|| Education
- Master of Landscape Architecture
Louisiana State University - August, 2003 - Research Assistant. Sought and secured a $40,000 grant from Texaco/Star Enterprise for the development of a bottomland hardwood restoration and environmental education plan (550 acres), and a land management plan for the entire 4,000 acre plant holding. (June, 1995-July, 1996) With Bruce Sharky and Sadik Artunc.
- Plant Materials Teaching Assistant (1994 academic year)
- Graduate Assistant, CAD-GIS lab (1993 academic year)
- GIS Technician/Graduate Coordinator, Coastal Studies Institute (June-December, 1994).
- Graduate Student Certificate of Honor, American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), 1996.
- Recognition for service to the graduate program in landscape architecture, 1996.
- Outstanding Graduate Student, 1994 and 1995.
- Recipient of Helen S. Reich Memorial Scholarship, 1995.
- Recognized for securing $40,000 grant for the LSU School of Landscape Architecture, 1995.
- Master of Public Policy and Administration
Mississippi State University - May, 1991 - Graduate Assistant and Co-author. Collaborated on the research and development of model legislation for initiative and referendum and lobbying reforms for the Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State through the Mississippi State University Department of Political Science. (June-July, 1991) With Dr. David Breaux.
- Public Service Intern. Surveyed shrimp fishermen to determine their perceived impacts of finfish bycatch reduction measures and the value of public tidelands. Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Service, Biloxi, Mississippi and the Gulfport Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State. (January-May, 1991)
- Graduate Assistant/Computer Lab Manager, Department of Political Science. (September-December, 1990)
- Graduate Assistant. Surveyed shrimp fishermen from throughout the Gulf of Mexico region utilizing docking facilities in Biloxi, Mississippi to determine their perceived social and economic impacts of sea turtle conservation measures. Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center (SSRC) and the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES). (May-June, 1990) With Dr. Duane Gill.
- Graduate Assistant to the Executive Director of the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service, an agency of the U.S. Congress, Starkville, Mississippi. (September, 1989-April, 1990)
- Most Outstanding Graduate Student, Master of Public Policy and Administration Program. (1991)
- Participant in the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. (Summer, 1990)
- Honorary Societies: Pi Alpha Alpha (Public Administration), Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science), Phi Alpha Theta (History)
- Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
Mississippi State University - May, 1989
|| Employment History
- Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning / Zoning Officer -- Calvert County, Maryland (February 2005 to January 2008)
- Deputy Commissioner of Planning -- Orange County, New York (February 2003 to February 2005) Also served as the Staff Director of the Orange County Transportation Council and Director of Agricultural Economic Development.
- Federal Policy Coordinator for the 2002 Farm Bill, National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture (January, 2000 to February, 2003)
- Founder and Executive Director, Baton Rouge Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA) (July, 1996 through December, 1999) Projects included the development of the Red Stick Farmers' Market, a community and school garden program, and technical assistance and outreach to farmers interested in fresh-market fruit, vegetable and livestock production.
- Louisiana State University (1993-1996) Worked as a Research Assistant, Plant Materials Teaching Assistant, and GIS Technician and Graduate Coordinator
- Presidential Management Intern/Fellow, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. (1991-1993) Rotations within the U.S. EPA included the Office of Administration and Resources Management and the Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation.
- Mississippi State University (1989-1991) Graduate Assistantships and Public Service Intern.
|| Selected Research & Writing Activities
"Sustainable Agriculture and the Red Stick Farmers' Market: An Exploration of the Use of Concept in Design." Thesis for Master of Landscape Architecture, Louisiana State University (August, 2003).
"The Farmer as Steward." Topic paper for Voices of the Family Farm: Alternatives for Rural Families, Safe Food, and a Healthy Earth, which was a virtual farm conference sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife.
"From the Roots Up: Designing for Community Revitalization through Community-Based Agriculture and Public Markets." Delivered at the national meeting of the Conference of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) in Spokane, Washington (August, 1996)
"An Argument for the Inclusion of Environmental Equity in the Public Manager's Decision-making Framework." Co-authored with Bevin Horn, U.S. EPA. Presented at the national meeting of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), San Francisco, CA. (July, 1993)
"The Political Economy of Peasant Coca Cultivation Amid Insurgency in Peru." Co-authored with Dr. David Mason (then of Mississippi State University, and now University of North Texas). Presented at the meeting of the International Studies Association-South, in Washington, D.C. in October 1991. A related co-authored article, "Guerrillas, Drugs and Peasants: The Rational Peasant and the War on Drugs in Peru" was published in the peer reviewed Journal of Terrorism and Political Violence v.7, n.4. (Fall, 1996)
Studies of Initiative and Referendum and Lobbying Reform. Co-authored with Dr. David Breaux, Mississippi State University. Presented to the Mississippi Secretary of State and before the Mississippi State Legislature. Formed the basis for an amendment to the Mississippi State Constitution and lobbying reform legislation. (Summer-Fall, 1991)
Studies of the perceived social impacts of sea turtle conservation measures by commercial shrimp fishermen in Biloxi, Mississippi. Research funded by the Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center and the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES). Co-authored paper with Dr. Duane Gill of Mississippi State University for MAFES (Summer, 1991). Data presented before the U.S. House Fisheries Subcommittee (Fall, 1990). Research served as the basis for directed research for Masters of Public Policy and Administration. (Fall, 1991)
|| Selected Honors, Activities and Positions Held
- Full Member, American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
- Full Member, American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
- Full Member, American Planning Association (APA)
- Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG)
- Board Member (present)
- Annual Meeting Keynote Speaker (2003)
- Chair, Policy Committee (1999)
- Steering Committee Co-Representative from Louisiana (1998-99)
- Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission-Calvert County Representative (2006 to 2008)
- Recognition for Leadership and Vision by the Board of the Baton Rouge Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA) (November 2005)
- Member, Northeast Agricultural Policy Task Force, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (2003-2005)
- Member, Master Plan Review Committee and the Zoning Review Committee -- Town of Gardiner, NY (2003-2005). Received recognition for service.
- Pace University Land Use Law Center, Land Use Leadership Program (2004)
- Recognition for Exceptional Service and Dedication to the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture (2004)
- Board Member, National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture (2003)
- Co-Chair, Louisiana Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, 1999
- Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Professional Development Program Proposal Review Committee, 1999-2000
- Board Member, Louisiana Vegetable Growers Association, 1999
- Board Member, Capitol Area Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Office, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, Denham Springs, Louisiana, 1999
- Secretary/Treasurer, Louisiana Organic Association, 1998
- Volunteer, Louisiana Partners of the Americas Farmer to Farmer Project, El Salvador, 1998-99
- On-the-Spot Cash Award for Performance, Environmental Statistics and Information Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1992
- Recognition for volunteer service (urban reforestation project) by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1992
