The College has appointed Rosi Kerr '98 as its new director of sustainability, according to an announcement from College Provost Carol Folt.
Kerr will report directly to Folt and will work closely with Linda Snyder, vice president for campus planning and facilities, as well as environmental studies department chair Andrew Friedland, according to the statement.
"[Kerr] will partner with academic, student and administrative leaders to develop aspirational goals and lead Dartmouth toward a sustainable future," the release stated.
Kerr previously served as the director of sustainability at GreenerU, a company that works to help colleges and universities lessen their environmental impacts and become "environmental leaders," according to the statement. In this capacity, Kerr assisted a number of institutions, notably Babson College, where she also served as director of sustainability.
Before working for GreenerU, Kerr served as the executive director of the National Senior Conservation Corps, an organization which seeks to involve people older than 65 in environmental sustainability work, the release stated. Kerr also worked at Juice Energy, Inc., a New York City-based renewable energy company.
At Dartmouth, Kerr, was an English major and a member of the women's rowing team, which qualified for the NCAA rowing championship in 1997 and 1998, The Dartmouth previously reported. She received a masters degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2006, according to the statement.
Snyder and Friedland will work closely with Kerr in a "new sustainability planning process" during the 2010-2011 academic year, the statement said. They expect to form a new "broadly representative Task Force" that will be guided by students, administrators and faculty and will eventually replace the six-member Provost's Sustainability Executive Committee.
The College has pursued a number of sustainability initiatives in recent years, receiving national attention, although its sustainability rating from the Sustainable Research Institute dropped from an A- in 2009 to a B+ in 2010, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Students involved in sustainability issues said they hoped that Kerr's appointment would facilitate greater cooperation between students and administrators in this area.
"I eagerly anticipate our new Sustainability Director," Nick Devonshire '11, a member of the Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility, said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth. "I hope that she has the capability to command top down leadership, but also hope she has the intuition to know that if she doesn't foster bottom up support, sustainability on this campus will go no further."
Sustainable Dartmouth intern Sarah Frostenson '11 said she had similar hopes.
"I hope with the introduction of our new sustainability manager, student environmental groups will finally have a voice in the administration and be able to works towards making a greener Dartmouth," Frostenson said in an e-mail.
Frostenson is a member of The Dartmouth staff.
