Student & Alumni Profiles

Check out the latest video -- our students talk about what they value most about graduate education at Bard CEP.

The Bard Center for Environmental Policy (CEP) trains future leaders to craft effective policy by fostering critical thinking on issues concerning both the natural and built environments. The goal of Bard CEP’s graduate training is to provide the knowledge and tools necessary to create true environmental leaders who have the ambition and courage to change the future. Here is a select list of where some of our grads are working now (for a more complete list, click here).

Jessica Barry M.S. '03 is the Director of Business Development for Prism Solar Technologies. As director of business development at Prism Solar Technologies in Highland, NY, Jessica Barry is responsible for the direction and execution of the company’s business development plan. As part of her position she develops and gives presentations to potential investors at solar conferences worldwide, researches energy markets, writes grant proposals, works with solar organizations on renewable energy policy, and develops marketing materials. Jessica has extensive experience working in community outreach and education on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Prior to employment with Prism, she was the regional coordinator for NYSERDA's Mid-Hudson Energy Smart Communities program. She is a LEED accredited professional and regularly publishes articles on energy issues.

Jon Griesser M.S. ’04 is Vice President and COO of Spring Hill Solutions, LLC, a Burlington-based environmental consulting firm specializing in carbon management, clean energy, and business sustainability. Jon’s areas of expertise include greenhouse gas assessment, planning, and implementing client-customized energy reduction and carbon mitigation strategies.   Jon has worked in the environmental field for over a decade with a focus on carbon management, clean energy, water pollution abatement, and land conservation. Before Bard, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Government from St. Lawrence. He is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Champlain College.

Rachel Baker M.S. ’05 works as Kaiser Permanente’s environmental supply chain manager in Oakland, California. In this role, she oversees the development and implementation of Kaiser Permanente’s environmentally preferred purchasing program. Kaiser owns more than 40 hospitals and 400 medical office buildings, and is the largest health care system in the United States. It purchases more than $12 billion in products and services each year, and Rachel is working on “greening” that supply chain.

Jon Sarno M.S. ’06 is the standards engineer for Borrego Solar Systems in Boston. His company designs and installs renewable power systems for businesses, homes, and government.

Jackson Morris M.S. '07 is the Senior Policy Advisor at Pace Energy and Climate Center, a position he accepted in early November 2009. Jackson works out of Albany and represents the Center and Natural Resources Defense Council to advance clean energy policies in the state capital. Jackson holds a B.A. in Sociology and certificates in Primatology and Markets & Management from Duke University. He has taught environmental science at bilingual schools in the Caribbean and studied sustainable development in Central America. In his former position at Environmental Advocates of New York, Jackson worked on complex air quality and energy issues with several broad coalitions to effectively implement the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Portfolio Standards, as well as a wide array of clean energy and efficiency projects in Albany.

Jennifer Peters M.S. '07 is the Deputy Director at Clean Water Network in Washington D.C.. Jennifer first joined the Clean Water Network as a policy analyst in June 2008. Her work and educational experiences have focused heavily on water and the issues surrounding the water resources of this country. Most recently Jennifer worked as a research assistant with the City of New York’s Park and Recreation department to develop a wetland monitoring protocol for New York City parks. During graduate school she received an EPA National Network for Environmental Management Studies (NNEMS) fellowship to conduct research on wetland restoration strategies at the U.S. EPA Region 2. Prior to graduate school, Jennifer served two years with the AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project and worked with the California Conservation Corps to protect and restore critical habitat for endangered and threatened Pacific salmon species. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Humboldt State University in 2002.

Kristen Wilson M.S. ‘07 is an Extension Resource Educator in Youth and Human Development at Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County (CCEUC). In this capacity she directs the Healthy Kingston for Kids project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. CCEUC and several partners lead this initiative to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic in Kingston, NY through environmental and policy change. The partnership envisions a Kingston where complete and safe streets make walking and biking an irresistible way of life and food systems are in place that encourage children to eat affordable, healthy foods on a regular basis.

