W&L Environmental Studies Newsletter | Spring 2024

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

FROM THE PROGRAM

WARM GREETINGS FROM LEX , where we are in the quiet of Feb Break amid a busy and exciting year. Like most places around the country, it’s been a mild winter in the Valley but the arrival of longer days and Spring-like weather is still welcome. The middle of winter term is a great time to reflect while looking forward to the final few months of the academic year. There’s a lot of fun stuff to share, and a lot to look forward to.

We were fortunate that the university allowed us to recruit and hire two new professors for next year. The first new position we filled was for a new professor in environmental philosophy, to fill the void left with Greg Cooper’s retirement last year. We are excited to welcome Ryan McCoy from the University of Kentucky, who will be joining us in July as an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies. Ryan works in applied environmental ethics and has engaged in some remarkable interdisciplinary work. His research considers social and ethical questions surrounding climate change policy, especially as mitigation and adaptation efforts affect agriculture and food systems. In addition to Environmental Studies, Ryan will be offering courses that crosslist with Philosophy as well as the Shepard Program in Poverty and Human Capability Studies.

We are also thrilled to be welcoming Catarina Passidomo back to Washington and Lee as an Associate Professor in Environmental Studies. Catarina graduated from W&L in 2004 with a major in Sociology and

Anthropology, then went on to study Environmental Anthropology and later Human Geography at the University of Georgia. Catarina spent ten years as a professor at the University of Mississippi’s Anthropology Department and Southern Studies Program. Catarina’s work focuses on the human geography of food systems with a focus on the U.S. South and additional work in Peru. Catarina will be returning to Lexington to join us in Environmental Studies in July.

We are all excited about the myriad ways both Ryan and Catarina will be expanding our program’s curriculum and breadth of expertise in the interdisciplinary study of human-environment relationships. Both of them transcend the boundaries of traditional disciplines in their work and engage students with diverse academic interests. I can’t wait to see the new directions that Ryan and Catarina open for our Environmental Studies Program in the years to come.

I hope you’ll all stop in when you’re back on campus to say hi, bring us up to date with your latest news and happenings, and meet our new colleagues! Be sure to reach out when you’re coming through Lex and stop by the lower level of Tucker Hall. We’d love to see you!

A Visit from Dana Johnson

In January of 2023, Dana Johnson, Senior Director of Strategy and Federal Policy at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, was invited to campus by the Environmental Studies Program. Ms. Johnson leads an advocacy, regulatory and policy-setting team at WE ACT, where she has successfully helped shape the environmental industry narrative in the areas of clean air, healthy homes, water quality, energy democracy, and transportation standards. She spoke to a full house about her non-traditional path that led her to a career in environmental advocacy. WE ACT is headquartered in Harlem, New York

City, but in 2012 after seeing that certain changes they wanted to see in their city had to be addressed at the federal level, they opened their Federal Policy Office in Washington, D.C. Ms. Johnson leads that office where she works with lawmakers, agencies, and other organizations to advocate on behalf of environmental justice legislation and policies. Our students are engaged in rigorous academic work daily, but we also find it invaluable to give them experiences like this, where they can hear from and meet with some of the people putting in the hard work on the ground to promote positive change. 

Career Panel

The 5th annual Geoscience and Environmental Career Panel took place during winter term of 2023. Our alumni panel included:

Peter M. “Mac” Lacy ‘96 –Senior Attorney, Oregon Natural Desert Association

Andrew Fotinos ‘04 – Lands Program Manager, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests

Sequoya Bua-Iam ‘17 – Communication and Outreach Coordinator, US Environmental Protection Agency

James Willey ‘18 – Subsea Operations Manager, Geodynamics, an NV5 Company

Julianna Keeling ’19 – CEO and Founder, Terravive

Caroline Snyder ‘21 – Catastrophe Modeler, Howden-Tiger

Following the panel discussion, students were invited to a reception where they could talk with our guest alumni and ask questions about their career paths. This year’s event was extremely well attended, showing our students’ desire to learn as much as they can about the variety of career paths that might be available to them. We thank all of our alumni panelists for taking the time out of their busy schedules to share their journeys with our students. If you are interested in sharing your environmental career journey with our students, please send an email to Debra at freind@wlu.edu. 

