The University of Vermont Graduate College is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2018-2019 Thomas J. Votta Scholarship is Joe Ament, a Gund Graduate Fellow and PhD student in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Joe Ament graduated from The Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan, focusing on economics and finance. After spending seven years in corporate strategy in both the for- and non-profit sectors, he spent three years writing about the ecological and economic problems we now face.

In the Rubenstein School, Joe’s research examines monetary theory in the context of socioecological stability. His interests lie in how monetary systems affect social justice and environmental degradation and how a socioecologically-resilient society will use money and distribute wealth. Outside of reading and writing, Joe loves to ski, bike, paint, toss bocce, and listen to Stevie Wonder.

The Thomas J. Votta Memorial Fund is established by the friends and family of Tom Votta to provide annual scholarship assistance a UVM graduate student in the Grossman School of Business, College of Engineering and Mathematics, or Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources who, like Tom, wishes to make a difference in solving environmental problems and using environmental best practices to meet this goal. For more information on the student awards offered through the Graduate College and to read about previous awardees, please visit our website here.