUPUI Office of Sustainability. She is an associate faculty member in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI. She has also served as the assistant director of the IUPUI Center for Earth and Environmental Science and a program manager for the Marian University Institute for Green and Sustainable Science.

“Thanks to the dedication of many across Indiana University, our campuses have a long and impressive history of sustainability,” Davis said. “The Climate Action Plan builds on that history and represents IU’s most significant sustainability commitment to date. I look forward to working with students, faculty, staff and community partners as we accelerate our collective pursuit of a thriving and resilient Indiana University.”

“Jessica has been a champion of on-campus sustainability efforts while also recognizing the need to build relationships with our community partners that will expand the impact of those efforts,” said Thomas A. Morrison, vice president for capital planning and facilities and chair of the Climate Action Planning Committee. “Her energetic yet measured approach to exploring new opportunities, particularly as technologies continue to emerge, will allow IU to work toward carbon neutrality in a resilient, responsible and innovative manner.”