Directory

• BA, Global Economics, University of California, Santa Cruz
• MA, Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
• PhD, Agroecology, University of California, Santa Cruz

Nick’s teaching and research interests focus on agroecology, food systems, and sustainable development. He uses interdisciplinary approaches to understand and promote sustainable land management and community development in both tropical and temperate landscapes.

In his dissertation research, he evaluated the impacts of Fair Trade marketing networks and the adoption of agroecological farming practices on reducing smallholder coffee farmer vulnerability in Costa Rica. Partnering with local coffee cooperatives and an international NGO, the results were used to improve smallholder agricultural systems and marketing strategies, and were published in the Journal of Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems and in a policy brief for Food First: The Institute for Food and Development.

His postdoctoral research has focused on US water policy, evaluating obstacles and opportunities for meeting water quality goals in both rural and urban watersheds. These projects involve undergraduates at every phase from project design to publication to improve our understanding of the adoption, maintenance, and spread of water conservation and climate change best management practices. This work has been published in Land Use Policy, Climatic Change, Landscape and Urban Planning, Journal of Forestry, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA), and by Purdue Extension.

The same commitment to community-based approaches, policy-relevant and applied topics, and sustainability that inspires his research also drives his work with students in the classroom and the field. His aim is to encourage students to become lifetime active learners and engaged citizens. His teaching and mentoring use experiential and field-based service learning opportunities to demonstrate connections between complex course materials and learners’ lives. He is excited to work with Sierra Nevada College students and the Lake Tahoe community towards the larger goals of justice and environmental sustainability.