STOKE Certified

Research Intern

Carl Kish, Co-Founder

STOKE Certified is a eco-tourism certification company. It is the world’s first sustainability certification program for surf and ski tourism operators.

In the summer of 2017, I developed a white paper focused on the importance of and practical implications of mooring systems for sustainable surf resorts.

Between November 2018 - March 2019, I did additional research for STOKE on voluntary carbon offsets. I conducted web-based research to find credible and relevant carbon offset projects for STOKE Members, and communicated with project developers and retailers to facilitate purchasing agreements.

Clark Environmental Education Lab, Duke University

Lab Associate

Charlotte Clark, Lab Director

Charlotte Clark was my advisor at Duke, and has become a trusted mentor and friend. She studies how environmental education (EE) can contribute to management of common pool resources, create environmentalists from a young age, and spur behavior change.

Between November 2018 - December 2019, I worked on the eeRESEARCH Library project within the Clark Environmental Education Lab. I wrote concise (2 page) summaries of environmental education journal articles to make them more accessible and useful for EE practitioners.

Buddha Bee Apiary

Marketing & Communications Consultant

Justin Maness, Founder

Buddha Bee Apiary is a local Durham company with a “Host-a-Hive” program, where they provide beekeeping equipment and professionally manage beehives in backyards across NC. They also sell some delicious varieties of honey.

For about 9 months starting in January 2019, I was Buddha Bee’s Marketing and Communications Consultant. I formulated Buddha Bee's guiding marketing and communications plan, and created a variety of materials to engage customers including a Responsible Business Policy, event flyers, and a new membership welcome packet.

The Responsible Business Policy outlined the business footprint, identified areas where Buddha Bee contributed positively to sustainability, and areas of potential harm. For the areas of risk, I worked with Justin to find how Buddha Bee could cause the least possible harm, and improve their sustainability practices moving forward. The final deliverables were a Responsible Business Policy and Policy Brief pdf, which were used on the company website and as a part of the Host-a-Hive welcome packet.

Automatic Data Processing

ESG Specialist

Dawn Verrinder, Sr. Director, Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability

ADP is an international human resources company with around 58,000 employees. For 6 months in 2019, I worked remotely as an ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Specialist for ADP. I worked on ADP's 2019 Sustainability Report and associated projects. I wrote a business case for implementing biodegradable utensils in ADP cafeterias and eliminating plastic straw use. I also created a report on all of ADP sustainability initiatives (past, present, domestic and international) and helped develop ADP's GRI Index.