Keene State Names Dr. Cary Hauptman Gaunt as Director of Campus Sustainability
Dr. Gaunt Brings More Than 30 Years of Experience in Sustainability Planning, Teaching and Research
Keene State College announces Dr. Cary Hauptman Gaunt as director of campus sustainability. Dr. Gaunt brings more than 30 years of experience working in sustainability science, planning and policy analysis. She also teaches sustainability at the higher education level, and for community groups. Most recently, Dr. Gaunt served as a senior fellow for Second Nature, a national nonprofit organization that works to integrate sustainability into college campuses. Dr. Gaunt fills the role after a yearlong vacancy in this position, and succeeds Mary Jensen, who led college sustainability programs over the past 15 years. Dr. Gaunt will begin to serve as director of campus sustainability at Keene State College on July 30, 2015.
“We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Gaunt to Keene State. A culture of sustainability is a priority of the college, and an important element in our students’ learning and living experiences,” said Keene State College Vice President for Finance and Planning, Jay Kahn. “Dr. Gaunt has the right combination of experience in higher education sustainability, classroom work, and policy and planning. I am confident that Keene State’s sustainability programming will thrive through her leadership.”
During her work with the Boston Green Ribbon Commission and Second Nature, Dr. Gaunt studied sustainability approaches of many leading higher education institutions, such as Harvard, MIT and Boston University, and her research explores leadership development and sustainability. She plans to build on the great number of sustainability efforts in place at Keene State, to continue to cultivate the college as an innovator and community partner around sustainability.
“I am thrilled to join Keene State. I love that this position addresses both academic affairs, as well as facilities, finance and planning. Keene State is truly visionary in recognizing the vital importance of collaboration among all aspects of the campus,” said Dr. Gaunt. “Keene State’s efforts have been recognized by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, and the college is a signatory to the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, a national effort toward carbon neutrality. There are many people on campus already thinking about sustainability, and I am eager to work with them to support existing programs and collaboratively develop new initiatives.”
Dr. Gaunt received a PhD in Environmental Studies from Antioch University, an M.A. in Physical Geography from the University of Maryland, and a B.A. in Art History with a concentration in Environmental Studies from Williams College in Massachusetts.
