Falk School of Sustainability & Environment expands faculty ranks
The Falk School of Sustainability & Environment at Chatham University welcomes several new faculty members to the School for the 2023-24 academic year. With expertise from environmental and data science to business management, these new faculty enhance the Falk School’s mission to train leaders who shape sustainable approaches to food, natural resources conservation, business, and communities. The new faculty include:
Robert Sroufe, Ph.D., Falk Chair in Socially Responsible Business
Dr. Robert Sroufe is a scholar, speaker, consultant, and thought leader in the field of sustainable business. Over the past 20 years, he has worked with Fortune 500 companies and entire countries to assist leaders in bridging gaps in their operations, supply chains, management systems, and reporting–seeing past obstacles to opportunities. His decarbonization optimism and practical toolkits enable students to both envision a better world and take part in making it possible. Prior to joining Chatham, Dr. Sroufe developed and managed the sustainable MBA program at Duquesne University, recognized as the top program of its kind in the United States in 2022 by Corporate Knights. His 2018 book, Integrated Management: How Sustainability Creates Value for Any Business, was described as a “must have for decision makers seeking a customized approach to the integration of sustainability throughout an organization.”
Joshua Mullenite, Ph.D., Program Director and Assistant Professor of Sustainability
Dr. Josh Mullenite is an environmental social scientist whose research seeks to understand how political and economic conditions shape the ways people relate to the environment. Their work brings together environmental history, human geography, and information science and technology to explore societal decisions on infrastructure and how they impact vulnerable communities. Dr. Mullenite joins Chatham after five years at Wagner College where they were Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Director of the Environmental Studies Program. They were previously a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and are a current member of the Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative. Dr. Mullenite is serving as director for the Falk School’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in sustainability. They are an avid soccer fan and have already begun following the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
Jill Riddell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
Dr. Jill Riddell is a Falk School faculty member in Environmental Science with a focus on environmental geology. She completed her B.S. in geology at the University of Kentucky and her M.S. and Ph.D. in geology at West Virginia University. She is joining Chatham after completing a year of post-doctorate research in West Virginia funded by the National Science Foundation. Her research interests are in karst water and sediment geochemistry and forest hydrology. This term, Jill is teaching environmental geology where students will use real data (from the 2011 Virginia Earthquake and real-time monitoring at Yellowstone) to study geologic processes such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and flooding. Jill’s dog Timber is her constant companion. He is very friendly – so say hello when you see him on campus!
Miron Avidan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sustainable Business
Dr. Miron Avidan received his Ph.D. in Strategy and Organizational Theory from McGill University’s Faculty of Management, as well as an MBA and MS in Applied Statistics from Tel-Aviv University. His doctoral dissertation explores how firms manage the water-energy nexus, the tradeoffs and synergies between water and energy resources. He recently completed a post-doctorate appointment at the University of St. Gallen Institute for Sustainable Management, where he led a team of coders examining how corporate sustainability Greenhouse Gas targets change over time. This fall, Dr. Avidan teaches elementary statistics and sustainability decision analysis using quantitative tools.
Dr. Keratiloe Mogotsi, Assistant Professor of Business
Dr. Keratiloe (Kera) Mogotsi is a pan-Africanist, researcher, lean innovation coach, project management professional, with expertise in African Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship. She is an Assistant Professor in the business department at Chatham University with a secondary appointment to the Falk School. Dr. Mogotsi has deep experience in corporate, government and the non-profit sector. She is a certified project management professional with the PMI Institute and lean six sigma coach. She is a registered member of ARNOVA (association for research in nonprofit organizations and voluntary action); ISTR (International society for third sector research) and IPASA (Independent philanthropy association of South Africa). She teaches and provides advisory services for non-profits. Her research areas include disaster philanthropy in Africa, sustainable development, venture philanthropy, African philanthropy, lean and agile management in non-profits and philanthro-capitalism in sustainability.