Dana Johnson speaks to a full house about her work with WE ACT.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Mauricio Betancourt

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

What classes are you teaching?

In the Fall I taught Introduction to Environmental Studies and a course I have developed called the Commodification of Nature. The aim of the

first course is to explore how humans affect the environment and, in turn, how they are shaped by it. We studied the ecological structure of the Earth and the cultural, ecological, and economic bases for ecosystem value.

The latter course examines how several raw materials have been commodified and traded cross-nationally, with an emphasis on ecological and social issues. I was eager to start teaching these classes and enjoyed

engaging with the students in many thought-provoking discussions!

Can you tell us about the research / scholarship projects you are working on right now (or projects recently completed)?

I am currently working on publishing a book titled Empire of Guano: How Bird Dung Shaped the Modern World, a mesmerizing history of ecological degradation, human exploitation, and imperial entanglements. Building on archival material and fieldwork in Peru, Britain, France, and the United States, this work narrates the story of how the British Empire, followed by continental Europe and the U.S., commodified and imported Peruvian guano (bird dung) in the 19th century to fertilize their exhausted soils. Partly to extract this coveted “white gold” the British, along with the nascent Peruvian ruling class, abducted or induced thousands of Chinese citizens that were forced to labor under conditions of extreme exploitation in the desert islands of Peru. The guano trade (1840-80) also spurred other imperial expansionist projects carried out by Britain, France, and the U.S., such as the seizing of hundreds of islands in the Pacific and the Caribbean, many of which they still retain, and the construction of the Panama Canal. This mournful story of the drain of Peru’s natural wealth following three centuries of Spanish colonialism is a classic case of ecological imperialism and ecological sociology, two novel perspectives that place natural and material conditions at the center of the analysis. Beyond its intrinsic importance, this episode serves to holistically study the dependency of Global South nations to

those in the North, which persists to this day. In addition to this book, I am working on an article that examines the relationship between countries’ human development indices and their ecological footprints, seeking to elucidate what countries, if any, are transitioning towards sustainability.

Studying the environment can sometimes be disheartening. What is something you have seen or read recently that makes you excited about the environment?

Learning about and witnessing the destruction of various ecosystems on Earth is indeed very disheartening. What I have always told myself about this is that, in order to effect positive environmental change, we must understand the current situation as best as we can, even if at times it is discouraging. Only then can we start advancing solutions from a solid and evidence-based diagnosis, as is already done by scientific groups like the IPCC. From there and by accepting these hardships, we must learn to

be a speaker. In this meeting, over 130 delegates from many countries, mainly within the Indian Ocean and African South Coast, engaged in discussions through a series of lectures, seminars, panels, and historic tours. Academics, activists, and policymakers delivered presentations on a wide-ranging set of topics such as the ecological crisis, environmental justice, agroecology, ecofeminism, energy transitions, and the COP 27, among others. This School was a really positive life-changing experience in terms of how to organize, unite, and address the socioecological challenges of the present and the future.

What music (artists, genre, album, etc) is getting the most play on your speakers lately?

My music taste is very broad and diverse. I commonly listen to genres all the way from opera and classic to musicals, progressive rock, country, 80s pop music, reggae, salsa, and cumbia. Some of the composers,

“ What I have always told myself about this is that, in order to effect positive environmental change, we must understand the current situation as best as we can, even if at times it is discouraging.”

develop hope. One event that made me feel a lot of hope about the environment is the 2022 Indian Ocean School of Political Ecology that took place in late October in the island country of Mauritius, off southeastern Africa, where I was honored to

bands, and singers I like the most are Verdi, Beethoven, Jethro Tull, The Beatles, Tears for Fears, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Rino Gaetano, Buena Vista Social Club, and Los Van Van, among many others. My audio streaming software must be so confused. 

