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Tidings from the Director
"The Presidential Center Directors and Preserving Democracy in America"
Accomplishments
Nicole Nunoo
Jake Keyel
Ali Hartwick
Molly Todd
Mary Beth Dunkenberger
Neda Moayerian
Desiree Poets
Max Stephenson, Jr.
Cathy Grimes
Anna Erwin
Project Updates
- STARS Lunch and Learn Focuses on Recovery and Transportation
- Heat Ready, Roanoke! Summer STEM Program Open House
- St. Paul's College Alumni Group 3rd Annual Unity Day
- Social Science for Public Good Podcast Episodes on Trust Released
- Partnership with Khishi Enkhbayer Continues
- VTIPG & CECE Partner on Recovery Ecosystem Study for SWVA
Conferences & Events
- Virginia Public Health Association Annual Conference
- National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) Best Practices Summit
- Dr. Ariel Otruba to Visit Virginia Tech
- Guest Lectures
Announcements
- VTIPG People Series: Dr. Kimberly Horn
- Dr. Vanessa Guerra Stays Involved with VTIPG
- Aziz Ardic Joins VTIPG as a Visiting Graduate Fellow
Commentaries, Essays & Publications
- Soundings
- Five Pieces Worth Reading
- Recent Books
- Recent Articles and Conference Papers
Faculty Spotlight
Theodore Lim, Assistant Professor, Urban Affairs and Planning, School of Public and International Affairs
Graduate Student Spotlight
Dana Carhart, Graduate Assistant, Master's Student in Public Health
Alumni Spotlight
Anna Erwin, Assistant Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
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TIDINGS FROM THE DIRECTOR | | |
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"The Presidential Center Directors and Preserving Democracy in America"
BY MAX O. STEPHENSON, JR.
Director, Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance
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When the Institute was founded more than 17 years ago, the university charged it with conducting research into our nation’s democratic governance processes and policies at all scales of analysis. Accordingly, we are ever interested not only in investigating the array of factors shaping those processes and decisions, but also whether the nation itself remains committed to the principles that sustain individual freedom and democratic possibility. We therefore took immediate note when, on September 7, with the leadership of the George W. Bush Institute, the directors of presidential centers and foundations for 13 presidents—all of those since Herbert Hoover, with the exception of the Eisenhower center—took the unprecedented step of releasing a common statement expressing concern about the relative vitality of American democracy:
We are a country rooted in the rule of law, where the protection of the rights of all people is paramount. Americans have a strong interest in supporting democratic movements and respect for human rights around the world because free societies elsewhere contribute to our own security and prosperity here at home. But that interest is undermined when others see our own house in disarray.
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Dr. Nicole Nunoo successfully defended her dissertation in the Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE) PhD program on August 11th. Her work is entitled, "Examining the Collective Agency of Black Farmer Organizers in the Advocacy for Racial Justice in the Food System: A Focus on Black Farmer Organizers in Virginia." Many of her collaborators and supporters were present for the public portion of her defense, which outlined her study and underscored the community-based character of her research. Special thanks to those faculty members serving on her advisory committee: Chair and Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation Director and Professor Dr. Kim Niewolny; ALCE Associate Professor Dr. Tom Archibald; VTIPG Director and Professor Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr.; and Sociology Professor Dr. David Brunsma.
Dr. Nunoo has accepted a position at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA as a Postdoctoral Research Associate addressing Human Dimensions of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices in the Social Sustainability of Agriculture and Food Systems lab of Dr. Jennifer Jo Thompson in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. Dr. Nunoo will serve in this role for two years. She began her work in Georgia on September 1st.
Congratulations, Nicole!
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Dr. Jake Keyel has joined the faculty at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology starting with the 2023-24 academic year. He will continue his research and teaching on conflict, migration and refugee resettlement.
Dr. Keyel gave a talk at a Hollybush Institute for Global Peace and Security author series event entitled, "Resettled Iraqi Refugees in the United States: War, Refuge, Belonging, Participation, and Protest" on September 27th. The program was cosponsored by the Rowan Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights, the International Studies program, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and supported by an Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Dr. Keyel is also an editorial board member of The Sociological Review Journal, serving a five-year term. IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. served as chair of his doctoral advisory committee (2019). During his PhD program, Dr. Keyel was also engaged with Community Voices, now the Community Change Collaborative, and he co-founded the graduate student journal, Community Change.
