I have been fortunate to collaborate internationally, most often with Haitian communities and scholars. Our research and applied projects cover areas including adaptation to changing environments, NGO-community relationships, education initiatives, and the intersection of traditional and international forms of environmental policy. I have likewise collaborated with rural communities in Ghana and Romania. When working for the NPS, I also shared applied and policy insight with European partners conducting similar large-scale visitor studies.

Follow the link below to read the story of a long-term partner and fellow Elon University alum, now medical professional, Elisson Adrien, MD.

Foundational training in interdisciplinary programs as a Periclean Scholar (Elon U.), Center for Collaborative Conservation Fellow (CSU), and Integrative Conservation PhD (UGA) formed the basis for my interdisciplinary collaboration. Our teams bridging anthropology, ecology, natural resource management, forestry, geography, and economics produce internationally cited and operationalized frameworks.

Example 1: In Haiti, I co-developed the Second Impact Syndrome framework with a Haitian mentee, medical doctor, and fellow Elon U. Alum, published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. This work reframes problematic narratives about smallholder farmers experiencing disturbances and has since informed environmental NGO projects in Brazil, Ethiopia, and China.

Example 2: With interdisciplinary colleagues at UGA, I co-authored a widely cited Environmental Research Letters article integrating ecosystem services and livelihood adaptation, shaping nature-based solutions research worldwide.

In Progress