2023 SENIOR CAPSTONES

The senior capstone in Environmental Studies is a central part of our curriculum, where students design their own culminating experience to integrate and apply what they learned in their studies at Washington and Lee. As the interests of our students continues to diversify, so does the range of topics they tackle in their capstone projects. Our 2023 graduating seniors completed a wide variety of projects ranging from consulting-style assessments, creative projects including visual art and environmental fiction, and research projects across the disciplines. Here’s the list of capstone titles produced by this remarkable graduating class:

Blake Cote, Jake McCabe, and Caroline Wise — Biking at Washington and Lee: An Assessment and Recommendations.

Julienne de Vastey — Malaria and Climate Change.

Townsend Dotterer — Food, Culture, and Community in Lexington.

James Eaton — Land Usage in Shenandoah County – How Land has Changed Hands Over Time.

Lauren M. “El” Ellenz — Prairie Roots: Historical and Ecological Narratives in Mitchell County, Kansas.

Alli Engfer — Consumer Awareness of Fast Fashion.

Hannah Grace Galbreath— The Nature of Sustainability in PostSecondary Education: A Case Study at Washington and Lee University.

Sara Gaston— The Effects of the Opioid Epidemic on Freshwater Ecosystems in Appalachia.

Tanner Harron, Bailey Keel— Assessing Stream Crossings as Barriers to Aquatic Organism Mobility in the Jennings Creek Watershed.

Matt Majo — Desertification in Kenya and Risks of Future Conflict Domestically, Regionally and Abroad.

Trent Mulligan — How the Anthropocene Ended. A climate fiction novel prospectus.

Jensen Rocha — Communicating the Implications of Plastics through Fiction.

Max Thomas — Hungry, Thirsty, and Poor: The Impacts of Water Insecurity on Human Capital Returns to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Madison Williams — Environmental Gentrification and Green Spaces: Achievements of Equity or Perpetrators of Environmental Injustice?

Nelle Alexander — Play Around and Find Out: Small Scale Tidal Energy System Design.

Tyler Bernard — A Gap Review of an Invasive Species: Brachiaria decumbens in the Pantanal.

Cameron Blizard — How to Market Agrivoltaics and Large-Scale Solar in Rockbridge County, VA.

Christina Cavallo — Making Movement Meaningful: A Case for Energy-Creating Exercise Equipment.

Belen Delgado Mio — Compost in Carbon Markets and Education.

Sydney Goldstein — Towards Sustainable Community-Based Fisheries Management in the Amazon River Basin: Exploring Policy Design and Linkages to Sustainable Development Goals.

Claire Grant — The Real Price of Fashion.

Emmie McElroy — Dislodged: Beavers from Pushed-Out to Preserved through a lens of Human Progress. An Environmentally Inspired Art Installation.

Chloe Olsen — Climate Change and Environmental Justice: A Case Study in Sápmi.

Mark Ozboyd — Improving Crop Nutrient Profiles with Regenerative Agriculture: A Review.

Allie Stankowich — Large Hydropower Projects’ Role in Sustainable Food Security: A Case Study Report on the Bujagali Dam of Uganda.

Carolyn Todd — Sustainable Design, Marketing, and Brand Transparency: Investigating the Performance Material Running Apparel Footware Supply Value Chain.

Kyle Lutz and Sarah Wittpenn — Navigating the ESG space: A Deep Dive on the Impact of ESG Scores in Investment Decisions. 

Clara Albacete ‘23 Completes Honors Thesis

CLARA ALBACETE ‘23 WAS on the Environmental Humanities track and was our first student to complete a senior honors thesis in the Environmental Humanities field. Her thesis was titled Yerba Mate: Earth as a Companion. It was about the human-environment entanglements of yerba mate through historical, anthropological, and ecological lenses. Clara worked with Prof. Chelsea Fisher on her thesis and she submitted a 125-page paper that was both informative and insightful. She also presented a defense of her paper on April 6 in Northen Auditorium. It was a beautiful event, with her parents present, along with an incredibly large and supportive

First Annual Campus Garage Sale

CLASS OF ‘23 GRADUATING SENIORS

Jensen Rocha and Allie Stankewich spearheaded the creation of the first annual campus-wide garage sale in May, 2023. The goal was to reduce the number of items being taken to the landfill as students move out of their housing for the summer. A lot of us have ideas for making the world more sustainable, but these two individuals (with help from many others) made their idea happen. It was an extremely successful event that we hope continues every year. Some facts about the garage sale:

• 47 people signed up to sell things, each of whom donated $5. All of that money ($235) was donated to Boxerwood Gardens.