Congratulations, Jake!
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Ali Hartwick has accepted a new position as a County Planner II for Henrico County near Richmond, VA. Her responsibilities include preparing staff reports for the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, conducting community engagement activities, and collecting data central to the preparation and maintenance of the County's 2045 Comprehensive Plan.
Formerly a graduate assistant at VTIPG, Ali graduated from the Master of Urban and Regional Planning Program with concentrations in Natural Resource Management and Urban Community Planning in May 2023. Her tenure at the Institute included supporting two community needs assessments, as well as a collaborative Heat Resilience project involving VT faculty, City of Roanoke officials, Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action, and Carilion Clinic.
Congratulations, Ali!
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Dr. Molly Todd successfully defended her dissertation in the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT) PhD program on Sept. 15. Her effort is entitled: Borders, Art and Imagination: Journeys with Maré from the Inside and The Frontera Project. Special thanks to those faculty members serving on her advisory committee: Committee co-chair Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr., VTIPG Director and SPIA, Committee co-chair Dr. Laura Zanotti, Department of Political Science, and committee members, Dr. Desiree Poets, ASPECT and Department of Political Science and Dr. Danille Christensen, Department of Religion and Culture.
During her time as a student, Dr. Todd was involved in the Community Change Collaborative, particularly with the Maré Research Group. She also helped to bring The Frontera Project to Virginia Tech. We thank her for all her contributions to the Institute.
Congratulations, Molly!
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Mary Beth Dunkenberger, VTIPG Deputy Director, successfully defended her dissertation proposal on September 18th. She is currently pursuing a PhD with the Center for Public Administration and Policy (CPAP). Special thanks to those faculty members serving on her advisory committee: Chair Dr. Stephanie Smith, Associate Professor in CPAP, Dr. Karen Hult, Professor in Political Science, Dr. Laura Jensen, Associate Professor in CPAP, and Dr. Sharon Mastracci, Professor in CPAP.
Congratulations, Mary Beth!
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Dr. Neda Moayerian, Dr. Desiree Poets, Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr., and Cathy Grimes, members of the Marè Research Group, collaborated on a recently published article, "The Arts and Individual Collective Agency: A Brazilian Favela Case Study," in the Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies. You may read their article here.
Congratulations, all!
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Dr. Anna Erwin, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande, has published a new article in a Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems special issue edited by VTIPG Director and Professor Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr., Agricultural, Leadership and Community Education Professor and Director, Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation, Dr. Kim Niewolny and Professor Dr. Laura Zanotti, Department of Political Science as well as Dr Erwin. Dr. Erwin's article was co-authored with Dr. Chelsea Silva, Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University, and Dr. Zhao Ma, Professor, Purdue University, and entitled "Self-organization for community resilience in an invisible agricultural community." You may find the article here, and learn more about Professor Erwin in the Alumni Spotlight section of this newsletter.
Congratulations, Anna!
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STARS Lunch and Learn Focuses on Recovery and Transportation | |
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The Studies To Advance Recovery Support (STARS) Network is a thematic, stakeholder-focused research network that aims to generate trainings, tools, and platforms targeted to the implementation and study of peer recovery support services for individuals treated with medications for opioid use disorder. The program is led by Co-PIs Dr. Kimberly Horn, VTIPG and Dr. Rob Pack, East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and managed by Dr. Angela Hagaman with the ETSU Addiction Science Center.
VTIPG partners working with the STARS project, including Lara Nagle and Mary Beth Dunkenberger, help to organize the effort's Lunch and Learns. Most recently, STARS members and staff from the Surry County, NC Office of Substance Abuse Recovery presented on an innovative transportation model for increasing access to services for people in recovery, Ride the Road to Recovery. You may learn more about the program by watching their presentation here.
