A lifelong dedication to scholarship and a champion of sustainability
Tom Hudspeth taught Environmental Studies and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont from...
(Solar) powering the developing world
$300 Million in funding to reduce emissions and revive irrigation infrastructure in India
Adithya Dahagama’s father is one of thousands of farmers in the Telangana region of India, where...
A champion for environmental restoration and regulation
By: Juliette Quenioux Derrick Rosenbach’s (MS ‘13) passion for environmental planning is clear...
A Champion for Zoology and Conservation
Rich Block has been the President and CEO of the Santa Barbara Zoo since 1998. He has had the...
A collaborative approach to creating community environments through landscape architecture
Throughout his personal and professional life, Ramon Murray has cited collaboration as a vital...
A Collaborative, Interdisciplinary Approach to Sustainability in Curricula
By: Juliette Quenioux | July 2022 Jean MacGregor has championed sustainability-focused education...
A diverse career in environment, education, and ecology
Geri Unger has extensive program management experience in environmental and conservation biology...
A force of nature in the organic foods industry
Mark Retzloff is a pioneer in the organic foods industry. From humble beginnings as co-founder of a...
A holistic approach to sustainable food systems
Inside the greenhouse of Kalamazoo’s Food Innovation Center, students are using aquaponics to more...
A lifelong champion for change: alumna’s four decades of environmental activism, conservation, and education
The time that Charity Krueger spent at SEAS has paved the way for 42 years of work in the field of...
A lifelong commitment to public service and environmental work
Rupert Cutler's love for the environment stems from his parents’ love for the outdoors, his time...
A passion for the environment manifests itself into bike advocacy.
Elena Huisman’s passion for the environment started from a young age and has driven the choices she...
A view from the top: North America's most drastically changing climate
Climate change is unfolding at warp speed in the Arctic and Boreal region, with effects ranging from...
A warrior for conservation at Marine Corps Base in Hawaii
Diane Drigot (1948-2013) may not have been a Marine, but she was definitively recognized as a...
Adapting to climate change initiatives
From assisted migration to green roofs, Jessica Hellmann’s research focuses on global change ecology...
Advocacy in Action: From Legislative Frontlines to Consumer Empowerment
By: Juliette Quenioux April 29, 2024 Diane MacEachern (M.S. Environmental Communications, ‘77) has...
Alumna creates first LEED-certified micro brewery in the country
Shortly after her time at Michigan, Kris Spaulding began an 11-year career at Herman Miller, Inc...
Alumna facilitates local climate change solutions as Boulder mayor
Suzanne “Zan” Jones grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood in Kansas City, but her family spent their...
Alumna helps pass and implement $4.7 billion transit project
Elise Jones strives for success in all of her endeavors – personal and professional alike. This...
Alumna Opens NYC's First Vegan, Fast Casual BBQ Restaurant
Kerry Fitzmaurice is here to share a meal and a conversation at her new restaurant Pure Grit, a...
Alumna pursues passion for systemic change through intersections of environment and entrepreneurship
In a world where the bigger picture is often forgotten, Lauren Beriont knows the importance of long...
Alumna sounds the alarm in Flint water crisis
Had Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha not had a chance conversation with a friend, she may have never been...
Alumna transforms Midwest youth into agents of change
On January 20, 2017, at the moment of Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, all federal climate...
Alumna wins national 'Purpose Prize' for work with Gwich'in tribe
On Earth Day 2018, a contingent of rural Alaskans led by Rev. Belle Mickelson walked down Main...
Alumna’s second career takes sustainability to the airwaves
Almost 25 years after earning her undergraduate degree in anthropology from U-M, Barbara Lucas felt...
Alumnus applies communication strategies to support environmental change
Over the course of a 40-year career in environmental education and communication, Brian Day has come...
Alumnus builds largest and most diverse healing playscape in the country
As a 20-year-old college student at SNRE, Jonathan began his long-standing career as a systems...
