Who We Are

Alliance Leadership and Staff

Frank Sesno

Executive Director, The GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future; Director of Strategic Initiatives, School of Media & Public Affairs
[email protected]

Donna Attanasio

Managing Director, The GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future; Professorial Lecturer in Law, GW Law School
[email protected]

Robert Orttung

Director, The Sustainability Research Institute; and Research Professor of International Affairs, GW Elliott School of International Affairs

Maria Frawley

Interim Director, Academic Sustainability Programs; Professor of English, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Erin Carlin

Program Manager, Academic Sustainability Programs

Harita Iswara

Research Assistant (part-time); M.A. candidate, School of Media & Public Affairs

Alliance Participants

Many faculty and staff across the university engage in research or work aimed toward fighting climate change and advancing sustainability efforts. As we work hard to advance the new Alliance and connect with additional university partners in this space, this nonexhaustive list of faculty and staff will continue to grow, reflecting GW's broad range of expertise in crucial areas related to sustainability and climate change. Stay tuned — you'll see more names soon.

• Susan Anenberg, Professor and Chair of Environmental and Occupational Health, and Director of GW Climate and Health Institute, Milken Institute School of Public Health, [email protected]
• Lisa Benton-Short, Professor and Chair, Department of Geography, [email protected]
• Joseph Cascio, Co-Director, Environmental & Energy Management Institute, [email protected]
• Jonathan Deason, Lead Professor, Environmental and Energy Management Program, Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Management Institute, School of Engineering and Applied Science, [email protected]
• William Dietz, Director of Research & Policy, GW Global Food Institute, Chair of Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness, [email protected]
• Payman Deghanian, Associate Professor, Director, GW SmartGrid Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, [email protected]
• John Forrer, Director, Institute for Corporate Responsibility, Research Professor, Strategic Management and Public Policy, School of Business, [email protected]
• Royce Francis, Associate Professor, GW School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, [email protected]
• Melissa Keeley, Director of Environmental Studies & Sustainability Science; Associate Professor of Geography, Public Policy & Public Administration; CCAS [email protected]  
• Christopher Klemek, Associate Professor of History, Dept. of History, CCAS, [email protected]
• Anna Helm, Director, GW Center for International Business Education & Research (GW-CIBER) and Associate Teaching Professor of International Business, GW School of Business, [email protected]
• Peter LaPuma, Professor, Milken Institute School of Public Health, [email protected]
• Josh Lasky, Director, Office of Sustainability, [email protected]
• Saniya Leblanc, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, SEAS, [email protected]
• Kim Ossi van Brecht, Associate Director, Planet Forward, [email protected]
• Anneliese (Lisa) Palmer, Research Professor of Science Communication, Senior Editor & Education Lead, PlanetForward.org, School of Media and Public Affairs, [email protected] 
• Tara Scully, Director of Curriculum Development, GW Global Food Institute, Associate Professor of Biology, Dept. of Biological Sciences, CCAS, [email protected]
• Nikolay Shiklomanov, Professor of Geography and International Affairs, Department of Geography, [email protected]
• Ekundayo Shittu, Associate Professor, SEAS, [email protected]
• Erin Speck, Assistant Professor, Interior Architecture, Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, CCAS, [email protected]
• Dmitry Streletskiy, Associate Professor, Dept. of Geography, CCAS, [email protected]
• Michael Svoboda, Assistant Professor of the University Writing Program, CCAS, and Advisor for the Sustainability Minor, [email protected]
• Neelima Tummala, Assistant Professor of Surgery, GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences, [email protected]
• Sandra Whitehead, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Sustainable Urban Planning Program, GW College of Professional Studies, [email protected]
• Linda Yarr, Research Professor of International Affairs, Director, Partnerships for International Strategies in Asia (PISA), Sigur Center for Asian Studies, Elliott School for International Affairs, [email protected]