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Heat Ready, Roanoke! Summer STEM Program Open House | |
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As part of the NOAA Heat Ready, Roanoke! project, Dr. David Moore and Lara Nagle of VTIPG engaged with Roanoke City middle schoolers at the Urban Heat open house on Tuesday, July 25th, led by SPIA faculty member Dr. Theo Lim with help from PhD student Malle Schilling. Dr. Will Taber and Dr. Navin Jayaswal from Carilion Clinic, and Leigh Anne Weitzenfeld, the Sustainability Outreach Coordinator for the City of Roanoke, were also there to teach students about heat and health and the city's climate action plan. The event was covered by Roanoke's WDBJ7: https://www.wdbj7.com/2023/07/26/roanoke-city-public-schools-is-preparing-students-high-temperatures/.
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St. Paul's College Alumni Group 3rd Annual Unity Day | |
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Bob Leonard, Professor, School of Performing Arts and Senior Fellow at VTIPG, and Brad Stephens, Graduate Research Assistant, recently traveled to Lawrenceville, VA, to participate in the St. Paul’s College 4 Life (SPC4Life) 3rd Annual Unity Day celebration. This event was originally launched to build energy for alumni efforts to reimagine the closed campus of the HBCU they had attended and continues to be an opportunity for alumni, supporters, and community members to connect and look forward.
The leader of the SPC4Life project, Chris Stephenson, set a celebratory tone and highlighted how far they have come in just a few short years, as well as painted a picture of what is possible in the future. While Chris acknowledged that the group will face significant challenges in the future as they continue to pursue their mission, it was powerful to witness those assembled celebrate the fact that they own a building with no debt, have submitted new educational plans to the State Council of Higher Education, and continue to strengthen ties across the broader community. Both the Mayor of Lawrenceville and the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia expressed their commitment to supporting SPC4Life into the future, and the mood throughout was overwhelmingly hopeful. In addition to the group's activities, this event marked the completion of the Institute's first year of working with this dynamic group. We have learned a lot from this engagement during the past year and look forward to seeing where this unique partnership will take us next.
You may view pictures from the event here.
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Social Science for Public Good Podcast Episodes on Trust Released | |
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We are pleased to share that the first six-episode arc, focused on trust, of the Institute's new Social Science for Public Good podcast series has been released! During the course of these six episodes, Planning, Governance and Globalization PhD students Yugasha Bakshi and Brad Stephens, and their guest scholars explore the ways trust is vitally important for realizing social change and how it might be theorized and operationalized by social change practitioners. They examine an array of questions with their guests from a range of fields including business, political science, criminology, and environmental conservation. Together, the six episodes represent an introduction to conceptions of trust and offer an opportunity to think more deeply about the implications of this important subject for efforts to secure social change and social justice.
Please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and check out the following episodes.
● Trust: Introduction & Definition w/ Dr. Guido Möllering
● Trust: Distinguishing Between Trustworthiness & Trust w/ Dr. Roger Mayer
● Trust: Types & Ecology w/ Dr. Marc Stern
● Trust: Repair & Violations w/ Dr. Edward Tomlinson
● Trust: Political Trust & Trustworthiness w/ Dr. Margaret Levi
● Trust: Future Directions & Applications w/ Dr. Joe Hamm
Please look for the second arc of this series, focused on power, coming soon!
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Partnership with Khishi Enkhbayer Continues | |
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Khishigjargal (Khishi) Enkhbayar's visit to VTIPG to learn more about non-govermental organization (NGO) governance and development was featured in the September 21 edition of VT News. That story, written by Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam, also features comments from VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. and Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships Dr. David Moore. Ms. Enkhbayar currently serves as the founder and secretary general of the United Nations Association of Mongolia (UNAM). You may find the article here.
Dr. Moore will be traveling to Mongolia from October 13-23 for a reciprocal visit as part of the U.S. State Department's Professional Fellows Program (PFP) overseen by the National Committee for U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR), the organization that sponsored Ms. Enkhbayar's visit. The main planned activities for his trip include participating in the launch of an NGO guidebook on which Dr. Moore and Ms. Enkhbayar have been working, meeting civil society leaders, staff members and youth working in various areas of the country and conducting a training for UNA Mongolia members on the guidebook. Dr. Moore will also help to develop a capacity building program for UNAM and other Mongolian NGOs engaged in youth, peacebuilding, and sustainable development programming. In addition, Dr. Moore and Ms. Enkhbayar will continue to work together to build bridges between other Virginia Tech programs and Mongolian partners, which were initiated during discussions during her visit to Blacksburg.
