People

Karen McGlathery

Director

Karen is a Professor of Environmental Sciences, and also leads the Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research (VCR LTER) program, based at UVA’s Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Her research focuses on the roles of climate, land use, and species invasions in driving long-term change in coastal ecosystems. She has led multi-disciplinary teams addressing strategies for coastal resilience. She is a member of the LTER National Science Council and the Foundation of the State Arboretum Board of the Directors and is Associate Editor of the journal Ecosystems.

Andres Clarens

Associate Director

Andres is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Director of the Virginia Environmentally Sustainable Technologies Laboratory. His research is focused broadly on how carbon is manipulated, reused, and sequestered in engineered systems. The results of his work have been important for developing efficient strategies for mitigating the emissions that are driving climate change. At the largest scales, his system-level modeling work has explored the life cycle of systems in the manufacturing, transportation, and energy sectors.

Henry Boachi

Program Manager

Henry manages the strategic identification, recruitment and culture-building elements of all of EI’s fellows programs. In his capacity as the Program Manager, Henry’s everyday activities involve managing relationships with key faculty, postdoctoral, and practitioner partners, aimed at ensuring their full engagement in all relevant aspects of the fellowship programs and the achievement of their set goals. Henry brings significant communications experience from his work with international nonprofits and the mining sector in Africa and the United States, as well as student affairs, research, and teaching experiences in U.S. higher education institutions.

Allison Barrett Carter

Communications Manager

Allison oversees communications, marketing, and strategic events for UVA's Environmental Institute. A former journalist, managing editor, and writer, Allison has also developed and implemented strategic communications plans for organizations such as the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, including the Center for Effective Lawmaking, at UVA. She is an alumnus of UVA and holds a Nonprofit Management Certificate from Harvard's Extension School.

Jonah Fogel

Program Manager

Jonah leads the institute’s core seed funding programs, performance management system, and student engagement programs. He works closely with students, faculty, and university administration facilitating research development activities that attract extramural research funding, create relationships, and increase institutional competitiveness. Jonah works regularly with a wide variety of internal and external partners translating research through outreach and training activities. Jonah holds a PhD in Natural Resource Management, a Master’s of Landscape Architecture, and a BS in Hydrogeology. He’s taught at a graduate level and has extensive experience in public administration, land use planning, and solar energy policy.

Julie Lassetter

Finance and Operations Manager

Julie serves as the Finance and Operations Manager for the Environmental Institute and is responsible for budget development, financial management and analysis, and office operations. With years of experience in higher education at both the department and dean level, she possesses a broad policy knowledge across the academic spectrum. She enjoys collaborating with students, faculty, and colleagues to find solutions to problems, allowing them to concentrate on their research. 

Carrie McGowan

Business Manager

Carrie is responsible for ensuring the Institute runs smoothly on a daily basis, including office management and fiscal duties. Carrie has spent eleven years with UVA’s procurement services and another five years with UVA’s Office of the Vice President for Research supporting pan-university institutes. She enjoys a collaborative working environment and being part of the Environmental Institute team.