Alumnus builds rural leadership program with over 6,000 graduates
Landscape architect and natural resource planner Tom Gallagher translated his multidisciplinary SNRE...
Alumnus dedicated to improving conservation efforts across Africa
Fred Nelson came to SEAS in 2005 after spending 7 years working on community-based conservation...
Alumnus designs golf course ranked #24 in the world
Mike DeVries grew up golfing with his family at Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfort, Michigan...
Alumnus fights to protect the laws that protect the land
In November 2016, Peter Aengst witnessed a Native American Tribal win decades in the making when...
Alumnus reworks power industry's infrastructure with large-scale renewable energy solutions
By: Juliette Quenioux | July 2022 Akshat Kasliwal (M.S. '19) has devoted his career in energy and...
Alumnus spreads love for the life aquatic through the Great Lakes Bowl
Since he was a boy growing up in Berkey, Ohio, Kevin Keeler has always had fish tanks. Today, he has...
Alumnus taps Montana recreationists in fight for conservation
Montana Wildlife Federation executive director David Chadwick believes that the longstanding “hook...
Alumnus was trailblazer for today's sustainable forestry
Upon graduation from the University of Michigan’s Department of Forestry, then led by Filibert Roth...
Alumnus work in hydroelectricity: injecting renewable energy into New York City
Over the years Trevor McManamon has worked in the renewable energy industry, environmental research...
Ann Arbor activist elected to Michigan State Legislature
According to a 2015 study completed by the National Conference of State Legislators, the average age...
Anna Greenberg (MS ’21)
Private Lands Wildlife Biologist Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Alamosa, Colorado What did it mean...
Becoming a voice for the Milwaukee River
Navigating the currents of her own career through the Peace Corps, U.S. Forest Service, and a stint...
Behavioral science technology saves over 2 billion gallons of water
Building on an extensive career focused on water management, Rob Steiner co-founded WaterSmart...
Biologist turned banker leads financial sustainability agenda in Latin America
Marcos Mancini’s mission is to make sustainability a driving force within capital markets. A self...
Bringing awareness to game wardens
“We need to have more mainstream media programs that show conservationists as heroes, and examples...
Bringing sustainable agriculture and transportation to India
Before coming to the University of Michigan, Samhita Shiledar took on a role with Pidilite...
Brittney Van Der Werff (MS ’11)
Communications and Outreach Specialist New Mexico EPSCoR Albuquerque, New Mexico What did it mean to...
Building a resilient "Charm City" on a foundation of social equity
Recognized by President Obama as a White House 2016 Champion of Change for her work on climate...
Building best practices for urban sustainability
Shannon Bouton began her career as a field biologist, serving as an environmental consultant to...
Building enterprise sustainability
As a principal advisor for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory managed by Battelle, Roger...
Campus farm promotes food grown by students, for students
In June 2017, the U-M Campus Farm hit a big milestone. Student farm managers loaded a truck with...
Catastrophe risk-modeling in an era of climate change
It was at SNRE that Nina Shestakovich discovered an abiding interest in catastrophe risk-modeling...
Catherine Game (MS ’10)
Catherine Game (MS ’10) Executive Director: Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods Riverwoods, Illinois...
Clean water initiatives promote collaboration across Middle Eastern borders
In the Middle East, where borders are hard-fought and often violently maintained, basic human issues...
Closing the skilled labor gap in Detroit
These days, you can’t turn a corner in Detroit without seeing evidence of revival. Millions of...
Colin Hume (MS ’10)
Colin Hume (MS ’10) Puget Sound Recovery Lead Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program...
Communicating environmental issues key to change
AJ Grant, President of Environmental Communications Associates and a member of SEAS' External...
Community and conservation: alumna's mission to protect environment through education
When she reflects on the timeline of her career, Juliet Slutzker can trace her accomplishments back...
Community visioning for resilient futures
Described as an "architect of public process," urban planner Steven Ames (MS '76) is widely...
