1990s
Alan Bean (BS ’95) is a community development specialist for the City of Frankenmuth, Michigan. Isabella County hired Spicer Group, Bean’s employer from 2002 to 2023, to assist with the permitting and approval process for the 383-megawatt Isabella Wind Project, Michigan’s largest utility-scale wind project encompassing 136 wind turbines. As the project manager responsible for Spicer’s review, recommendations and guidance at public meetings, he led the County’s Community Development Department and the Planning Commission on the use of Google Earth at meetings to communicate the project’s features to the public, as well as to ensure compliance with the county’s zoning ordinance. After the Planning Commission approved the project and the start of commercial operation by DTE Energy, over 50,000,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions are anticipated to be reduced by 2030. Google Earth Outreach awarded the Isabella Wind Project a Google Geo for Good 2023 Impact Award.
Catherine M. (Simmons) Benson (BS ’96) was promoted to partner at the law firm of Simms Showers LLP in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a maritime and commercial litigation practice representing international and domestic clients in maritime matters, including liability arising under a variety of environmental laws and regulations such as the National Marine Sanctuaries Act.
Clare Ginger (MS ’92) retired as an associate professor of environmental policy and planning in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont in May 2024 after 30 years there. Her research focused on the intersection of the public interest with environmental issues through collective processes in organizational settings.
Jennifer Norris (MS ’96) was named the California Wildlife Conservation Board’s (WCB) first female executive director in 76 years. The WCB selects, authorizes and allocates funds for the protection, conservation and restoration of fish and wildlife habitat and related public recreation across California. Since 1947, WCB has protected over two million acres of land, restored one million acres of habitat and invested nearly $4 billion to support California’s natural resources.
Kris Olsson (AB ’85, MS ’90, MS ’00) retired as a watershed ecologist from the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC) after 31 years of service. To celebrate her decades of work supporting a healthy Huron River, Olsson and her husband, David Moran, established the Watershed Resilience Endowment Fund at HRWC.
Douglas Pearsall (MS ’90, PhD ’95), senior conservation scientist for The Nature Conservancy, received the Conservationist of the Year Award from the Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Pearsall is an adjunct associate professor at SEAS.
2000s
Sharon Shattuck (BS ’05) is directing a new film about the search for the milky seas, a rare bioluminescent phenomenon never before captured on film.
Brian Swett (MS/MBA ’08) became the City of Boston’s first chief climate officer in June 2024. He is a nationally recognized leader in climate change and sustainability strategy with over two decades of leadership experience in municipal government, private sector real estate development, federal government and nonprofit sectors. He previously was a principal at Arup, a global engineering, design and consulting firm focused on sustainable development.
2010s
Martha Campbell (MS/MBS ’13) is the senior climate policy advisor for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. She previously was a principal at RMI in Oakland, California, where she worked on a portfolio focused on scaling building decarbonization in the U.S. and leveraging industrialized construction.
Katherine O’Hare (MS/MBA ’11) was named vice president of sustainability at J.Crew Group. She most recently served as senior director of sustainability.
Sara Meerow (PhD ’17), an associate professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University (ASU), is completing a Humboldt Research Fellowship at the Technical University of Munich, where she is studying urban green infrastructure and resilience planning and governance. In addition, she will serve as ASU’s co-lead for the new Center for Heat Resilient Communities, which was awarded funding from the Biden-Harris administration to develop heat mitigation and management strategies for local communities.
2020s
Tiffany Wu (MS ’24) is the first recipient of the newly established Class of 2023 Scholarship Fund, which awards $1,000 to a graduating SEAS student who has demonstrated financial need. “The scholarship has been a true blessing, not just financially, but also as a source of encouragement and validation for my passion for sustainability,” says Wu, who studied Sustainable Systems. Last year’s graduating class raised over $26,500 for SEAS’ first-ever class gift-endowed scholarship under the leadership of Kat Cameron (MS/MURP ’23) and her committee.
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