Pictured in photo, from left to right: David Moore, Khishi Enkhbayar, Max Stephenson, Jr., Elizabeth Allen
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VTIPG & CECE Partner on Recovery Ecosystem Study for SWVA | |
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Lara Nagle of VTIPG partnered with Scott Tate, Associate Director for Community Innovations, and Ashley Posthumus, Economic Development Specialist with the Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) at Virginia Tech to conduct a recovery ecosystem needs assessment for the YWCA of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia (NETN/SWVA) from December 2022 to May 2023.
In addition to developing a report outlining key treatment, recovery, and wraparound services, gaps, and networking capacity needed to strengthen the recovery ecosystem in the YWCA service area, the team also helped YWCA NETN/SWVA develop a vision for a planned community wellness and resource center in Glade Spring, VA called the POWER House, to increase family resiliency. The group presented its findings and facilitated discussions of those conclusions at the YWCA's collaborative symposium at Emory & Henry College on May 4, 2023.
The assessment was funded by an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) INSPIRE Planning grant and informed a subsequent INSPIRE Implementation grant proposal, which was recently awarded to the YWCA for $500,000. YWCA Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia's project was one of only 43 funded across Appalachia in 2023 and one of only two grants awarded in Virginia. You may read more about this effort here.
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Virginia Public Health Association Annual Conference | |
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VTIPG Senior Program Research Associate and Data Specialist Liz Allen and Public Health Program and Policy Research Associate Laura York attended the 2023 Virginia Public Health Association (VPHA) Annual Conference in Richmond, Virginia September 21-22nd. The VPHA has worked with the Virginia Department of Health to advocate for strong public health practices.
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National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) Best Practices Summit | |
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VTIPG's Community-Based Research Manager Lara Nagle and Public Health Program and Policy Research Associate Laura York will present at the 2023 National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) Best Practices Summit in Dearborn, Michigan, October 9-11, with community partner Monica Flora, Assistant Clinical Director of ARTS at Piedmont Community Services.
Their presentation will focus on best practices for operating recovery housing for pregnant and postpartum women (PPW). They will also share findings from a Photovoice study documenting recovery capital conducted with PPW residents in the Peer Empowered Addiction Recovery Living (PEARL) program. The NARR summit will address the latest in recovery housing best practices, technology, diversity and inclusion efforts. The conference agenda is available here.
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Dr. Ariel Otruba to Visit Virginia Tech | |
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Dr. Ariel Otruba will be visiting Virginia Tech October 4-5 to discuss her research as a feminist political geographer and conflict resolution practitioner at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. Dr. Otruba will be presenting the Virginia Tech opening talk for a traveling Photovoice exhibit now on display in Newman Library, "Violent Infrastructure: Ecologies of Decay and Displacement" on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. in the Athenaeum Classroom in Newman Library. She will also be conducting a workshop on the participatory research method Photovoice on Thursday, Oct. 5 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. at the Graduate Life Center, Room F. More information is available here.
The Institute thanks its fellow partners who helped make this exhibit and visit possible:
The Center for European Union, Transatlantic, and Trans-European Space Studies;
The Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies; and the Institute's own affiliated
Community Change Collaborative.
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VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. offered a guest lecture in Dr. Andrea Bertke's "Neglected and Emerging Infectious Diseases" class in the College of Veerinary Medicine on September 19th. He discussed the role of domestic and international non-governmental organizations in addressing infectious diseases across the globe.
Dr. Stephenson also presented the Maré Research Group's most recent article for the SPIA/UAP Seminar Series on September 29th, entitled "The Arts and Individual and Collective Agency: A Brazilian Favela Case Study" along with Dr. Neda Moayerian and Cathy Grimes. You may view additional details concerning this publication in the "Journal Articles" section of this newsletter.
