The Office of Sustainability hosted its third annual Sustainability Career Panel on March 10th, 2026, at the University Career Center. This year, OS collaborated with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the Alumni Association to host the panel. The panel featured three UMD alumni working in various sustainability-related careers. The panelists were Menyae Christopher, a policy associate at Sol Systems; Kate Kopp, an environmental analyst at Potomac-Hudson Engineering Inc.; and Maurice Richardson, the founder of Diaspora Honey.
The panelists emphasized the importance of being versatile in the job market and keeping options open when searching for a job. They shared how valuable technical skills are and that many UMD courses helped in developing these skills.
Menyae shared his experience working in energy policy while living abroad in Germany, Kate shared her experience working in federal and private sector compliance under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Maurice shared his experience developing and maintaining his own apiary business.
At the end of the panel, students were able to chat one-on-one with the panelists and network with them. The panel attracted a diversity of students in terms of demographics, majors, and grade levels.
For a full recap of the panel, check out the notes from the event. Be on the lookout for the 2027 Sustainability Career Panel!
