As the Coordinator for the Student Sustainability Center (SSC), Serena Dressel supports student engagement at the intersection of student leadership and sustainability. Serena has been a PSU community member since 2014, as a PSU alumni with a Master’s of Public Administration, a graduate certificate in Nonprofit and Public Management, and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Indigenous Nations Studies.
As a former student leader, Serena is passionate about supporting students in finding their place at PSU through involvement in student activities. As an undergrad, Serena participated in multiple SALP departments and student organizations, with leadership roles in the Sustainability Leaders Network, Environmental Club, and SSC. During her undergraduate degree, Serena was also active in the IELP, Honors, and UNST departments. In her graduate degree, Serena supported the PIAA Studies Initiative.
Before returning to PSU in Spring 2020, Serena was the Community Engagement Manager Axiom Event Productions- helping to organize volunteers and community partnerships for contracted events including Sunday Parkways, CAReFree Sunday, Mississippi Street Fair, and the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. Serena also was an active board and organization member of the Greater Portland Sustainability Education Network, a Regional Center of Expertise on Sustainable Development recognized by the United Nations, from 2017-2022. She also was the co-lead of 2022 Portland Youth Climate Summit Planning Team as a member of the Portland Youth Climate Collective.
Serena identifies as multiracial, neurodivergent, queer woman and seeks to create identity-affirming spaces in her work at PSU, using the intersectional environmentalist framework to guide her SSC work. Born and raised on the Oregon Coast and Willamette Valley, Serena is passionate about connection to place, & respect for people + the planet. In her free time Serena enjoys trying local restaurants, traveling near and far, and exploring the outdoors.