Two Emory professors have been named to the inaugural class
of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership (IGEL), a
statewide group that hopes to foster learning and collaboration
among the state’s environmental leaders.
Howard Frumkin, professor and chair of environmental and occupational
health in the Rollins School of Public Health, and Julie Mayfield,
director of the Turner Environmental Law Clinic, are two of the
33 members of IGEL’s charter class, which was announced July
15.
“Julie and I are honored to be named to the first class of
IGEL, and proud that not one but two of us will represent Emory,”
said Frumkin, referring to the fact that the University is the sole
entity to have two individuals selected. The other 31 classmembers
hail from education, private industry, the nonprofit conservation
sector and various levels of government (including municipal, state
and federal).
“I’m fairly new to the environmental field, relatively
speaking, having only worked in it for about six years,” Mayfield
said. “I just feel fortunate that they think I’m worthy
of participating in this.”
IGEL was created by the Governor’s Environmental Advisory
Council and will be administered through the University of Georgia’s
J.W. Fanning Institute for Leader-ship. It is modeled after the
one-year leadership institutes that have sprung up at colleges and
universities around Georgia, Frumkin said.
Details about how IGEL will operate and the specific issues its
members will discuss have yet to be finalized, but classmembers
will meet six times for two-day sessions at locations around the
state, from Dalton to Brunswick. Mayfield said she expects agenda
items to be predetermined, but for the discussions to be free-flowing.
“My guess is these meetings will be highly facilitated, meaning
someone will at least come prepared with the topic and the material,”
Mayfield said.
“It’s an attempt to network people thought to be current
or future leaders in environmental affairs in the state,”
Frumkin said.
Indeed, the University’s distinction as the only participating
institution with two members in IGEL is just the latest piece of
evidence that Emory is considered an environmental leader across
Georgia.
“[That fact] speaks volumes,” Frumkin said. “Although
we are a private university, we’re recognized statewide as
an environmental leader and as an active participant in public and
private efforts to advance environmental education, research and
service. For those of us who believe that the University’s
mission includes contributing to our community, this is a source
of great satisfaction.”
Frumkin deflected any personal significance and credited his and
Mayfield’s selection to the large network of individuals across
campus working on environmental issues, from the offices of parking
and alternative transportation, to the green-building efforts in
Facilities Management, to the work of various faculty members and
academic departments, right up to the leadership and support demonstrated
by the highest levels of administration.
“Emory is proud that two of our faculty members, pledged
as they are to the study and preservation of our environmental resources,
will become members of the first class of IGEL,” President
Bill Chace said. “This speaks well of their dedication and
underscores the University’s commitment to making this state
and this region a model of wisdom about the natural resources that
are our legacy.”
For more information about IGEL, visit the Fanning Institute’s
website at www.
fanning.uga.edu.
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