Bio

Ira B. Crawford has taught at the collegiate level since 2003. He has extensive experience in the Environmental Management and Policy field that spans over a twenty-year period which includes classroom and environmental field work. Serves as the Solid Waste Manager and is the Environmental Training Center Program Manager at Fort Polk, La. Ira is a recipient of the Commanding General’s Leadership Award for his work as the program manager for the Fort Polk Environmental Training Center. He has also served as a hazardous waste/solid waste inspector and as an instructor at the Environmental Training Center.

Education

Ira earned an M.A. and a M.S. from American Military University.

Bio

Lou Dempsey spent over three decades working in finance and asset management as well as in alternative energy financing and project development within the commercial and industrial sector. Lou spent the first two decades of his career in finance primarily working with large for-profit and non-profit institutions managing and analyzing their assets to ensure optimal returns on their capital.

In 2010, Lou pursued his passion and began the master’s program at DU’s University College in Environmental and Policy Management. His capstone thesis, Endowment Funding for Campus-Related Energy Efficiency Projects: A Symbiotic Investment, led him to work with the Connecticut Green Bank to help advance clean energy programs and policies directed towards Connecticut’s commercial and industrial sector. Lou also worked with a large multinational conglomerate to design strategies to help reduce emissions for all of their affiliated companies.

Education

Lou earned his Master of Applied Science in Environmental and Policy Management from University of Denver in 2012 and he has a B.A. in American Studies from Providence College.

Professional Background

Lou spent the first two decades of his career working at various financial & asset management organizations such as US Trust, Bank Julius Baer, Bear Stearns and Commonfund. After earning his master’s in 2012, he started a consulting company called Sustainable Energy Resource Partners (SERP). SERP was selected by the Connecticut Green Bank to assist them in increasing adoption of clean energy technologies among property owners. Most recently, Lou worked for global Japanese trading company Marubeni, identifying and implementing sustainable energy strategies for their subsidiaries.

Motivation for Teaching

Lou is passionate about the environment and issues related to climate change. His desire is to educate and encourage this next generation of students interested in a career in environmental policy and management by assisting them in understanding the broad spectrum of opportunities and challenges related to the field of sustainable energy. Specifically, Lou wants to help students understand the dynamic world of alternative energy technologies and their applications by providing real-world experience and examples to his students.

Bio

Aaron currently serves as a Senior Project Manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Denver Regulatory Office, where he oversees the stream and wetland mitigation program. He is Chair of the Colorado Interagency Review Team (IRT) and manages the development of mitigation banks and in-lieu fee programs used to provide mitigation off-sets for stream and wetland impacts. He also manages a wide range of Clean Water Act Section 404 permits throughout the Denver metro area and the Front Range. Previously, he served as a biologist for the Colorado Department of Transportation and before that as a biologist and environmental inspector for multiple environmental consulting firms, specializing primarily in linear utility projects.

Education

Aaron earned a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation and Biology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an M.S. in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver.

Professional Background

Aaron spearheaded the development of a stream assessment method now used statewide in Colorado, as well as the development of the Colorado Mitigation Procedures (COMP)to establish the standard for debiting and crediting of streams and wetlands in Colorado. For his efforts, he has earned numerous commendations from the Albuquerque and Omaha Districts of the Corps, and a Silver Medal for Superior Service from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Motivation for Teaching

Aaron has a passion for sharing work experiences and seeks to develop the next generation of successful environmental professionals. His time in the government and private sectors has led to hard-won lessons in project permitting and planning which he hopes to pass to upcoming biologists and project managers.

Helping Students Be Successful

Aaron teaches his students based on real-life examples and hands-on exercises. He is emphatic about professional quality writing and assignment submittals. He is readily available via email to answer questions, provide guidance and offer insights from the environmental project management world.

Bio

Robert S. Gnuse has more than 40 years of progressive engineering and management experience in the engineering and environmental consulting industry. Since 2008, he has been providing management and sales & marketing consulting services for the architectural-engineering industry; operating initially as Gnuse Enterprises, LLC, and more recently as a Partner in Leading the Way, LLC.

