Three of CSU’s very own staff members – Amanda Giacalone, Tonie Miyamoto and Josie Plaut – were recently named to BizWest’s “40 Under 40 for Northern Colorado” 2014 list. The list recognizes the best and brightest emerging leaders in the region.

Amanda Giacalone is the assistant director of development for principal gifts within University Advancement. She started at CSU in September following a four-year stint with United Way of Larimer County.

Giacalone is a New York native and graduate of Quinnipiac University. She got her first taste of working in nonprofits during a college internship and has been passionate about them ever since.

Her primary work at United Way was with WomenGive, a program that provides childcare scholarships to single moms seeking to better themselves through education. WomenGive, started in 2006, has more than 350 members who use their financial resources to help women in Larimer County achieve economic self-sufficiency.

In her new role at CSU, Giacalone will connect alumni and friends in the Denver area to the University.

“I wouldn’t trade my time at United Way for anything in the world, but I also know I’m now exactly where I’m supposed to be,” she said. “CSU is a dream come true for me. I feel like I’ve found my perfect match in a job and couldn’t be happier.”

Tonie Miyamoto is the director of communications and sustainability for Housing & Dining Services at CSU. She leads an integrated team that oversees marketing, public relations, web communications, social media, multimedia, and sustainability for a live-in population of 7,000 students.

Miyamoto is actively involved in ACUHO-I and has served as the chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee, as well as various roles with the Business Operations Conference, including Local Events and Volunteers chair, program chair, and conference chair.

Passionate about sustainability and social justice, Miyamoto serves as co-chair of CSU’s President’s Sustainability Committee and founded the Eco Leaders Peer Education Program to help engage and encourage residential students of color to take an active role in sustainability leadership among their peers.

Miyamoto holds a B.S. in journalism from the University of Wyoming with a certificate in women’s studies and an M.S. in technical communications with an emphasis in public relations and a graduate certificate in women’s studies from Colorado State University.

Josie Plaut is associate director of CSU’s Institute for the Built Environment, where she leads a variety of green building and sustainability projects across commercial, nonprofit, and government sectors.

Plaut, who has been an Accredited Professional with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program since 2004, has worked on dozens of projects that have earned or are seeking LEED certification. In addition to green building consulting, Plaut works with companies to develop capacity and action plans for organizational change toward sustainability.

Plaut is a trainer, lecturer and workshop facilitator who is known for her ability to inspire and motivate people by articulating a practical vision for creating a healthy, prosperous and ecologically responsible world.

Plaut is a founding developer of the LENSES (Living Environments in Natural Social and Economic Systems) Framework, which is a groundbreaking project focused on creating transformational change toward regenerative design and practice. Plaut is also the executive director of CLEAR (the Center for Living Environments and Regeneration).

Images courtesy of BizWest.