Mr. Corey Peterson was elected to the University Council by the Professional Staff in 2012. He is currently the UTAS Sustainability Manager based in Commercial Services and Development. In this role, Corey has been the lead staff member in sustainability efforts that have been recognised with the prestigious Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) Award of Excellence 2012.
Corey was educated in the USA, attending Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota where he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Distributive Science (Environmental Studies). Subsequently, he completed two Masters degrees in Environmental Science and Public Administration at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He has two Diplomas from TAFE Tasmania in Information Technology (Networking and Systems Administration). He is also a graduate of the Tasmanian Leaders Program, for which he has also served as a mentor to later participants and is an active member of the alumni.
Corey has served as President of Sustainable Living Tasmania for a number of years and on the Boards of Future Tasmania and the United Nations Association of Australia – Tasmania.
Corey has worked in Jakarta as a GIS project manager and studied penguins for a summer in Antarctica. Deciding to stay on, he spent three winters in a row managing laboratories at the United States Antarctic Program’s Palmer Station. He moved onto research vessels in 1995, first visiting Tasmania in 1996 and making his ‘temporary’ visa permanent in 1998. He continued to travel regularly to Antarctic in a number of capacities, including marine science technician, ship liaison manager, and station lab manager with his most recent science cruise in 2008. In 1997, he was awarded Antarctic Support Associates Employee of the Year, for his work on the international Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) sequence of cruises.
Concurrently with his ‘Ice’ time, Corey worked at MacKillop College as the Network Manager and Sustainability Promoter for almost 12 years. Through Federal government grants, he organised the school’s 165,000 litre stormwater collection system , the first grid-connected photovoltaic system (4kW) on a Tasmanian school, a food garden, four solar hot water systems, double glazing and ICT efforts to reduce energy use. With these learnings, Corey worked through the Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning (TCGL) to assist schools throughout Tasmania to effectively use their National Solar Schools Program grants.
Such efforts led to MacKillop’s selection as winner of the 2008 Tasmanian Community Achievement Award for Environment and Sustainability and the 2009 Tasmanian Award for Environmental Excellence as well as earning Corey a Pride of Australia finalist in 2008.
Corey is focussed on delivering sustainability improvements to UTAS, with particular focus on involving staff and students directly in initiatives. Corey is in a registered deed of relationship with his partner Cameron.