He is an adjunct professor at DU’s College of Professional Studies, where he teaches in the Environmental Policy Management program. In addition, he is an adjunct faculty member at Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business, where he teaches Management and International Business courses.

Education

Robert earned an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and an MBA from Regis University.

Professional Background

Prior to his consulting practice, Robert was Senior Vice President – Director of Sales and Marketing for MACTEC Engineering & Consulting, Inc. (formerly Law Engineering and now known as WSP USA), where he led and directed all business development and marketing programs for the corporation. During his career, he held senior leadership roles in operations management (start-ups, expansion and turn-around assignments), human capital management (Director of Human Resources) and engineering programs (Senior Principal Engineer).

Motivation for Teaching

Robert’s varied life experiences have provided Robert with a unique perspective on business and professional ethics, management, and the development of human capital. Whether collaborating with teams or individuals, he enjoys passing along his knowledge and experience to future leaders in the business world.

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

Liana Hall has worked in the environmental field for over two decades. She has worked for several federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service and the Department of Energy. Prior to her federal career, she worked for the United Nations, and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and she has worked for both non-profit and for-profit organizations including schools. She has a deep understanding of environmental management issues and specializes in how to communicate environmental concerns and ensure we care for the environment while working within the constraints of regulations, business development and competing priorities.

Education

Liana earned her Master of Environmental Management from Yale University and has served as a visiting fellow at Cambridge University in England. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Colorado. She also has degrees in business, public health, psychology and project management.

Helping Students Be Successful

Liana has a passion for education, and she aims to ensure that students get access to educational resources. She recognizes that not everyone thrives in the same environment and works with her students to provide opportunities for them to shine in the manner that works best for them.

Liana stresses gaining an understanding of the bigger picture and the whole story whether that be understanding how one change in an ecosystem can alter others or understanding how and why organizations make decisions. Liana is readily available via email and virtual office hours to answer questions, provide guidance and offer insights.

Bio

John Hill has over three decades of experience as an environmental and security executive and expert on large transportation, infrastructure, industrial and environmental projects in the United States, Asia and Europe. He also worked in venture capital centered on energy and environmental investments in the EU, UK and Scandinavia.

Education

John earned a bachelor’s and master’s in physics and a doctorate in environmental science and engineering, all from the University of California.

Professional Background

John’s professional experience includes: working as a California Legislature staff member working on the state’s environmental and energy policies; working for a Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality; performing environmental and safety risk analyses related to expanding oil and gas exploration and production operations in the North Sea; directing environmental operations for a manufacturer of specialty chemicals and propulsion systems; directing investments for a European venture capital and development firm (focused on energy and environmental investments).

Motivation for Teaching

John seeks to assist students in learning and applying multiple effective techniques for seamlessly integrating course materials into their current or aspirational professional contexts and thereby elevating their careers and career trajectories.

Helping Students Be Successful

John’s teaching emphasizes essential transferable professional skills, attitudes and knowledge such as working in groups and teams, critical thinking and persuading through writing, conversations and presentations. He highly values reflection to advance learning and retention.

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

Joshua Kolditz is an accomplished strategic leader with a history of success directing international projects in sustainable energy and resource management. His solid educational foundation, paired with his experiences crafting strategies to optimize resource usage for multinational projects including efforts in Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Guyana, position him uniquely to offer expertise in many faucets. Joshua has provided guidance to the largest capital projects in the world, 20+ Fortune 500 clients including large energy providers, and has crafted his business skills that can now be shared with developing professionals.

Education

Joshua holds a B.S. in Supply Chain Management from the University of Arkansas and an MBA from Hult International School of Business, and is pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Denver. He is a CSSC Six Sigma Black Belt.

Teaching Philosophy

Joshua has experience creating courses for the College of Professional Studies and has worked closely with the administrators to provide excellent educational content and in classroom delivery. His professional and educational journey create novel insights that add to the rigor of courses at the college and give improved learning opportunities to students. Joshua is an energetic instructor that cares for both the content delivery and the individual student learning experience.