The following Department of Environmental Studies core and associate faculty members currently mentor students and teach courses taken by Sustainable Development and Climate Change Concentrationstudents and Resource Management and Conservation students. There are also adjunct faculty members that teach specific courses in the department.
Abigail Abrash, MSc, Assistant to the President for Sustainability/Social Justice.
Abi’s areas of focus include sustainability, social and environmental justice and community development. She has experience in public and corporate policy advocacy, and organizational and change leadership in her work with ActionWorks and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights. She also serves as Chair of the City of Keene’s Planning Board and served on the Steering Committee for the city’s 2010 Comprehensive Master Plan.
Jon Atwood, PhD, Conservation Biology.
Jon is a conservation biologist and ornithologist. His other areas of interest are citizen science and regional habitat conservation.
Steve Chase, PhD, Director, Advocacy for Social Justice and Sustainability.
Steve’s area of interest includes corporate globalization, relocalization, grassroots organizing, the Transition movement, and faith-based activism.
Charles Curtin, PhD.
Charles’ areas of research and interest are environmental change, climate, land use, place-based ecosystem level conservation programs and new conservation initiatives in Syria.
James S. Gruber, PE, PhD, Director, Resource Management and Conservation Program, Director,Sustainable Development and Climate Change Concentration.
Jim’s areas of expertise and interest are community-based environmental programs, civic engagement, ecological economics and public policy.
James Jordan, PhD, Director of Environmental Studies Master of Science Program.
Jim’s research program focuses on the effects of decadal to millennial-scale environmental change along Alaskan coasts of the North Pacific, Bering, and Chukchi seas. His other areas of interest are landscape evolution, climate change and human environment interactions.
Beth Kaplin, PhD, Director of Environmental Studies PhD program, Co-director of the Center for Tropical Ecology & Conservation.
Beth’s areas of research and interest are tropical forest ecology, primate behavioral ecology, and protected areas management.
Alesia Maltz, PhD
Alesia, through her work in supporting indigenous rights, focuses on recruiting students from under-represented minority groups. Her areas of research and interest are environmentalism and justice, as well as First Nations environmental policy.
Elizabeth McCann, PhD, Director of Environmental Education Concentration
Libby’s research interests are school yard restoration, adult learning theory and non-formal education.
Peter Palmiotto, PhD, Director of Conservation Biology Concentration
Peter’s area of research and interest is subalpine forest ecosystem dynamics and climate change in temperate and tropical biomes. He is co-director of the Center for Tropical Ecology & Conservation, and founder of MERE.
Tania Schusler, PhD
Tania has interests in building stakeholder engagement and fostering community development and environmental protection. She has worked with grassroots organizations and local government to improve local economies and sustainability.
Michael Simpson, MS, MALS, Department Chair, ES Dept. and former Director of Resource Management and Conservation Program.
Michael’s areas of research and interest are climate change and water resource management, wetlands ecology, environmental site assessment and pollution/waste prevention.
Rachel Thiet, PhD, Director of Seld-Designed Studies Concentration and Director Field Studies
Rachel’s areas of research and interest are terrestrial soil ecology, salt marsh plant and soil ecology, salt marsh restoration, biogeochemistry, and global climate change.
Tom Wessels, MA, former Director of Conservation Biology
Tom has a wide range of interests throughout the natural world. He enjoys forests, deserts and alpine ecosystems as well as landscape ecology and history. He has a passion for teaching and is the author of several books including: Reading the Forest Landscape and The Myth of Progress: Toward a Sustainable Future.
