Elizabeth Drake is assistant vice president for sustainability & strategic initiatives at Swarthmore College, leading the Office of Sustainability’s efforts to integrate sustainability into every aspect of campus life including teaching, learning, operations, and culture. In her role, Elizabeth envisions and implements sustainability initiatives to mitigate the college’s environmental impact and to build awareness of the connection between sustainability and issues of social justice.

A central piece of Elizabeth’s work is supporting the College’s ambitious energy plan, To Zero By Thirty-Five (20×35), which includes a resilient energy system that provides reliable, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective electricity, heating, and cooling to support Swarthmore’s educational mission and achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. Elizabeth also directs the President’s Sustainability Research Fellowship, a high-impact engaged scholarship program that equips students with the skills and knowledge  to lead change for sustainability.

She also serves as a consulting advisor to the president and other campus partners in the planning, implementing, and monitoring of projects to facilitate strategic change at the College, including the implementation of Swarthmore Forward, the College’s strategic plan.

Elizabeth joined the College in 2019 in the role of Climate Action Manager in the Office of Sustainability, and served as Director of sustainability prior to assuming her current position.  Elizabeth holds a B.S. in environmental science and sustainability from Cornell University and a master’s in environmental studies from the University of Pennsylvania.