Resilience fellows

New program helps emerging resilience leaders build capacity and connections.

This year, twelve Resilience Fellows embarked on a year-long program that brought academic and community leaders together to share knowledge, conduct research, and develop solutions for vulnerabilities in their communities and throughout the county. Working closely with community stakeholders — and each other — on a diverse array of issues, these fellows helped advance social cohesion, promote economic prosperity, and enhance environmental security.

During their time as fellows, the relationships and skills this cohort developed allowed them to catapult community impact and systems improvement. As Alumni, they will be positioned to continue creating profound and enduring change that brings resilience dividends to their organizations, the university and Maricopa County as a whole.

Learn more about the program at https://resilience.asu.edu/fellowships

Adonias Arevalo, Valley of the Sun United Way

How can we break the cycle of homelessness and incarceration with a combination of data, social services, and law enforcement? https://resilience.asu.edu/arevalo-project

Arevalo interviewed individuals with lived experience of incarceration and homelessness to inform the creation of an interactive public art exhibit, a pilot program for formerly incarcerated individuals and a database on how to decrease prison reentry from those who have experienced homelessness.

David Hondula, ASU School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning

How can using real-time indoor heat sensors prevent heat deaths? https://resilience.asu.edu/hondula-project

Concerned by the recent rise in indoor heat-related morbidity, Hondula examined the possibility of using indoor heat sensors to send real-time updates to residents’ family, neighbors, and the health department. This solution enables action at the level of individuals, allowing resources to be focused where they are most needed.

David Hondula, left, poses with fellow Hyunsung Oh during the annual field trip. On this trip fellows visit each other's project sites to learn more about the work their peers are doing.

Edmund Williams, Lehr Innovations, LLC

How can backyard gardens help fight against food insecurity? https://resilience.asu.edu/williams-project

Williams developed and tested a new ecologically-inspired urban agriculture system he calls a LEHR garden. His findings suggest that it has the potential to be two to three times more productive than other intensive agriculture techniques. Because these gardens are also low-maintenance, they could improve food security across the city by fostering a more distributed urban food system.

Edmund Williams, left, demonstrates his LEHR gardens to the rest of the fellows cohort.

Hyunsung Oh, ASU School of Social Work

How does the social network of a sick patient affect their quality of life? https://resilience.asu.edu/oh-project

Oh modeled the impacts of social networks — specifically community trust in health professionals and willingness to discuss health with loved ones — on chronic illness management among low-income seniors and people with disabilities. His findings suggest how network-based interventions can address disparities in chronic illness.

Jayson Matthews, Valley of the Sun United Way

How could real-time data collection improve delivery of integrated human services? https://resilience.asu.edu/matthews-project

Informed by interviews with nonprofits, academic units and community members, Matthews designed workshops and a toolkit on data collection and use. His work is helping put the community at the center of real-time data collection to improve integrated aid on health, housing, and food.

Jennifer Vanos, ASU School of Sustainability

Do kids enjoy more equitable learning opportunities when playgrounds are cooler and healthier? https://resilience.asu.edu/vanos-project

Vanos worked with Paideia Academies in South Phoenix to redesign two playspaces to become natural play and learning environments that reduce students’ exposure to heat and air pollution. Her ongoing research could shift the paradigm of playground design to improve health usability, reduce harmful exposures, and advance health equity and resilience.

Patricia Solis, left, works with Jennifer Vanos during a fellows meeting.

Krickette Wetherington, Valley of the Sun United Way

What do we need to better understand about homelessness and race? https://resilience.asu.edu/wetherington-project

Since race is currently a better predictor of homelessness than poverty, Wetherington developed a racial equity framework and training for system administrators, service providers and funders. She also explored alternative assessment methods to complement mainstream prioritization tools, helping them more equitably allocate housing resources.

Matthew Toro, ASU Library

Where can we build resilience on our streets? https://resilience.asu.edu/toro-project

Maricopa County suffers from a major public safety crisis for pedestrians, reducing residents’ ability to access the resources they need. Toro mapped pedestrian crash incidents through the county alongside sociodemographic and land use data, allowing decision-makers to more effectively target design and policy interventions to make our streets safer for all commuters.

Nathan Smith, Phoenix Rescue Mission

How can we improve food security by redesigning distribution solutions? https://resilience.asu.edu/smith-project

Smith studied the local food system to design a program for his organization that leverages its relationships to other organizations to foster local food security. In addition to strengthening existing food distribution programs, he also explored the development of skills training programs to help individuals become more self-sufficient.

Sandra Price, ASU School of Community Resources and Development

How can we remove barriers to better university-community collaborations? https://resilience.asu.edu/price-project

Surprised by stories of poor relationships between university researchers and the local community, Price set about identifying the barriers to effective university-community collaboration. She then developed a workshop to be held before the 2020 Social Embeddedness Conference to discuss the challenge with members of the ASU community.

Sara Meerow, ASU School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning

What are the co-benefits of multifunctional green infrastructure in arid cities? https://resilience.asu.edu/meerow-project

Meerow synthesized the current state of knowledge on four resilience co-benefits of green infrastructure in a desert city — stormwater management, cooling, and improved air and water quality. She then used this information to develop a spatial model for prioritizing areas in Phoenix for green infrastructure.

Shelley Morgan, State of Arizona Department of Economic Security

Will a Percentage of Income Payment Plan help save lives? https://resilience.asu.edu/morgan-project

When households turn off their A/C in summer to save on energy costs, it puts them at risk for heat related death and illness. Morgan explored the possibility of leveraging existing national funding toward a Percentage of Income Payment Plan to mitigate energy costs for households at 75–125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, a group that is increasingly seeking assistance.

The inaugural cohort of Resilience Fellows pose during the Celebration of Resilience.