Conservation politics in Big Sky country and beyond
He's just 30 years old, but Clayton Elliott has already made a significant mark on environmental...
Corporate sustainability focus boosts protection of East Asian seas
Southeast Asia is home to more than 30 percent of the world’s mangrove and coral reef habitats, and...
Creating sustainable change in the food and beverage industry
Jonah Smith (M.S. '04) has had a love for the environment for as long as he can remember, but it...
Damage control: looking back on the Deepwater Horizon disaster
Pictured above: Ian Hartwell at work, with the Deepwater Horizon rig in the background. When the...
David Phemister (MS ’02)
Kentucky State Director, The Nature Conservancy Lexington, Kentucky What did it mean to you to be...
Designing the largest public park in Shanghai
Tao Zhang lives in Boston and works for Sasaki, one of the world's most renowned landscape...
Diana Portner (MS '13)
Affiliate of Meridian Institute Sitka, Alaska What did it mean to you to be named a Wyss Scholar...
Ecological handprints: breakthrough innovations in the developing world
Rocky Rohwedder began his journey with a single, central question: “Are there highly successful...
Ecologist explores principles underlying maintenance of biodiversity
Scientists now widely agree: We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, and it is being...
Emily Blackmer (MS ’20)
Policy Analyst Sierra Nevada Conservancy Auburn, California What did it mean to you to be named a...
Emily Maxwell (MS ’04)
Director, New York Cities, The Nature Conservancy New York, New York What did it mean to you to be...
Ensuring high-quality data on polio eradication efforts in Pakistan
In 1988, poliovirus was endemic in 125 countries. Today, that number is down to just three...
Environmental attorney works for justice in Flint Water Crisis
Many Flint families still drink, cook, and wash with bottled water, boiling it on the stove and...
Expanding education's reach via online learning
With the advent of online learning technologies and platforms, educational opportunities have become...
Expanding the chorus of voices calling for action on climate
Doug Glancy (1977-2017) worked to address climate change for nearly two decades. He began his career...
Experiences with the Environment, Resource Economy, and Imposter Syndrome
Kevin Kun He is a Principal Associate at The Pew Charitable Trusts and serves as an environmental...
Fifth-generation fisherman protects legacy, sustainability of Great Lakes
“If you take care of the fish, they take care of everybody.” The words of Nels Carlson’s father echo...
Fighting forest fire with fire
Driving through the Santa Fe National Forest, it is hard to believe the landscape was once savannah...
Financing good food enterprises
In late 2010, the leadership of Fair Food Network, a national nonprofit organization based in Ann...
Finding common ground in the changing American West
In the past few decades, the Rocky Mountain region has experienced sweeping economic and demographic...
For the love of water: Alumna’s passion inspires career in restoration
Rebecca Kreag devoted her entire career to water preservation, with a focus on public involvement...
Fostering creative cooperation to protect Colorado's landscape
As a guide in the Adirondacks in the 1980s, Nancy Fishbein became intimately familiar not just with...
From Detroit to D.C.: Joe Biden's sustainability coach at work
As deputy director of policy to Vice President Joe Biden in the White House, Kerry Duggan directly...
From family forestry to sustainability standard-bearer
Pictured above: the 1967 Summer Session of Camp Filibert Roth. Bill Banzhaf is standing in the top...
From water to wolves: a career in 'the good fight’
In the 1950s, Roy Heberger’s father involved him in the pre-Clean Water Act activities of the...
From words to action: environmental lobbyist rooted in reporting
As a new Yale graduate in 1988, Geoff Brown landed a job with Knight-Ridder, a now-extinct media...
Giving salmon the run of Washington watersheds
Dams, development, poor water quality, and – increasingly – climate change all pose barriers to...
Global thinking through sustainable zoo habitats
Thane Maynard believes that “zoos are the front door to conservation.” Not only do they contribute...
Grassroots activist envisions the future of sustainable ranching
A lifelong grassroots activist, Jeanne Charter spent her life advocating for land preservation...