• Donated a whole truck-load of furniture and such to Habitat for Humanity.

• Donated a car-full of appliances and small furniture to Project Horizon.

• Donated approximately 1000 clothing items to the Office of Inclusion and Engagement and Campus Exchange.

• 215 people enjoyed free Tacos!

• Vendors collected over $700 in sales. 

Jensen Rocha ‘23 at the garage sale.

Clara Albacete ‘23 is recognized by Robert Humston for the completion of her thesis at the annual End-of-Year Gathering.

Matt Majoy ‘23 Commissions into Army

BY MATT MAJOY

The rotc experience at W&l Was certainly unique and rewarding. As someone that doesn’t come from a military family and being one of just two W&L cadets in my class, going from the incredibly open campus that is W&L, to the hyper regimented VMI learning environment for my first taste of the army was certainly daunting at first, but proved to be a great learning environment with an abundance of thoughtful mentors and training resources. ROTC provided me with many great training, leadership and expansion opportunities, one of which was learning foreign languages. Because of ROTC, I began studying Russian at W&L and in the summer going into my junior and senior years I received a scholarship through a program for cadets called

Project GO (Global Officer) to learn the Kiswahili language and travel outside of the country for the first time where I studied abroad in Kenya for 2 months. In addition to learning new languages, ROTC helped me grow significantly as a leader through leading small groups, such as 4-5 person teams, then eventually leading squads and platoons and then as a senior I served as a company commander, leading over 100 cadets.

Upon graduation, I commissioned as a second lieutenant into the army medical service corps and I began my Basic Officer Leadership Course in October. With the time between graduation and the beginning of my career I travelled solo for 9 weeks. I spent 7 weeks in Kenya and Tanzania, where I completed a 3.5 week internship with Kenya’s Utooni Development Organization (UDO). In my time with UDO I conducted research for a carbon credit initiative, took measurements at a number of sand dams with a JMU professor conducting sand dam research, and his son, both of whom taught me a lot, and interacted with local farmers who practiced climate smart agriculture alongside UDO. After my internship with UDO, I travelled around Kenya, Tanzania and Italy practicing as much Kiswahili and Italian as possible. Upon graduation, prior to beginning my service I also founded a nonprofit called “Push Up The World” with the help of several of my teammates. At W&L I led several fundraisers with my fraternity and the wrestling team for which I did push-ups to raise awareness for several different causes. I was very proud of how much we were able raise each time so I decided to turn the idea into a nonprofit with 501c3 status and plan on continuing to engage with W&L and other universities through Push Up The World and am excited to see how far I can take this organization as I begin my military career. 

Matt Majoy ‘23 at his U.S. Army commissioning ceremony in the University Chapel.

STUDENT AWARDS 2023

Tyler Bernard ‘23

Bates Prize for Academic Achievement in Environmental Studies

this aWarD recoGnizeD not only Tyler’s outstanding record of success in his courses, but also his excellent work in the capstone course. His capstone project was an outstanding culmination of his academic work in our program. As a truly interdisciplinary project combining perspectives from philosophy and quantitative ecology, Tyler’s capstone was an ambitious undertaking for an undergraduate thesis. It is a great example of what we hope our students will strive for and achieve in our program.

Allie Stankewich ‘23

Bates Prize for Environmental Citizenship in Environmental Studies

this aWarD recoGnizeD

Allie’s efforts in support of sustainability at W&L and in the local community over the past four years. All of us in Environmental Studies appreciated her tireless efforts and leadership with the Student Environmental Action League, Outing Club, and Campus Kitchen, and the initiatives she directed through those organizations. Allie clearly led by example with these efforts, and had a significant impact on the university and Rockbridge communities.

Tanner Harron ‘23

Al Knight Conservation Award

this aWarD is presenteD to an Environmental Studies major or minor in recognition of significant accomplishment in the area of applied environmental conservation with an emphasis on river conservation and/or the American West. Tanner was selected for this award based on the history of his contributions to aquatic resource and river conservation. From organizing stream cleanups to assessing fish passage obstructions in the national forest, Tanner consistently demonstrated a dedication to protecting our aquatic ecosystems and the organisms that are dependent upon them.

