What type of work do you typically do for CRS?
I work on a variety of applied research and evaluation projects related to community health, rural affordable housing, community resilience, outdoor recreation, and the development of community indicators. This work includes developing and conducting surveys and focus groups, qualitative and qualitative data analysis, grant writing, and community engagement processes.
What are some of your favorite past projects that you've worked on? Why?
A major component of my work is focused on understanding the hazards facing Vermont's manufactured housing communities and developing strategies for increasing their resilience to disasters in collaboration with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity's Mobile Home Program. Whether supporting response and recovery efforts after the Memorial Day storms and Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 to the July 2023 flooding, this work has underscored the importance of fostering resilient rural communities.
Who benefits from the work that you do?
The most rewarding aspect of working for the Center for Rural Studies is that our projects are relevant to the critical issues facing communities in Vermont and other rural states. Whether we’re conducting surveys or gathering lessons learned from a program evaluation, the applied research we do informs decisions made by community leaders, policymakers, organizations, and the public at large.
What else would you like people to know about you professionally?
As a researcher, I am most interested in applied research endeavors that contribute to developing solutions to complex problems facing our rural communities. More specifically, I am very interested in exploring how communities can become more resilient to climate-related hazards, especially in the wake of the most recent flooding events impacting our state. I am also very passionate about connecting our undergraduate students to the practice of applied research in communities beyond the UVM campus.
What is your favorite thing about Vermont?
There are many things that I love about Vermont but the landscape, no matter the season, always makes me grateful to live and work in such a beautiful state: old barns in open fields juxtaposed with the Green Mountains, our historic villages and downtown centers, and Lake Champlain.
