The Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability (UMACS) was established in 2005 to support higher education staff, faculty and students in the region who are working to advance sustainability on their campuses and in the community. We believe that by building collaborative relationships and sharing ideas and resources, we can advance our work for a more sustainable and just society. We offer programming throughout the year and an annual conference. 

Anyone from a higher education campus in the region can participate in UMACS programs 

UMACS is led by Megan Voorhees, our part-time Executive Director, and a volunteer Steering Committee. If you would like to learn more about UMACS and share ideas for how we can best support your work, please contact Megan Voorhees. 

UMACS Staff

Megan Voorhees  -   UMACS Executive Director

Megan's career has primarily focused on leading higher education and community programs designed to help participants effectively address complex social and environmental issues. Most recently, she was the Director of Experiential Education and Graduate Programs at the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, where she also was Affiliate Faculty at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. From 2000-2013, she was the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the Public Service Center at the University of California, Berkeley.  She has also led youth development and youth employment programs in the non-profit sector. Megan has a BA In Sociology and Anthropology from Lewis & Clark College and Masters in Theological Studies from the Graduate Theological Union.  ​

Carrie Thompson  -  Website & Media Consultant

Carrie has worked in the non-profit sector for the past eight years.  Currently, she wears many hats including the part time Executive Director for the Sustainability Institute and part time independent consultant to UMACS with website design and media creation.

Talitha Anderson (she/her) - Program Coordinator

Talitha is an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and is working towards her BS in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management with a double minor in Climatology and Sustainability Studies. She strives to find ways to combine her interests in atmospheric science and the intersection of environmental and social issues with tangible solutions at the ground level. Before coming to UMACS, Talitha previously interned for the Green Neighbor Challenge, where she did database work surrounding utilities’ green-pricing programs, and the City of La Crescent through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, where she worked alongside the city’s Sustainability Coordinator on a variety of sustainability projects, from solar energy and energy efficiency to biodiversity restoration. She also had the pleasure of being a part of the IonE’s student delegation to Germany in January 2024.