Chuynan Chai M.S. ’08 is the project manager at the Environmental Defense Fund in China and is responsible for projects on emissions trading and multi-pollutant control at coal-fired power plants.

Jessie Mee M.S. ’09 is a consultant for the United Nations Development Program. Specifically, Jessie works for the Biodiversity Programme’s Environment & Energy Group and is contributing to the assessment of the biodiversity projects in the 2008-2009 UNDP-GEF portfolio. This work directly relates to her CEP internship last fall at the UNDP regional office in Slovakia.


Select Alumni Employment by Sector

Government

• Global Warming Program Manager, National Wildlife Federation
• Public Utilities Regulatory Analyst, California Public Utility Commission
• Environmental Specialist, Air Quality Division in DC’s Dept of Environment
• Program Analyst, California Center for Sustainable Energy

Private

• Consultant, AKRF, Inc.
• Director , Wallkill Valley Land Trust
• Director, The Campanerio Research Reserve on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica
• Founder, Apple Leaf Corporation
• Environmental Supply Chain Manager, Kaiser Permenente

NGOs

• Consultant, UNDP Environment & Energy Group Biodiversity Programme
• Consultant, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
• Senior Policy Advisor, Pace Energy and Climate Center
• Project Manager, Environmental Defense Fund, China

Katrina Shindledecker entered the Bard Center for Environmental Policy in 2004. Prior to Bard CEP, she completed her Bachelors of Science at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Biology, and graduated from Pace University's Environmental Science Master's Program in 2003.

From 2000 through 2004 Katrina worked for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Mount Pleasant, NY, where she acted as the Director of Natural Resources. Her duties included developing and overseeing natural and historic resource maintenance and restoration projects for the preserve, many in partnership with local partners. In 2005, Katrina's role with OPRHP was expanded to include natural resource initiatives and environmental compliance for the Taconic region, which comprises15 parks and 5 historic sites.

Due to Katrina's extensive professional background, her internship requirement was waived, and she was able to complete her M.S. degree by writing her master's thesis, which was titled, "Land Transactions: Policies and Practices of Land Trusts in the Hudson Valley."

After Graduating from Bard CEP in 2006, Katrina continued her work until September 2007 at the OPRHP regional office while volunteering at local land trusts. In October 2007, she accepted the position of Director of Land Preservation at the Hudson Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) in Garrison, NY. The Hudson Highlands Land Trust works with landowners, local residents, municipalities, and regional conservation organizations to preserve the vast and biologically diverse land in the Hudson highland region. As HHLT's Director of Land Preservation, Katrina is responsible for directing and implementing the land trusts acquisition and stewardship program. She is also involved in local land use and acts as the community liaison for the land trust on natural resource issues.

Jackson Morris came to the Bard Center for Environmental Policy when he was 28 years old. Jackson received his B.A. in Sociology from Duke University, where he also received certificates in Primatology, and Markets and Management.

Prior to coming to Bard, Jackson oversaw an organic farm and managed the wholesale and retail sales of a natural foods store in Woodstock, NY. He also taught math, science, ecology, and Spanish in two schools outside of the U.S., one in the West Indies and one in the Dominican Republic. Born and raised on a horse farm in Kentucky, he has lived in the Catskills since 2004.

While at Bard Center for Environmental Policy Policy, Jackson interned at Environmental Advocates of New York (EANY), an environmental advocacy watchdog group in Albany, NY. As a policy intern, he researched potential abuses of the state's drinking water revolving fund and worked on the Campaign for Community Preservation. After graduating in 2007, Jackson went on to work for Environmental Advocates as a Government Affairs Associate and then as the Air & Energy Program Associate. His responsibilities at EANY included finding ways to cut air pollution and to promote the use of renewable energy in New York State.

