Directory

Sarah is the Director of Environmental Health and Safety. She has over 20 years of experience in safety at academic institutions, focusing on training and compliance. Sarah is an RIT alumnus from the Environmental Management and Technology program, and earned a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from the Warner School at the University of Rochester.

Sarah began her career at the University of Rochester as a JCAHO safety surveyor and then went to SUNY Brockport as the Assistant Director of EHS, becoming Interim Director. She returned to RIT in 2014 as the embedded safety manager for the Facilities Management department, and has been Director of EHS since 2022. Sarah is a long-time board member for the State Environmental Health and Safety Association (SEHSA), which brings together college and university EHS professionals from across New York State.

Michael joined RIT in February of 2019 as the Environmental Programs Manager.  Michael’s primary responsibilities include: air emissions reporting, electronic and hazardous waste management, pesticide program compliance, chemical inventory, storm water management, wastewater discharges, and wetland permitting.  Prior to joining RIT, Michael spent 5 years as the Environmental Health and Safety Specialist at RED-Rochester, LLC.  Michael is a member of the New York Water Environment Association and Air and Waste Management Association.  Michael holds a Bachelor of Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY.

Shannon is the EHS Manager for Housing and Auxiliary Services. She joined the EHS Team in 2023 after 3 years as a Lab Manager for Biomedical Engineering Department. An alumnus holding a BS in Biomedical Science, she has worked in Quality Assurance/Control for food manufacturing for Wegmans and DuPont for 8 years. Embedded within the Housing and Auxiliary Facilities, Shannon manages and oversees Pest Management, Health and Hygiene of Students in Housing and Housing Fire Safety Compliance.

Colleen has been the EHS Manager for FMS since October 2022 where she supports Facilities Management Services with Environmental, Health, and Safety policies, programs, and concerns. Her areas of focus are staff training, accident investigation, process improvement, and project reviews. She graduated from RIT in 2016 with a B.S. in Environmental Sustainability, Health, and Safety, and is a certified trainer of Powered Industrial Trucks. She was previously in the RIT Housing Operations Department.

Jody has 32 years of service in the RIT Environmental Health and Safety Department and has been involved in the fire service and in the Code enforcement profession for 40 years.  Jody holds a Bachelor of Science, Applied Arts and Sciences-Honors from RIT with Concentrations in Disaster and Emergency Management, Safety Technology, and Marketing and a general education concentration in Communication. She also holds a Master of Science Degree from Rochester Institute of Technology with Concentrations in Workplace Learning and Instruction, and Digital Media and Communications.

Jody has held numerous leadership positions in local, state and national professional organizations in the fire service. Most notably, Jody was the first woman to be elected to the Board of Directors of the NYS Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association. She currently serves as an Executive Board Member and Education Committee Chairperson for the Center for Campus Fire Safety. 

Joe has been with RIT since 2007 starting with Housing Operations before becoming the Environmental Health & Fire Safety Technician in 2022.  In this role, his primary duties include the management of the portable fire extinguisher program, issuing hot work permits, providing emergency response to fire alarms and environmental clean ups, assisting with packaging and shipping hazardous waste and performing the annual campus fire inspection with the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.   A native of Rochester, Joe received his AAS degree in Fire Protection Technology at Monroe Community College. Joe is also a certified New York State Code Enforcement Official. 

Cindy is the Lab Safety Programs Manager and holds the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO), the Laser Safety Officer (LSO) and the Biosafety Officer (BSO) titles. She is responsible for inspecting all of the labs, shops and studios on campus and monitoring OSHA compliance in those areas with the help of the RIT Lab Safety Committee members.

Prior to coming to RIT, Cindy spent 16 years at Kodak working in a variety of analytical labs. She has experience with wet chemistry, cleanrooms, lasers, radiation and a myriad of analytical equipment. In addition to her lab activities, Cindy took on aspects of Health and Safety for her division including lab inspections, safety training, PPE assessments, and lab renovation and new equipment reviews. This eventually led to her decision to leave the lab and transition to a career in Health and Safety.

Phil joined RIT EH&S in August of 2022 as the Health and Safety Programs Manager. He oversees Occupational Safety and Health regulations for all student, faculty, and staff activities across campus. His areas of focus are electrical safety, PPE, and machine guarding. Phil is an RIT alumni from the Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety Program and worked as an EHS Specialist at Cornell University before coming back to RIT.  He is an Associate Safety Professional accredited by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.