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VTIPG People Series: Dr. Kimberly Horn | |
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VTIPG is pleased to share our next edition of profiles of our faculty, staff, fellows, alumni, and community partners. We are pleased to feature Research Scientist Dr. Kimberly Horn in this issue. Dr, Horn joined the Institute in July. Dr. Horn discusses her career in public health in conversation with Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam, here.
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Dr. Vanessa Guerra Stays Involved with VTIPG | | |
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Dr. Vanessa Guerra, a graduate of the Environmental Design and Planning PhD program at Virginia Tech and a mentee of VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr., is now affiliated with the Institute as a Non-Resident Research Associate. She is currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia School of Architecture. You may read more concerning her appointment here. | | |
Aziz Ardic Joins VTIPG as a Visiting Graduate Fellow | |
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Aziz Ardic has joined VTIPG as a Visiting Graduate Fellow from Istanbul, Turkey. He will be working with Institute Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. for the next year as he pursues a PhD in philosophy from the University of Istanbul. You may read more about his Fellowship here. Aziz will be presenting a talk on Oct. 13th for the SPIA/UAP Research Seminar Series entitled, "Essentialism versus Contingency." He will speak in the Architecture Annex Room 111 or via Zoom.
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COMMENTARIES, ESSAYS & PUBLICATIONS | |
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Five Pieces Worth Reading
A weekly news summary series curated by VTIPG Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam that can be accessed here.
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Recent Books
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Nicholas Barnes, Desiree Poets, Max Stephenson Jr., Eds. Maré from the Inside: Arts, Culture and Politics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing, 2021.
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This book also was published in Portuguese, Maré de Dentro, A exposição | Favelas do Rio de Janeiro | Complexo da Maré | Policiamento no Rio de Janeiro, Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing, 2021.
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Max Stephenson Jr. and Cathy Grimes, Eds. Conversations in Community Change: More Voices from the Field. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing, 2023.
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Max Stephenson Jr. and Lyusyena Kirakosyan, Eds., Re: Reflections and Explorations: Volume 3. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing, 2023.
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Max Stephenson Jr. and Yannis A. Stivachtis, Eds., Policy and Politics of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Eastern Mediterranean States: National and Institutional Perspectives, E-International Relations, Bristol, U.K., 2023.
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Recent Articles and Conference Papers
Journal Articles
Published
Andrea Briceno Mosquera. (2023). "They asked for more, more and more paperwork:' Administrative Burdens When Undocumented Youth Claim In-State Resident Tuition Policy Benefits." Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737231182672
Andrea Briceno Mosquera. (2023). "Learning, Compliance, and Psychological Burdens when Undocumented Youth claim In-State Tuition Policy." Research in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-023-09749-4
Lia Kelinsky-Jones, Kim Niewolny and Max Stephenson, Jr. (2023). "Building Agroecological Traction: Engaging discourse, the Imaginary, and Critical Praxis for Food System Transformation." Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1128430
Desiree Poets, Cathy Grimes, Max Stephenson, Jr., Neda Moayerian. (2023). "Community Capacity, Agency, and Community Newspapers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case from the Global South," World Development Perspectives. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452292923000243?dgcid=author
Neda Moayerian, Max Stephenson Jr., Muddather Jameel-Abu Karaki and Renad Abbadi (2023). "Exploring Syrian Refugees' Access to Medical and Social Support Services Using a Trauma-Informed Analytic Framework," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, 2031. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032031.
Neda Moayerian, Desiree Poets, Max Stephenson, Jr., Cathy Grimes (2023). "The Arts and Individual and Collective Agency: A Brazilian Favela Case Study." Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies. 10(4), 58–80. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1407
Accepted (Forthcoming)
Briceno Mosquera, A. (2023). "Admissions Officers' Perceptions When Undocumented Students Seek In-State Resident Tuition Policy. Educational Policy.
Conference Papers
Eric Bendfeldt, Kim Niewolny, Max Stephenson, Jr., Tom Archibald, and Anne Stewart. "The Ecotonal Nature of Community Food Work: A Case Study of Trauma-Informed Care and Mutual Aid for Social and Health Equity," for 2023 Joint Annual Conference of: The Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS), Agriculture, Food & Human Values Society (AFHVS), Canadian Association for Food Studies (CAFS), Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition (SAFN), May 31-June 3, 2023, Boston, Massachusetts.