Carolyn Todd ‘23

Bruce M. Flohr Sustainable Commerce Award

this aWarD recoGnizeD Carolyn’s outstanding contributions in the field of sustainable commerce. The work she did for her capstone project on sustainability in the running apparel industry exemplifies the initiative and vision required to effect change and progress for the future of sustainability.

A Year for Fellowship and Scholarship Awards

The 2022-23 acaDemic year found Environmental Studies students receiving and participating in several prestigious fellowship and scholarship awards.

Jules Seay

Jules Seay ‘24 Was aWar D e D both a highly competitive Goldwater Scholarship to support a research career in science, mathematics and engineering and a Udall Scholarship in the environmental category. She is the university’s fourth Udall Scholar (Environmental Studies major Tyler Bernard ‘ 23 won the award in 2022), and the first W&L student to ever receive both the Goldwater and Udall scholarships (Environmental Studies minor Jensen Rocha ‘ 23 won the Goldwater Scholarship in 2022). Seay is double majoring in Environmental Studies (Climate Change track) and Earth

& Environmental Science (formerly Geology). The Goldwater Scholarship is one of the oldest and most prestigious science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) scholarships in the country and aims to support undergraduate sophomores and juniors who show promise of becoming research leaders in their respective fields and intend to pursue a doctorate degree. The Udall Scholarship, which grants $7,000 for academic study, will support Seay’s undergraduate studies and introduce her to a large alumni network of people who share her passion for the environment and are a valuable resource for sharing innovative ideas, professional advice and career opportunities. Jules has been described by her professors as having a great energy and optimism for the future and an exceptional and motivated scholar.

Allie Stankewich

Allie StankeWich ‘23 was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to teach English in Uganda. At W&L, Stankewich is a sociology and environmental studies double major with a minor in poverty and human capability studies. Stankewich is a native of Guilford, Connecticut, and graduated from Guilford High School.

The ETA program in Uganda aims to strengthen the educational and cultural relationships between the United States and Uganda, while providing participants with professional development opportunities to advance their teaching skills. Fulbright English Teaching Assistants are placed in public universities or with the American Center in Kampala.

Stankewich will be placed at a Ugandan university, where her main role will be to support university students with academic writing, resumes, interview skills and job preparation for English-based opportunities. She is eager to return to Uganda after completing a study and internship abroad program in Jinja during the summer of 2021, which focused on public health and global health justice.

Stankewich departed in August 2023 for her nine-month program. Upon completion of the program, she plans to attend graduate school to study global public health or environmental health, with a focus on social or environmental epidemiology. 

Jules Seay ‘24 finds out that she received a Goldwater Scholarship.

KNIGHT INTERNS 2023

THE KNIGHT INTERNSHIPS continue to support Washington and Lee students in learning about and participating in conservation activities in the western U.S. It is a program like no other and we are extremely grateful for and proud of the long and successful history of the program. The summer 2023 Knight interns were:

TANNER HARRON ‘23 — Henry’s Fork Foundation

MCCABE TEMPLETON ‘25 — The Nature Conservancy at Flat Ranch

JACOB TEER ‘25 — The Nature Conservancy at Flat Ranch

ABBY PORTWOOD ‘24 — Friends of Harriman State Park

Templeton McCabe ‘25 and Jacob Teer ‘25 at work for The Nature Conservancy at Flat Ranch during their Knight Internship.

Tanner Harron ‘23 explores the area during his Knight Internship.

Abby Portwood ‘24, Templeton McCabe ‘25, and Jacob Teer ‘25 hike on their day off during their Knight Internship.

How I Spent My (ENVIRONMENTAL) SUMMER

OUR STUDENTS participated in a vast array of summer internships, research, and study abroad programs in 2023. Here are a few examples of how some of our students spent their summer.

