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Dr. Valerie Luzadis to Serve as Interim Associate Provost for Instruction and Dean of ESF Graduate School
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), the most distinguished institution in the nation that focuses on the study of the environment, is pleased to announce that Valerie Luzadis, Ph.D., will serve as Interim Associate Provost for Instruction and Dean of the Graduate School.
Dr. Luzadis is a professor of social-ecological systems and ecological economics in the Department of Environmental Studies. She served as Interim Provost and as the first Executive Vice President of ESF, among other key leadership roles at the College.
"Dr. Luzadis brings tremendous leadership experience to this role, grasps the challenges that graduate education faces, and has shown great vision for what the ESF Graduate School needs," said Dr. Samuel Mukasa, executive vice president and provost. "I am grateful she has agreed to take on this responsibility and have every confidence she will serve the College well."
Dr. Luzadis is the board chair of the Global Council for Science and the Environment and serves on the National Board of Advisors for Planet Forward, a project of the Center for Innovative Media at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs that teaches, celebrates, and rewards environmental storytelling by college students.
She is the founder of Heart Forward Science, created to develop holistic knowledge through a balance of intellect, imagination, and intuition to advance equitable, sustainable scientific outcomes. She is past president of the United States Society for Ecological Economics and led the effort to charter the U.S. Society for Ecological Economics. Her teaching and research focus on systems approaches to social-ecological foundations for conservation and sustainability, the study and practice of collaborative interdisciplinary science, and efforts to bring science into policy.
An active community member, Dr. Luzadis serves as board president of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation. She also sings with the Syracuse Chorale and serves on their board of directors.