Biography
As a self-described “Academic-Practitioner” of Sustainability Science, I work within and outside the academy on designing, evaluating and communicating the value of corporate and public sustainability “theories of change” for improving environmental, social and economic outcomes. I am a respected advisor on these topics and work closely with many Fortune 500 companies on corporate sustainability and global and regional government and non-governmental organizations. I care deeply about democratizing scientific research and work closely with communication professionals across sectors and with journalism professionals to strategically translate and amplify my research findings to diverse audiences.
A principal goal for my role at the University of Minnesota is to work with faculty, students at the University and through our partnership with the Natural Capital Project to develop and conduct applied research to understand how society and business can meet food, fiber and fuel demand while minimizing environmental impacts contributing to climate change, water scarcity, eutrophication and loss of biodiversity. Within this broad aim, a key goal of mine will be to improve understanding of how regulatory programs and voluntary sustainability standards can help mitigate risk and improve private and public sector decisions about their sourcing and purchasing strategies. Outputs will include evaluating and communicating the sustainability-related risks and mitigation opportunities in agricultural commodity production as it relates to alternative market-based and regulatory mechanisms for promoting sustainable land use, in collaboration with producers and the corporate, finance, and public sectors.
Currently, I am one of two full-time Economic and Policy Analyst focused on Water at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Here, I advise on policy and lead economic analyses related to regulatory and policy environmental protection activities for water, air, land and renewable energy resources to evaluate and quantify benefits, costs, incentives and impacts of alternatives regulatory policies. I also consider the ecosystem services or full costs associated with maintaining water resources for a variety of uses. I also perform and provide support for financial analysis of individual firms and municipalities for activities such as compliance and ability to pay cases, natural resources damage assessments, water quality variances, and antidegradation reviews.
Current projects include:
- Antidegradation review of the industrial stormwater general permit
- Statewide Nutrient reduction strategy
- Revisions to antidegradation guidance by incorporating ecosystem services in decisions to allow/not allow lowering of high water quality (i.e., water quality that is better that the water quality standard)
- Economic/policy analysis and advising on various water quality standards actions including
- Revisions to our aquatic life ammonia standard
- Revisions to our sources of domestic consumptions standards
- A new PFOS fish tissue standard to protect human health.
- Ongoing water quality variance requests
- Ongoing antidegration reviews
- Linking climate, air and water standards and outcomes
I am also an editorial cartoonist seeking to link science and satire to help spur and inform public discourse.
Link to CV.
Link to editorial cartoon website
Link to LinkedIn profile
Instagram: @groundingplatitudes
X: @fullcostmonty