CLARA ORTWEIN ‘24

This summer, I worked as an intern at Yonderyear Farm, a Certified Naturally Grown flower farm owned by two W&L alums, Amanda and Kevin Green (the kindest & most welcoming, hardworking people). They are dedicated to the mission of growing flowers and raising meat in a manner that nourishes their land and works with the natural cycles/processes of the planet. My role was to work in the field planting, harvesting, weeding, propagating, or doing whatever else was needed. I also got to put together weekly subscription bouquets and help with floral set-up at a wedding!

SOPHIA ROLLO ‘24

I worked as a summer associate at Berkeley Research Group (BRG), which is a data-driven consulting firm in Washington D.C. I was part of the Power & Renewables team in the Energy & Climate practice. The team helps their clients with their investments in the power market, as well as renewable energy integration. My main task was to update their reference case presentation, which presents their forecasts on power market data in all 8 independent system operator (ISO) regions of the United States.

SARAH EATON ‘25

Over this past summer, I was a Pathways Intern through the USDA Forest Service. I was selected to work in the North River Ranger District (Harrisonburg) and went through a process of onboarding before beginning work in June. Every day was new, where I came in and was assigned a department to work with. I worked in the recreation department on campground maintenance, with the wildlife department on tracking invasive species, with the forestry department on marking logging trails, and completed trainings such as saw training to earn certifications. Almost every day was spent outdoors in the forest and there were a lot of opportunities to walk trails and see wildlife. This internship was a great stepping stone to a potential future career for me. Pathways interns can be kept onboard for further years and can later become full-time employees, which I am considering.

TURNER VAUGHN ‘25

I did a study abroad program in Ecuador, living in both Quito and on San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos Islands. The program was through IES Abroad, and was Environmental studies and Spanish languagefocused. During the first four weeks of the program, we were stationed in Quito with a host family, where we commuted to the university in town to take classes on Environmental Policy in relation to Ecuador’s government and ecological diversity. On the weekends, we took 2-4 day excursions to the different Ecosystems on the Ecuadorian mainland, including the Andean highlands, the Mindo Cloud Forest, and the Amazon in the Yasuni National Park. The last three weeks of the program were in the Galápagos, where we studied and saw first-hand the different impacts that humans have had on the Galápagos ecosystems, and the strains that humans have put on the local wildlife.

JULES SEAY ‘24

ASA TUKE AND MICHAEL WANG ‘25

This past summer, we had the unique opportunity to conduct coral reef research under Dr. Lisa Greer. Our primary focus was quantifying the amount of live coral along certain sections of the reef and generating 3D photogrammetry models of singular coral samples.

At the beginning of the summer, we spent two weeks mostly in San Pedro, Belize, and a few days in Placencia, Belize collecting our data. Nearly every day we would take a boat ride out to the reef and scuba dive to conduct our work. The first day was spent taking photos of the seven transects Dr. Greer and her colleague Dr. Karl Wirth set up years ago. We focused on the endangered species Acropora cervicornis, which Dr. Greer has been tracking annually for over a decade now. The rest of the trip was spent taking photos to create the 3D models.

Once we finished taking all our photos, we had all the necessary information to analyze reef health and develop the models. The remainder of the summer was

I got to work with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center through the U.S Department of Energy at Michigan State University at their Kellogg Biological Station (KBS). I worked in the LEES Lab under Dr. Jiquan Chen exploring the stomatal conductance of bioenergy crops, more specifically corn and switchgrass. Stomatal conductance is the rate of gas exchange between a plant leaf and the atmosphere, and we used this measurement as a proxy for the potential intake or release of carbon dioxide from the plant leaves of corn and switchgrass. The objective of this research was to do a comparison of the stomatal conductance and land use histories of corn and switchgrass to see which one would have the greater global warming potential and better biomechanisms for carbon uptake. This opportunity taught me a lot about ecology and plant physiology, and how it correlates to climate change.

spent in Lexington where we began cropping and tracing the transect photos and eventually calculating the amount of live coral in each.

ALUMNI IN ACTION

Laura Strickler CLASS OF 2008

What is your current professional position?

Briefly describe your journey from W&L to your current position.