"Countering Persistent Alterity: Fostering Advocacy and Agency," for 15th annual conference of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies," May 29-31, 2023, Toronto, Canada, Max Stephenson, Jr., Neda Moayerian, Vanessa Guerra and Desiree Poets.
Max Stephenson Jr., Neda Moayerian, Desiree Poets "Storytelling, Performing Arts and Collective Capacity in One Rio Favela," for annual conference of the International Studies Association, March 15-18, 2023, Montreal, Canada.
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Dr. Theodore Lim is an Assistant Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning in the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech. Dr. Lim's research and teaching center on the relationship between environmental science and planning and policy. Currently, he is working on two projects: urban climate adaptation to extreme heat and investigating how computer models are used and developed in environmental management contexts.
Dr. Lim received his PhD in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, his master’s degree in Environmental Science from Tsinghua University, and his Bachelor’s in Immigrant Studies from Swarthmore College. He has also worked in industry as an environmental data scientist in the agricultural technology sector, as a civil engineer on sustainable water infrastructure planning and design, and in the public health sector as a Fulbright Scholar in Northeast China. At Virginia Tech, Dr. Lim teaches classes related to sustainable urban infrastructure, community engagement, environmental policy/planning, and urban analytics.
Dr. Lim has been involved with VTIPG through his work on community-engaged heat resilience planning in Roanoke. He is also collaborating with VTIPG on operationalizing a trauma-informed, healing-centered approach to increasing communities' capacity to deal with rising temperatures due to global climate change.
Fun fact: While an undergraduate at Swarthmore College, Theo's thesis was a praxis-based research project examining community organizing in immigrant communities in Philadelphia to address domestic/sexual violence.
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GRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT | |
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Dana Carhart is currently a second-year Master of Public Health student in the Community Health Promotion and Equity concentration. She received her BA in Communication and a minor in Sociology from Virginia Tech in 2022. She looks forward to finding a career within policy development or implementation to help write policies that will have a real and deepening effect on those for whom they were developed. She is also interested in nutrition, harmful chemicals in food, harm reduction for people with substance use disorder (SUD), trash reduction, and early intervention for children who have learning disabilities.
At VTIPG, Dana has been involved in the Connection to Care (C2C) and New River Valley Community Services projects. The latter agency is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). Her responsibilities include record keeping, meeting facilitation and preparation of meeting materials, event coordination, evaluation of various partnership initiatives, ongoing research related to needs assessments, and data collection. Currently, she is working on a Photovoice research project led by VTIPG research faculty exploring recovery capital among pregnant and postpartum women.
In her free time, Dana loves to go camping any chance she gets!
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Dr. Anna Erwin is currently an Assistant Professor with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)’s School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences. She graduated from the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs with a PhD in Planning, Governance, and Globalization in 2017. She is an interdisciplinary, environmental social scientist whose work sits at the nexus of human geography, public policy, and sociology.
At UTRGV, she leads the Environment and Society Research Group. Together, she and her colleagues examine how communities experience environmental change, how community-based institutions respond to those changes through public participation, laws, and governance processes, and who makes decisions when addressing environmental issues and injustices. Results from their research aim to improve how community-based organizations respond to social-ecological changes. She and her team are currently investigating and analyzing how farmers and farmworkers experience social-ecological change in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas, the ways that agricultural communities self-organize and use community agency to make change in Peru, and the ways that border communities adapt to climate change in the LRGV and Pakistan.
While at Virginia Tech, VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. was Anna’s doctoral advisor. She also was an active member in the Community Change Collaborative, a space that helped her grow as both an individual and a scholar. Working with Max also taught her many things, including the importance of recognizing human agency in the midst of complex, seemingly intractable social-ecological problems. But, above all he taught her how to be a caring mentor who demands excellence from her mentees, skills she continues to hone as the leader of the Environment and Society Research Group at UTRGV! In her spare time, Anna enjoys exploring the LRGV, going to the farmers market, doing Zumba and yoga, and hanging out with her partner and their four small dogs.
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Institute for Policy and Governance
201 W. Roanoke Street
Blacksburg, VA 24061
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