黄瓜视频

Building a Career at the Intersection of Sustainability and Marketing

Lauren Reilly did not follow a straight line into her sustainability career, and she never expected to. A graduate of the Patel College of Global Sustainability (PCGS), Reilly began her journey through student activism and campus leadership. She has built a career grounded in sustainability, systems thinking, and applied problem-solving. Today, she works as a Senior Marketing Specialist at Iconergy, where her background in sustainability and building sciences informs her communication of complex energy and infrastructure solutions to decision-makers.

Lauren Reilly鈥檚 sustainability journey began long before job titles or career plans came into focus. As a student, she knew one thing for sure: showing up mattered.

I knew from day one that I needed to find some sort of involvement and find my people. It wasn鈥檛 just going to class. It was showing up for those extra activities and advocating for something.

Lauren Reilly
Senior Marketing Specialist at Iconergy

While completing her undergraduate studies in Environmental Science and Policy at the USF St. Petersburg campus, Lauren immersed herself in campus life through environmental student organizations and the student government. Early on, she connected with faculty mentors, including Joseph Dorsey, the Food Sustainability & Security director at the Patel College of Global Sustainability. He encouraged her to get involved, ask questions, and advocate for sustainability at the institutional level. That involvement gave her direct access to decision-makers on campus and helped her understand how change happens within organizations.

One of Lauren鈥檚 most lasting contributions to USF came through student-led advocacy for the Student Green Energy Fund. She was part of the early group of students who worked across institutions, lobbied elected officials, and mobilized peers to support the initiative.

鈥淢y name might not be there,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 a legacy. Every time I see something funded by the Student Green Energy Fund, I know I had a hand in making that happen.鈥�

After completing her undergraduate degree, Lauren took time to reflect on her next steps. At Dr. Dorsey's encouragement, she enrolled in the Master of Arts in Global Sustainability at PCGS, where her academic experience became even more applied. Through coursework, group projects, and interactions with students from around the world, she gained a broader understanding of sustainability as both a global and local challenge.

鈥淭alking to classmates about what sustainability looks like in their countries really changed my perspective,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 different to read about it versus hearing it from someone you know. That sticks with you in your career.鈥�

Graduate school also helped Lauren identify her professional focus. Through resume reviews with industry professionals, she realized that many of her experiences pointed toward one area in particular: building sciences. That moment helped Lauren narrow her path toward building sciences and energy efficiency.

鈥淪omeone looked at my resume and said, 鈥榊ou really like buildings,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even realize it myself until someone else pointed it out.鈥�

While completing her master鈥檚 degree, Lauren gained hands-on experience through internships and work in facilities-related roles, including contributing to climate action planning and evaluating energy efficiency proposals. Those experiences strengthened her ability to assess projects not just conceptually, but in terms of real-world impact and measurable outcomes.

After graduating, Lauren relocated and entered the energy services industry. Although she initially expected to work directly in sustainability coordination, her career evolved in a different, and ultimately fulfilling, direction. Today, she serves as a Senior Marketing Specialist at Iconergy, where she combines her sustainability background with strategic communication.

Her role sits squarely at the intersection of sustainability and marketing. With deep knowledge of energy efficiency and high-performing buildings, Lauren brings subject-matter expertise to every proposal, article, and campaign she develops. Rather than relying solely on AI tools, she draws on her education to ensure accuracy, credibility, and relevance. Especially when communicating with engineers, facilities staff, and institutional decision-makers.

Looking back, Lauren credits PCGS with preparing her not just for a specific job, but for adaptability. Her career may not have followed the exact path she once imagined, but it reflects the strength of a sustainability education that emphasizes systems thinking, applied experience, and critical judgment.

Her story is a reminder that sustainability careers are rarely linear and that impact can take many forms when education, experience, and purpose intersect.