Bio

Jerry Barker has over 35 years of professional experience as a plant ecologist. He has conducted research, taught university classes and provided consulting services to private industry and governmental agencies. His expertise includes teaching courses in natural resources management and capstone advisory for over 200 students. Jerry has conducted ecological research in plant ecology and wildland fire ecology.

Jerry has over 20 years of college-level teaching. He was a professor at the Somali National University and as a team member, he installed a rangeland science and ecological curricula at the Faculty of Agriculture. He also worked with undergraduate students on their senior capstones and master students on their theses. He has 18 years of teaching online classes at the University College, University of Denver. He has a passion for working with students to help them learn natural resources concepts and the steps necessary to develop a quality capstone. He is available via email and video meetings to chat about natural resources concepts, class assignments and capstone progress.

Jerry has worked as a scientist at the EPA Western Ecological Research Laboratory where he was a team leader. His team researched subjects in climate change, forest and grassland carbon sequestration, reconstructing historical natural vegetation profiles, and riparian structure and function. As a researcher at the Somali National University, he developed a method for judging the ecological condition of rangelands. He has published over 60 professional papers, co-edited a book on air pollution and biodiversity and has presented at over 100 professional meetings.

Education

Jerry earned a Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology from Utah State University, an MS in Rangeland Ecology from Utah State University and a BS in Botany from Brigham Young University.

Bio

Sam Walters is a semi-retired public safety and environmental health and safety professional and consultant with over 30 years of experience. He has extensive experience in both the environmental and emergency services fields with building organizations and working within government and the private sector.

Education

Sam earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from McMurry University, a Master of Science in Government Leadership from Grand Canyon University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Public Policy and Administration with a specialization in Homeland Security/Emergency Management Policy and Coordination from Walden University.

Professional Background

Sam is a retired fire chief, paramedic, and environmental health and safety professional with over 25 years of experience in public safety and the environmental field. He currently owns a consulting firm that specializes in assisting government agencies and private companies with government policies and operations in emergency management, security management, environmental policies, and occupational safety.

Helping Students Be Successful

Sam is dedicated to the education of professionals in government policies and operations with a focus on “real world” solutions. He helps students through the sometimes-complex world of government policies and regulations with a focus on helping them develop the tools to disseminate and build operational policy.

Bio

Jennifer Golightly has taught research, argumentation, writing, rhetoric, history and literature for the past 24 years. She is the author of a book, “The Family, Marriage, And Radicalism In British Women’s Novels Of The 1790s: Public Affection And Private Affliction,” published in 2011 with Bucknell University Press and chapters in two edited collections, “Reproduction in the Novels of the 1790s,” which appeared in The Secrets of Generation: Reproduction in the Long Eighteenth Century (U of Toronto P, 2015), and “Gender Performance and the Spectacle of Female Suffering in Samuel Jackson Pratt’s Emma Corbett,” published in Female Transatlantic Travelers 1688-1843 (Bucknell P, 2021).

Jennifer supports digital humanities research and online teaching and learning and teaches courses on material and cultural eighteenth-century history as lecturer at Colorado College. She has taught writing, research, and literature courses at the College of Professional Studies since 2007.

Education

Jennifer earned a Ph.D. from the University of Denver in English Literature with a subspecialty in composition and rhetoric and an M.A. from the University of Denver in English Literature.

Bio

Richard McKissock has worked across a wide range of environmental science topics, including air quality, hazardous materials, waste, and toxins, policy, water resources and quality. Richard has extensive experience teaching environmental professionals in environmental, health and science regulatory and policy topics. He brings this professional experience to the College of Professional Studies courses to build environmental professionals.

Education

Richard earned a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Science from George Washington University.

Professional Background

Richard is an Environmental Scientist, Certified Hazardous Material Manager (CHMM), and Certified Instructional Trainer (CIT) with over 20 years of experience in the field of environmental, health, and safety (EHS). His work includes environmental consulting, EHS instructor/trainer, project management, and field engineer supporting industry, the Department of Defense and other Federal Agencies. He brings this diverse experience to the classroom in the Environmental Policy and Management program.

Bio

Nanette recently retired from Trane Technologies, where she oversaw climate policy and advocacy on a global basis. She led the company’s United Nations advocacy engagement at various climate weeks as well as at the Montreal Protocol and Paris Agreement annual meetings where she was highlighted as a feature speaker in various business and NGO venues. She also led the company’s engagement with U.S. federal and state government regulators on climate and energy policies.

Motivation for Teaching

Nanette has a passion for improving the environment and seeks to develop the next generation of successful environmental policy professionals. Her time in large corporations has led to hard-won lessons in effective advocacy which she hopes to pass to upcoming students.

Helping Students Be Successful

Nanette teaches her students about the latest policy changes with real-life examples and hands-on exercises. She is readily available via email and virtual office hours to answer questions, provide guidance, and offer insights from the environmental policy world.

