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Staff Sustainability Award Awarded to Melissa Forsha


Staff Sustainability Award Winner Melissa Forsha in her home garden
Staff Sustainability Award Winner Melissa Forsha in her home garden

Every year a staff member of the Smeal College of Business is recognized for their involvement in and commitment to sustainability. For the year 2020, that person is Melissa Forsha. We wanted to take a moment and acknowledge Melissa and share her story with our community.


Melissa was nominated by her peers for her outstanding work incorporating sustainability into her professional and personal life. At Smeal, Melissa works as the Administrative Support Coordinator for the MBA Program in the Office of Professional Graduate Programs. In her role, she is responsible for coordinating programs and contacts for professional graduate programs like the new and popular Business Sustainability Strategy Graduate Certificate program.


At home, Melissa and her husband limit their impact by conserving resources and producing many goods from their backyard. In their garden, her family grows an abundance of fresh produce from beginning in early spring until late October. The Forsha family makes fresh maple syrup, perfect for the winter days in State College (we are hoping for an invite!). When asked what sustainability means to her, Melissa said it is "being able to sustain the environment, causing no adverse effects, preventing pollution and showing care in our use of resources."


Melissa believes every action makes a difference no matter how small. With these values, she has incorporated sustainability into her life and hopes other people can learn how they can have a positive impact, contributing to a better future.


Melissa would like to see Smeal continue to be a leader in academic excellence in sustainable business, helping students analyze business performance over the long term, not just for short term gain.


Congratulations Melissa! Let us know when we can stop by and help enjoy the maple syrup. We can make the pancakes.


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