I am a Senior Advisor in the Office of the U.S. Coordinator for the Arctic Region at the Department of State. After W&L I joined the Peace Corps in Mozambique, followed by working as a SCUBA dive professional before heading to graduate school at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) for an M.A. in International Environmental Policy. I was fortunate to receive the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship right after graduate school, which took me to Washington, DC and launched a career in the civil service. Prior to State, I spent more than five years working at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the Department of Commerce and a couple more at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the Department of the Interior.

Who or what had the greatest influence on your getting to your current professional position?

Arctic affairs has been the constant in my post-graduate professional journey. I focused on it while at MIIS and made it a key part of my portfolio at NOAA and BOEM before working on it full-time at State. From a policy perspective, covering the Arctic requires an understanding and awareness of traditional security concerns, climate and environment issues, Indigenous communities and priorities, marine law and governance, bilateral relationships, and multilateral dynamics. The combination of needing to be both an expert and a generalist depending on the day has allowed me to move around in government at different levels with different focuses – multilateral ocean policy development, domestic energy regulatory development, and now regional U.S. foreign policy development – while expanding soft and hard skillsets simultaneously.

What motivates you?

Learning new things and the process of setting new goals. In or outside of work, I love having or setting a new challenge, assessing how best to approach it, developing a plan, and (ideally) working on a team to achieve our objectives.

What was your favorite thing to do in Lexington when you were a student and what is your favorite thing to do now when you visit Lexington?

My favorite thing to do as a student was playing lacrosse (and the team parties). My in-laws live in Lexington now, and I am lucky enough to visit a few times a year. A run on the Chessie or my 10k loop is probably my favorite thing to do now, though I would not have said that then.

Complete this sentence: “If I could be anywhere in the world and doing anything I want right now, I would be…” SCUBA diving off the coast of Mozambique, where I first learned to dive. It is some of the best diving in the world, sometimes seeing life as big as a manta ray and as small as a ghost pipe fish on the same dive.

What music (artists, genre, album, etc) is getting the most play on your speakers lately?

Noah Kahan’s Stick Season.

What is your current favorite movie / TV show / podcast / etc. and why?

I’ve recently gotten really into Snacks, a light-hearted podcast about women’s soccer. We regularly drive 3-4 hours to the Eastern shore for the weekend, and this helps the drive feel shorter while keeping me up to date on women’s sports. I also really like Noble Blood, which often focuses on secondary characters in some of history’s most famous royal narratives. 

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Robert Humston

John Kyle Spencer Director for Environmental Studies and Professor of Biology humstonr@wlu.edu, 540458-8341

CORE FACULTY

Mauricio Betancourt Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies mbetancourt@wlu.edu

Jamie Casey Professor of Economics caseyj@wlu.edu

Bill Hamilton Biology Department Chair; Professor of Biology hamiltone@wlu.edu

Andrew M. Hess Ehrick Kilner Haight, Sr. Term Associate Professor of Business Admin. hessa@wlu.edu

Leah Naomi Green Visiting Assistant Professor of English greenl@wlu.edu

Joseph Guse Winfrey Term Professor of Economics gusej@wlu.edu

David Marsh Professor of Biology marshd@wlu.edu

Kary Smout Associate Professor of English smoutk@wlu.edu

Alice Zhang Assistant Professor of Economics atzhang@wlu.edu

Megan F. Hess Associate Professor of Accounting hessm@wlu.edu

Lawrence E. Hurd Herwick Professor of Biology hurdl@wlu.edu

Rebecca C. Harris Professor of Politics harrisr@wlu.edu

Margaret Anne Hinkle Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Geoscience hinklem@wlu.edu

EMERITUS FACULTY

Lisa Greer Earth and Environmental Geoscience Department Chair; Professor of Earth and Environmental Geoscience greerl@wlu.edu

AFFILIATED FACULTY

Paul Cabe Professor of Biology cabep@wlu.edu

Elizabeth Knapp Director of the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity, Professor of Earth and Environmental Geoscience knappe@wlu.edu

Greg Cooper Professor Emeritus of Philosophy cooperg@wlu.edu

Jim Kahn Professor Emeritus of Economics and Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies kahnj@wlu.edu

204 W. Washington St. Lexington, Virginia 24450-2116 www.wlu.edu