Martha Monroe Appointed Associate Director of Forestry Program in SFRC

This summer, Dr. Martha Monroe was appointed Associate Director (AD) for our Forest Resources & Conservation program. She looks forward to acting as a conduit between faculty and administration and supporting faculty through the tenure and promotion process.

Martha’s background in social science brings a unique perspective to SFRC’s leadership team. She has extensive experience in strategic planning that combines our three mission areas – teaching, research, and extension.

Early Career

Martha spent a portion of her career in hands-on environmental education, teaching and developing curricula for camps and nature centers.

“I worked in a hole-in-the-wall nature center in Jackson, Michigan, for four years, which I loved. We were the community’s hub for environmental issues and learning. I started to wonder how we could be even more strategic. As a result, we developed award-winning programs that teachers could build into units when they returned to the classroom.”

While working on a committee with the state’s Department of Education, Martha saw the power of using state tests as incentives to change teaching practices. After graduate school, she served as the Director of the Resource Center at GreenCOM, an international environmental education and communications project. She also coordinated the development of the EE Toolbox for the National Consortium for Environmental Education and Training.

SFRC Journey

Martha joined SFRC in 1997. She is committed to using education to move communities toward conservation behavior and sustainable systems.

“I want to know how I can best help people build capacity to engage in solutions to environmental problems. For example, what does it take to build someone’s confidence to engage in political decisions, or ride a bicycle to work?”

“My focus now is preparing the next generation to go into environmental education and with the skills and knowledge to match their passion and creativity.” Her teaching mission is to support environmental education in whatever capacity best serves her students.

“From non-formal programs to Extension workshops, and research projects to theoretical advances, there are a lot of ways to make the world a better place.”

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Posted: January 10, 2019


Category: Forests, Natural Resources



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