What We Do
The Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability is responsible for long-range facilities planning, space management and planning, and sustainability initiatives and goals for the campus.
Campus Planning and Sustainability supports the mission and strategic initiatives of UMass Boston by informing and guiding the development of an effective and creative campus environment. We work toward the vision expressed in the 2022 Strategic Plan through the creation of campus spaces and places, infrastructure that support future needs, and clear direction toward sustainable facilities, all programmed to meet changing needs. We continue the efforts to collaborate inside and outside the campus community and communicate an on-going planning process, supported by using dynamic and innovative planning tools, to produce creative, comprehensive, and feasible solutions.
UMass Boston approaches sustainability through the interconnection and interdependence of environmental, social, and economic factors, which are vital to achieve the long-term health and resilience of individuals, communities, the natural environment, and economies.
Who We Are
Dennis Swinford, Director of Campus Planning and Sustainability
Dennis is responsible for guiding the long-range planning for UMass Boston's campus environment and its facilities in support of the Institute’s overall mission of education and research. He oversees all aspects of campus planning and sustainability in order to enable the best learning environment for the United States' third most diverse campus community. Dennis, most recently, was the Higher Education Planning Practice Leader at Goody Clancy Associates. He has led or been a senior member of campus planning teams for almost 30 years. He was director of the office of campus planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was a principal planner at Harvard University’s Allston Development Group.
Dennis.Swinford@umb.edu
617-287-5402
Tina Perez, Senior Campus Planner
Tina’s role as Senior Campus Planner has her closely involved in the Campus Master Plan campaign, which is working to shape and refine the physical future of the campus. She is also involved in every space request for the campus as well as the management of the space inventory and database. Tina has worked in campus planning and construction management for the past 20 years. As a graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology, she went on to work for the college in the Facilities Planning department for the next 10 years. She helped to implement the comprehensive campus and signage master plans during her time there. Tina has also spent time working in project management for various construction companies, and her return to collegiate planning is met with great excitement.
Tina.Perez@umb.edu
617-287-5182
Janna Cohen-Rosenthal, Sustainability & Resiliency Planner
Janna joined the team in August 2023. In her role, she leads UMass Boston's sustainability and climate change resilience efforts with a goal of net zero carbon emissions. Collaborating with students, staff, faculty, and community partners, she will help build UMass Boston’s campus as a living laboratory of climate action and leadership.
Previously, Janna was the director of Climate Programs at Second Nature, working with a national network of higher education institutions on climate change action. In 2008, she founded the Campus Sustainability Initiative at Brandeis University, leading energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste reduction, waste reduction, local food, and transportation efforts. She more recently worked with the MIT Office of Sustainability & the Harvard University Office for Sustainability. Janna has worked with non-profits in Massachusetts to expand renewable energy development, address environmental justice, and increase community resilience. Janna earned a B.A. in Sociology and Environmental Studies and an M.B.A. in Management and Social Policy from Brandeis University.
Janna.CohenRosenthal@umb.edu
617-287-5582