Photo of the bell towers atop Cole Hall with trees, blue sky with clouds, and the New York City skyline in the background.

About Us

Our Staff

Benjamin Kalscheur profile photo

Benjamin Kalscheur

Director of Sustainability, Office of the President

Email
kalscheurb@montclair.edu
Adeline Cochran profile photo

Adeline Cochran

Assistant Director of Sustainability, Office of the President

Phone
973-655-3239
Email
cochrana@montclair.edu
Location
Overlook
Prior to joining the Office of Sustainability, Adeline spent 25 years in the Division of University Facilities where she spent her time facilitating the integration of sustainability values and practices into the strategic initiatives and operational needs of the division, and fostering a shared understanding of the holistic impact of the division’s activities within the University.
She was the lead staff member behind the development and implementation of the Facilities Sustainability Plan: https://www.montclair.edu/facilities/sustainability/facilities-sustainability-plan/
As much fun as she has performing data analysis and developing policies, she loves getting students involved in projects so they can learn how their University works and how they can make a difference on campus and in the wider world.
Brittney Portes profile photo

Brittney Portes

Community Garden Manager, Office of the President

Email
portesb@montclair.edu
Location
Susan A. Cole Hall
Brittney serves as the Community Garden Manager at Montclair State University, where she leads efforts to cultivate a thriving, educational, and community-driven green space on campus. Since stepping into this role, she has expanded student engagement, enhanced food donation initiatives, and strengthened partnerships that connect the garden with broader sustainability and food justice efforts. Under her leadership, the garden has grown to serve as a hub for hands-on learning, community building, and urban agriculture education.

She oversees programming that teaches students, faculty, and community members about organic gardening, composting, and sustainable food systems while managing seasonal planting, volunteer coordination, and collaborative projects with university departments and local organizations. In 2024, she led efforts that resulted in record-breaking food donations from the garden, doubling previous years' contributions to local food security initiatives.

While she enjoys developing strategic initiatives for long-term garden sustainability, she is most passionate about empowering students to get their hands in the soil, learn where their food comes from, and become active participants in creating a more resilient and equitable food system.

Our Students

Group photo of the sustainability interns at Mills Reservation.

Sustainability Interns

The Office of Sustainability is pleased to host an internship program consisting of 8-10 undergraduate students who work on peer-to-peer education, outreach, and social media.