Bio

Tom Iseman (MS in Freshwater Ecology, University of Michigan) is the Director of Water Scarcity and Drought Resilience in the Global Program of The Nature Conservancy. He leads TNC’s work in water scarce regions around the world to protect and restore rivers and wetlands while providing water security for communities and agriculture. Tom has over two decades of experience and has led projects on drought and climate adaptation, water infrastructure, the energy-water nexus and water markets. Prior to TNC, he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science in the U.S. Department of the Interior and led the water program for the Western Governors’ Association.

Bio

Fenton R. Kay, Ph.D. is a now-retired biologist with 50+ years of experience in the field and lab. Fenton spent the largest part of his career doing NEPA studies and reports. As a result of his experience, Fenton has in-depth understanding of the issues surrounding wildlife, especially endangered species, management and protection. He also has a substantial understanding of the process and requirements for sensitive species surveys and analysis, and report generation for NEPA actions. The wide range of places he has worked as well as his deep interests in natural history provide hm with a wide-ranging understanding and knowledge of environmental management in a variety of places, habitats, and situations.

Education

Fenton earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of Nevada, an M.S. in Zoology from the University of Nevada and a Ph.D. from New Mexico State University .

Professional Background

Following his post-doc, Fenton taught for California State University as an Assistant Professor, followed by working for a company doing the environmental impact statement for the MX Missile Project. That job had him doing field surveys throughout the western U.S. He was the lead person for NEPA actions for the Nevada Department of Wildlife for six years and headed the Endangered Species database group for the Arizona Dept. of Game and Fish for two years. He worked as an independent biological consultant, specializing in NEPA, and worked for several companies as a NEPA specialist over the years.

Motivation for Teaching

Fenton was drawn to teaching while an undergrad. He has taught at Community Colleges, Universities, and For-Profit schools in California, Nevada, and New Mexico; both face-to-face and online. Online is his favorite teaching modality because it allows both the teacher and the students the opportunity to think about and respond to the issues/facts being presented. Fenton uses what he calls a modified Socratic Questioning teaching method in his online classes. He presents material, asks formal questions about the content, then follows up with each student by posing questions and thoughts that are aimed at pushing the student’s thinking beyond the immediate issue.

Helping Students Be Successful

In today’s world, the processes of managing the environment continue to become increasingly complicated. Lock-step thinking, following old patterns is not the answer. Fenton attempts, by his questioning, to push the students to the limits of what we know and understand about environmental management. There are no clear-cut answers in the profession, and Fenton’s approach to presenting the material is an attempt to help student’s make the intellectual and management moves necessary for their success as working professionals.

Bio

Brad Robey is a Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) professional whose focus has been on policy development and implementation, risk assessment, and emergency response.

Education

Brad earned an M.S. in Occupational Safety & Health from Indiana State University.

Professional Background

Brad is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) with over 20 years of experience in Health, Safety, and Environmental Management as well as Operations Management. Currently, Brad is the HSE Manager for Lightsource bp covering the United States. Prior to this, he was an Operations Team Leader for bp Alaska In Prudhoe Bay, AK and has held multiple leadership roles in health and safety in both upstream and downstream oil and gas segments. His experience also includes five years as a Compliance Officer for the USDOL – OSHA in Chicago, IL.

Motivation for Teaching

Brad is passionate about helping students understand that error is human and careers in this field are to ensure organizations have prepared safeguards for when this occurs.

Bio

Wayne E. Mayer, CEO of When Everything Matters (WEMCo), empowers people to see the big picture among disparate elements. His proactive, whole-systems approach to business mitigates risks, engages stakeholders, and improves efficiencies, revenues, and profits. Wayne’s regional expertise encompasses Latin America; for years he resided in Venezuela and, later, Peru.

Education

Wayne earned his Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science at the University of Denver, his Master of Science in Forest Ecology & Conservation at the University of Washington, and his Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Policy at Duke University. He also earned graduate certificates in International Development Policy and in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Duke.

Professional Background

Wayne is a strategic sustainability consultant with technical and leadership skills gained during 20+ years as a change agent focused on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. He empowers organizations to integrate environmental and social value into core business and turn business models into sustainable-development partnerships. He helps companies set science-based goals and leverage data and technology to measure, monitor, and communicate ESG risks, impacts, and opportunities. Wayne holds affiliate faculty positions at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and, as a Senior Fellow, at the Duke Center for International Development. He also teaches for Duke Corporate Education’s ESG Academy.

Motivation for Teaching

Wayne’s international experience motivates him to share the excitement of thinking in different ways. He enjoys sharing ideas and calls teaching and learning “fun with a purpose.”

Helping Students Be Successful

Wayne recognizes that solving complex problems requires cross-functional, interdisciplinary thinking. He helps students unlock their imaginations, identify interconnections, and think in proactive and novel ways.