Grassroots teaching model builds agents of community change
As a graduate student at SNRE, Mike Rechlin taught a class on maple sugaring titled " Stalking the...
Green Things Farm: Organically grown, community inspired
Jill and Nate Lada were married on their newly-purchased 64 acre farm in the fall of 2012. The...
Greener, More Sustainable Golf
Golf and the environment are two of Parker Anderson’s passions. As a sustainability consultant and...
Growing the next generation of green leaders in Detroit
There is a perception that green initiatives can be a hard sell in urban areas facing seemingly...
Hands-on environmental education sows seeds of change
Grace Manubay is a matchmaker of sorts, bringing together K-12 classrooms and environmental...
Harnessing the power of public-private partnerships to transform global health
During her sixteen years at the international nonprofit global health organization PATH, Claudia...
Health in Harmony: Linking conservation and affordable healthcare in rural Indonesia
On Indonesia’s island of Borneo, illegal and environmentally destructive logging is fueled not by...
Heath Nero (MS ’09)
Senior Program Officer, Conservation The Wyss Foundation Durango, Colorado What did it mean to you...
How Michigan Alumnus is working to diversify the Landscape Architecture Industry
Glenn LaRue Smith integrates the disciplines of art and science as a landscape architect. Smith...
Inclusive economic growth key to large scale sustainability
For Jonathan Nash, environmental degradation is directly tied to poverty and development. It’s a...
Increasing diversity in environmental education
Beatriz Cañas spent 2015-17 on the staff of U-M’s Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP)...
Investing in base of the pyramid health entrepreneurs in Africa
Ethiopia has some of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world: 676 deaths per 100,000...
Jessica Ruthenberg (MS ’11)
Watchable Wildlife Biologist, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Chesapeake, Virginia What...
Joe Short (MS ’03)
Vice President, Northern Forest Center Concord, New Hampshire What did it mean to you to be named a...
Julia Elkin (MS ’15)
Update: February 27, 2024 It is with tremendous sadness that we share the news that Julia Elkin, a...
Kat Superfisky (MLA/MS ’13)
Urban Ecologist, City of Los Angeles Los Angeles, California What did it mean to you to be named a...
Kevin He (MS ’17)
Principal Associate The Pew Charitable Trusts Washington, D.C. What did it mean to you to be named a...
Labor of love: the father of Costa Rica's national parks
Biologist Alvaro Ugalde, widely recognized as a father of the world famous Costa Rica National Park...
Landscape architect devotes talents to social justice
In Boulder, where the median home value is nearly $1 million dollars, access to affordable housing...
Landscape architect Karen Verpeet: Resilient landscapes
After 18 years with ecological consulting firm H. T. Harvey & Associates, landscape architect Karen...
Landscape Architect Oliver Kiley: Mobility and Transportation Design
Oliver Kiley (BS ’03, MLA ’08) began his career at SmithGroup, an international architectural firm...
Latino Outdoors: connecting conservation with culture
Shortly before his ninth birthday, José González moved with his family to California, a place he...
Leaders and best in giraffe research and conservation
When David O’Connor started researching the reticulated giraffe for his master’s thesis at SEAS in...
Legal background helps alumna rebuild western rivers
Generations of anglers have been drawn to the banks of western rivers, historically rife with trout...
Life on the water: remembering Cynthia Gerstner
A Queens, N.Y., native, Cynthia Gerstner’s passion for the aquatic was ignited by childhood fishing...
Love of Great Lakes inspires alumna to action
Originally from the Chicago area, Laura Rubin grew up a block from Lake Michigan and learned to love...
M’Lis Bartlett (MLA ’08)
Lecturer, U-M School for Environment and Sustainability Ann Arbor, Michigan What did it mean to you...
Making change by making change makers
As an educator and entrepreneur, Ryan Gourley is passionate about the development of people, ideas...
