51¹ÙÍø.

I am honored to lead 51¹ÙÍø's sustainability strategy, action, and student engagement. This work involves continuous learning, deep collaboration across campus and community, and interdisciplinary perspectives. I feel most successful when alumni accelerate impact through their own careers and lifelong civic engagement. My academic background includes an undergraduate double major in Biology and Asian Studies (China focus) at Furman University, where I was drawn to experiential learning including field studies and multiple study abroad programs. At the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Ecology, my masters' work in freshwater ecology and management included research and stakeholder engagement to contribute to a local watershed management plan. Professionally, my career began in the field of study abroad and international education, where I worked across an institution to support student and faculty learning around the world. I then transitioned that cross-functional work to a sustainability role at Furman University, where I managed the day-to-day operations of the Shi Center for Sustainability and shepherded operational improvements and projects to advance the institution's AASHE STARS rating from silver to gold. Particular topical areas of interest for me are climate change mitigation, alternative transportation, placemaking, local foodways, and the role of cultural identity in sustainability change agency. I live with my husband, two elementary school sons, and dog, in a home full of constant energy, noise, intellectual debate, and extracurricular activities.