This week, Todd Steelman PhD ’96 officially began her tenure as Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Dean Steelman is the first Duke Environment graduate to return and serve its highest administrative office.
A noted wildfire science and management researcher, Dean Steelman has the resume to match her accomplishments in academia. In addition to her PhD in Environmental and Resource Policy from Duke, Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies from West Virginia University, Dean Steelman also has training as a wildland firefighter and an ice road trucker.
From her interview with Duke Today:
“We are at a historic crossroad in our need for leadership on pressing environmental issues facing the United States and the planet,” Steelman said. “I look forward to working in partnership with the talented faculty and staff of the Nicholas School to ready the next generation of students to tackle these challenges.”
Steelman noted that, “Science, expertise and evidence-based decision-making are being challenged in all sectors of society. Arguably there has been no other time in history where thoughtful reason and insight are more important, and there is no better platform in the world from which one could lead on these issues than the Nicholas School.”
Myself and Nathan Phillips PhD ’97 — who overlapped with Dean Steelman during their PhD years — had a chance to meet her at the 2018 AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas earlier this February.
It was a wonderful chance to meet our new dean, and we hope for the chance to host Dr. Steelman in Sacramento sometime in the future!
More About Dean Steelman:
- Duke Environment Magazine profile of Dean Steelman
- Duke Today coverage of Dean Steelman
- Duke Chronicle coverage of Dean Steelman
- Facebook Gallery of July 3rd welcome for Dean Steelman on campus
- Photo on the Nicholas School Go-Grow-Give Facebook Group
- Dean Toddi Steelman on LinkedIn
- Dean Toddi Steelman on Twitter (@EnviroWonk)