"My time at Bard CEP provided me the solid foundation necessary to pursue a successful career as an advocate, lobbyist, and policy analyst for environmental issues in New York State," says Jackson. "The holistic, intensive curriculum offered at Bard CEP was instrumental in allowing me to hit the ground running in my field, and the full semester internship has clearly paid dividends, as it grew into a permanent position before I even graduated." He adds, "I would highly recommend the program to those looking for a degree that provides both sophisticated fundamental knowledge of environmental policy and the flexibility to specialize in whatever niche they wish to pursue."

In early November 2009, Jackson accepted a position as Senior Policy Advisor for the Pace Energy and Climate Center Jackson works out of Albany and represents the Center and Natural Resources Defense Council to advance clean energy policies in the state capital. Jamie Van Nostrand, Executive Director of the Energy and Climate Center, had this to say about Jackson’s new appointment, “We are excited to have Jackson joining us at this critical period in the New York energy scene. Jackson has a tremendous reputation in Albany as an effective advocate for clean energy polices, and it is a strategic time for us to invest in a full-time on-the-ground presence in Albany to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.”

Jessica A. Steinberg was the first student to complete the joint M.S./J.D. program with Pace Law School.  She graduated from both schools in May 2007.

After graduating from the College of William and Mary with a double major in Public Policy and Environmental Studies, Jessica taught middle school Latin and physical science. After commencing her legal studies in 2003, Jessica applied to the joint program with Bard CEP.  As stated in her Bard CEP application, "[a] stronger background in both the sciences and policy will help me... become an informed, active environmental lawyer."

As a student, she was a vice-chair of the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, a first-year intern with the Pace Land Use Law Center, an extern with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., and the first recipient of the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers' Founders Fund Scholarship, based on her commitment to environmental law in New York City and the Hudson Valley region.  She also served as a case note/comment editor for the Pace Law Review.  Jessica's Master's thesis, entitled "Appraising Conservation Easement Donations: The Need for More Uniform Standards and Greater Oversight," was published in the Environmental Law Reporter in November 2007.

Jessica is an associate at Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C., one of New York's leading environmental law firms, and practices in the areas of environmental law and litigation.

John Stapleton came to Bard CEP as a Master's International student in the fall of 2005 from Pelham, NY. Prior to coming to Bard CEP, John majored in International Studies at American University, in Washington D.C. In college, he focused on international economics and policy in the context of international development, and the ethical challenges involved with economic growth while protecting the environment in developing nations. John has a strong background in community service and advocacy work, and he is fluent in Spanish.

The opportunities offered by the MI Program at Bard were consistent with John's background and future priorities. "The Master's International (MI) program is truly unique in that you can study while serving, adding a level of authenticity to your research and to your graduate school experience that will be difficult, if not impossible, to find elsewhere," says John while on his Peace Corps assignment in El Salvador.

John's assignment in El Salvador was with the Agro-Forestry and Environmental Education Program. As an MI student, John's research and service work formed the basis of his Master's thesis. "My master's project is essentially an analysis of the partnerships between the Salvadoran national government and Non-Governmental Organizations pertaining to biodiversity conservation. The academic component of the MI program provides students with a slightly higher level of structure than other volunteers get. This enables MI students to focus more, and manage time more efficiently."

John's work while in El Salvador included organizing ecological clubs that included classes on topics such as deforestation, biodiversity, the environmental legal framework, water and air contamination, plant and tree identification workshops, cleaning campaigns, recycling campaigns, reforestation campaigns, ecological hikes, and the organization of community wide events, such as Earth Day. John also helped other local cooperatives form alliances with other environmentally conscience organizations in the region.

After a short stint as program coordinator for the National Youth Leadership Forum, John is now working for the Nature Conservancy as the Legacy Club Donor Relations Manager. John has this to say about his MI experience, "I would tell people who know they want a graduate degree and also know they want to serve in the Peace Corps, that the MI program is the most exciting and feasible option." He adds, "When I completed college I realized that all the international development jobs interesting to me required a Master's degree, at least two years of work experience, and fluency in a foreign language. The MI program was the best way for me to acquire the experience, skills, and education necessary to advance myself and my career. Plus, this has been an adventure that's distinctly fascinating, successful and rewarding. I'll miss it!"