Martha Campbell (MS ’13)
Principal Rocky Mountain Institute Oakland, California What did it mean to you to be named a Wyss...
Matt Griffis (MS ’10)
Acquisitions Program Officer, Wyss Foundation Durango, Colorado What did it mean to you to be named...
Michelle (Mickey) Aldridge (MS ’08)
Michelle (Mickey) Aldridge (MS ’08) Planning Officer, National Forests in NC, USDA Forest Service...
Mobilizing women to use their spending power to save the planet
After selling her Washington, DC-based communications company in 2001, Diane MacEachern spent a few...
Monumental marine expansion at Papahanaumokuakea World Heritage Site in Hawaii
The United States has long been recognized as a pioneer of park development. Yellowstone became the...
Nathaniel Gillespie (MS ’04)
Nathaniel Gillespie (MS ’04) Assistant National Fish Program Leader, USDA Forest Service Biological...
New grad has deep-rooted passion for food security
All you need to know about Whitney Smith’s cachet in the food justice realm is that she’s planted...
New Scholarship Fund Empowers Graduate Students to Build Sustainable Futures
By: Chelsea Liddy Pivtorak | April 17, 2024 Just in time for Earth Day 2024, a Michigan SEAS and...
Nic Enstice (MS ’09)
Nic Enstice (MS ’09) Forest and Fire Program Advisor, California Department of Conservation...
Of glass ceilings and environmental communication
When JoAnn Myer Valenti attended what was then the School of Natural Resources during the ’70s at...
Opening access to sustainability stories
Pearl Zeng is a key part of the Michigan Sustainability Cases (MSC) team, which is redesigning...
Park ranger uses visual media to promote inclusion at national parks
Not all Americans currently see their own stories told in the national parks, whether those parks...
Planting seeds, powering people, and transforming a river
When she left Ann Arbor in 2013, diplomas in hand, Kat Superfisky moved 2,300 miles across the...
Poster child of sustainable, equitable ecotourism
Kurt Kutay established Wildland Adventures, an award-winning ecotourism business, only two years...
Preserving and protecting the desert tortoise
Once common throughout the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, the desert tortoise population has rapidly...
Preserving the past to protect the future
The National Park Service celebrated its centennial in August 2016, and Patricia Sacks has been an...
Proactive social justice key to international development
Zambia’s capital city of Lusaka has the infrastructure to accommodate just a fraction of its current...
Protecting patients from climate change
It’s no secret that low-income communities are hit disproportionately harder by the effects of...
Protecting public health, one chemical at a time
Michael Green spent a decade systematically testing every children’s product sold in the United...
Providing affordable, healthy food to the Ypsilanti community
Amanda Edmonds serves as Mayor of Ypsilanti while concurrently working as the Executive Director of...
Rebecca Held Knoche (MS ’11)
GLRI Program Coordinator, CollabraLink Technologies, Inc. under contract to NOAA Silver Spring...
Recreation planning in urban environments
Landscape architect Andrea Kline’s (MLA ’85) private practice focused on environmental education...
Reimagining Sustainability in Construction
Second to water, concrete is the most consumed material in the world, responsible for over 8% of...
Renewable energy expert follows the money
Michael K. Dorsey is a recognized expert on global energy, finance, and sustainability. The National...
Restoring coastal Louisiana: the Mississippi River delta system
In the 1860s, National Geographic observed that leveeing off the Mississippi River would undoubtedly...
Ria Berns (MS/MPP ’12)
Deputy Program Manager, Water Resources Program Washington State Department of Ecology Seattle...
Roberto Astudillo: Designing inclusive urban landscapes
“Time and time again, we see underrepresented groups push the boundaries of our profession. They are...
Russell Martin (MS ’10)
Panhandle Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Canyon, Texas What did it...
Sara Cawley (MS ’15)
Advisor Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement U.S. Department of the Interior. What...
Sarah Hines (MS/MBA ’07)
National Science Delivery Specialist, USDA Forest Service Research & Development Baltimore, Maryland...
