Jen Kleindienst is the Sustainability Director of the Sustainability Office at the Bailey College of the Environment. Jen supervises student employees who serve as Environmental Fellows, Sustainable Middletown Interns, Sustainability Strategic Plan Ambassadors, Compost Interns, Waste Not/WesThrift Coordinators, and Sew What Coordinators, amongst additional campus jobs.
In her role, she oversees Wesleyan’s sustainability strategic planning, which focuses on achieving carbon neutrality, preparing students to become environmental and social leaders, and integrating holistic sustainability into everything that Wesleyan does. Jen is passionate about building a more sustainable world and loves putting ideas into action with Wesleyan and Middletown communities. Learn more about Sustainability at Wes here.
What is your favorite part about working with Wesleyan student employees?
While we deal with a lot of heavy topics, the creativity, hope, and persistence of Wesleyan students helps me to stay motivated and energized. I love the culture of mutual respect that we create in the Sustainability Office.
Can you share any memorable experiences or achievements from supervising student employees?
In 2022, two students (Debbra Goh ’24 and Annie Volker ’24) sent me a proposal as part of their role as Eco Facilitators (now Environmental Fellows) to start what is now the WesThrift Free Store. I’d rejected similar proposals from other students in the past because of concerns about insufficient structure for long-term success. Debbra and Annie had thought long term and planned beautifully, and the launch and now continual running of the store has gone out nearly without a hitch. B Frankenstein ’25 has been instrumental in making WesThrift well-organized from day 1 and makes it a welcoming space for all.
What advice would you give to students who are seeking or starting their campus employment journey?
Don’t be afraid to try something new. I did a lot of campus and off-campus jobs and internships in high school and college, and many weren’t quite the right fit but with each one I learned something new or confirmed something about myself and what I need to thrive.
Once you’re in a job, be your own advocate! If you need more assistance, more independence, have trouble with a coworker, etc., let your supervisor know. I am so grateful when students launch these sometimes-uncomfortable conversations with me because they give us an opportunity to improve their working experience and build trust.
How do you think on-campus jobs contribute to students’ professional development and goals?
Nearly 200 students have worked in the Sustainability Office since its beginnings in 2012. Many of these folks have spent multiple years in the Office, sometimes moving between roles. Students have directly reported learning so much about themselves and future career paths, including event planning, hiring processes, communication, impact, collaboration skills, teamwork, talking with external stakeholders, and accountability. Many students go on to sustainability-adjacent careers, and even those who don’t have gained directly transferable skills for future jobs.
How does your department’s campus jobs help you and your students impact change within the university or broader community?
Most of the jobs in the Office are project-based. All have some required component (ex: planning/running Waste Not, managing the Sew What mending program, collecting backyard compost, serving as a dorm resource), and all also have some space for people to take the role in a new direction (ex: planning WesThrift events, food waste reduction education, fostering a relationship with Amazing Grace Food Pantry, creating a guide for Middletown government participation). Giving students this freedom gives them ownership over their role and also gives us a greater chance to impact change at Wesleyan and beyond.
Shout out any programs, events, resources, or information you want students to know about your department!
Check out the resources section of the Sustainability website to learn more about a lot of our programs. We have all job descriptions posted online and note when hiring will next happen for each role. We would love people to join our listserv, Discord server, and join us at an upcoming event!
Updated March 12, 2025.
