A New Texas Exes Alumni Network Puts Sustainability First

Transferring a board meeting from Zoom to Google Meet—anticipating a possible shift to Microsoft Teams if Meet crashes—Sandy Eapen, BS ’01, Life Member, and her team prepare for the possible technological challenges that come with connecting a group of people from all over the globe. However, it’s smooth sailing this time as the screen fills with boxes of people familiar with one another, ready to discuss the two things that transcend geographical borders to unite them: sustainability and their alma mater, UT. 

“Everyone chips in,” Eapen, president of the Texas Exes Sustainability Alumni Network, says. “I feel like I got lucky with people who are just really passionate about the topic and always want to do something at a high level.” 

As the head of this new alumni network, Eapen says her 20-plus year career—including sustainability-focused positions with the United Nations Development Programme and Dow Chemical—assists in her role as the voice of the organization.  

“I see the power of community and collective impact, and that’s the purpose of this network: How do we help alumni drive change and impact, whether in their careers or in their communities?” Eapen says.  

Last year, Eapen; Jim Walker, MS ’98, the University’s director of sustainability; Jayme Walenta, BA ’99, the network’s vice president; and a few other dedicated Longhorns founded the Sustainability Alumni Network after an event hosted by the Campus Environmental Center. The network’s mission is to foster an open dialogue around all aspects of sustainability that joins students, alumni, and faculty voices.

“There’s more sustainability programming at UT, education-wise, and there’s more students who are graduating with degrees [related to sustainability] and alumni working in the field,” Eapen says. “Because there’s a larger number of alumni who are working in sustainability, there’s been this appetite to create some kind of community for alumni.”  

Acting on this observation, Eapen and her cofounders partnered with the Texas Exes and began reaching out to people who had previously expressed interest in starting a network like this. Enthusiasm then came streaming in from Longhorns all over the world.  

“It’s amazing that we have people from across the U.S.—across even the world. It makes us a really well-rounded board with a lot of critical perspectives,” says Leland Murphy, BA ’23, Life Member.  

You can often find Murphy climbing up and down the inclined path connecting the LBJ School of Public Affairs to the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center. A master’s student at the LBJ School and a board member for the network, Murphy says his experience as both an alumnus and a current student are valuable.    

“I was a government major so, obviously, I cared about environmental and energy policy, but that wasn’t the hard-science side of environmental science,” Murphy says. “You don’t have to have an environmental science background to care. We’re trying to bring in as many people as possible, especially younger alumni, and get them involved in this network.”  

Though the network is in its early stages, it has paved its way by focusing on University engagement, from hosting events such as a panel and networking event on artificial intelligence and clean energy in partnership with UT’s Planet Texas 2050 symposium, to partnering with the Campus Environmental Center and co-organizing events with student sustainability groups on campus.  

Chase Cobb, BS ’14, vice president of University engagement for the network, also works as the academic program coordinator for the Environmental Science Institute in the Jackson School of Geosciences.  

“It feels like there’s a lot of power in alumni using their expertise to make an impact on sustainability,” Cobb says. “The network has been a cool community facilitator.”  

These networking events are not exclusive to Austin. With happy hours for alumni chapters throughout the country and outdoor events such as the Earth Month Picnic for the Texas Exes Denton County Chapter, the connection permeates beyond these Forty Acres.  

“With this alumni network and a powerful University, we can create change,” Cobb says. “The biggest thing is connection. People will always be a part of UT, but may feel disconnected from campus. This is a great way to stay involved.”  

The network hopes to reach out to more students and grow their membership base, Eapen and Murphy say. Seeing the establishment of sustainability-focused degrees, new sustainability student organizations, and UT continuing to be a pioneer in energy research, Eapen and the board are urging any Longhorn with even the slightest connection to the subject to join this burgeoning network.  

“I’m excited to see the future of this network, and I plan on being a part of it, whether as a member or as a board member, for my lifetime, as long as it exists and as long as I exist on planet Earth,” Murphy says. “To anyone out there: Join us. We’re going to keep doing great things and keep building this network up. Come be a part of it.”  

CREDITS: Maggie Chiang (1); Texas Exes Sustainability Alumni Network (2)