SEAS advisor is an international business expert
Martin "Marty" D. Cargas is a senior advisor in the food and agriculture practice at McLarty...
SEAS Alumna Receives Democratic FERC Nomination
“Don’t settle for mediocrity.” The advice rings true for Allison Clements today just as it did in...
Seth Federspiel (MS ’12)
Climate Program Senior Manager; Environmental and Transportation Planning Division, Community...
Slowing the spread of the Zika virus through disease ecology
The Zika virus is a significant public health threat, rapidly spreading across South and Central...
Speaking up, speaking out, speaking together for social justice
More and more, social justice and environmental justice are one and the same. “A growing body of...
Stephen Higgs (MS/JD ’05)
Executive Director, Senior Advocates for Generational Equity (SAGE) Portland, Oregon What did it...
Strengthening tech through diversity
For years, the tech industry has taken heat for its lack of diversity. Silicon Valley companies have...
Supplying fresh, sustainable produce to all Walmart stores
Kate Elliott is Walmart’s director of global food sourcing, based in southeast Florida. An expert in...
Sustainability reporter boosts corporate accountability
For the past 12 years, Jennifer Thomas-Larmer has worked with BuzzWord, a network of writers and...
Sustainable forestry investments produce more than profits
Peter Mertz has made his fortune by doing good. He leads Global Forest Partners, a sustainability...
Sustaining local freshwater assets
Elizabeth Riggs is a sustainability leader with 25 years of experience working at the nexus of...
Tackling Kenya’s Biggest Reforestation Challenges
Environmental problems are inherently complex, and that complexity is what attracted Alex de Sosa...
The Channel Islands: thirty years of restoration
From her first role as a seasonal park ranger, Kate Roney Faulkner spent the bulk of her lengthy...
The nation's first African American PhD in conservation
Pictured above: Theodore R. Speigner (at top) with the 1936 graduating class of the Martin Luther...
Time abroad leads to a life dedicated to conservation and advocating for underrepresented communities.
During her time at the University of Michigan, Claire Poelking studied abroad through the School for...
Trash to treasure: zero waste meets renewable energy
What if communities throughout the globe could be powered by trash? They absolutely can, says Paul...
Turnaround expert saves companies, the environment
When Steve Simmons went to work for Harza Engineering Company in early 1968 – freshly minted SNR BS...
Twins leave a legacy of environmental stewardship
In 2007, the Washington Post dubbed them “The Brothers Wild,” a moniker that aptly reflects the...
Using food waste to combat food insecurity
“I've worked in public health, social justice, environmental activism, and community organizing. All...
Wello WaterWheel: delivering clean water to a thirsty world
Cynthia’s interests lie at the intersection of business, innovation and impact. She is the founder...
What ancient fish can tell us about our ecosystems - and ourselves!
The primitive gar fish has been in existence since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. A slowly evolving...
When communities of color feel the burn of trash incinerators
Pictured above: Ahmina at a Break Free from Plastic small group meeting in Bali. Detroit has the...
Whitetail and grouse biologist renowned for research
Wildlife biologist John Kubisiak retired in 1996 following following 34 years with the Wisconsin...
Wildtype Nursery: preserving Michigan's natural landscape
“From one small seed, a mighty oak can grow.” says fellow SNRE alum, Stacie Printon. “That’s the...
Wolf & Heron founders look to spread the skills of inspirational influence
After graduating together from the Erb Institute in 2013, Kara Davidson and Stephanie Judd quickly...
In our special edition of Stewards (Fall 2019), the SEAS alumni magazine, we featured “Honoring Our Past,” which traced the story of the school’s evolution from its beginnings as the Department of Forestry in 1903 to the present day. Throughout those 24 pages, we highlighted some of the school’s notable milestones and achievements, and most importantly, the remarkable leadership of our alumni, faculty and students who made lasting impacts in their fields—and in the world.