• Graduation Pledge

• Making a Living
  Creating Livable Communities

 Making a Living
Creating Livable Communities
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
4:30 p.m. in CC 375

To preserve nature, the best approach is to create human settlements that are beautiful, safe, affordable, and intelligently designed -- that don't create pressure for escape to the wilderness or migration to the suburbs. So say an increasing number of environmental experts, planners, architects, landscape designers, and policymakers who have come together in a movement often referred to as "smart growth." Livable communities benefit people socially, spiritually, and economically as well. They are the vital link between quality of life and the health of the planet.

This Earth Day, the Career Development Center is bringing you a fresh look at environmental careers, broadly defined to include research, education, policy, and innovation to reduce the human footprint by creating more livable communities in every sense of the term.

Panelists include:

• Robin Campbell, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Bureau of Historic Sites, Peebles Island
• Dr. Helen R. Desfosses, President, Albany City Council
• Kate Maynard, City of Albany Planning Department
• Val Washington, Environmental Advocates of New York

Moderated by Melissa Everett, RPI Instructor and Executive Director, Sustainable Careers Institute

Please join us to hear a group of powerful panelists describe their careers creating livable communities. You can build your knowledge base, and networks, by visiting the following websites:

Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse

The Biodiversity Project

American Planning Association

Congress for the New Urbanism

Sustainable Communities Network

Sustainable Careers Institute

Robin Campbell began her work at the Office as a Historic Preservation Program Assistant. Since then, she has held other positions that include Senior Curator (Artifacts) and Interim Historic Site Manager (John Jay Homestead). Ms. Campbell has also lectured extensively and authored several professional publications. Associate Curator (Artifacts), New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Bureau of Historic Sites, Peebles Island, Watervliet, NY Ms. Campbell began her work at the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in 1979 in the position of Historic Preservation Program Assistant. Since then, she has held other positions that include Senior Curator (Artifacts) and Interim Historic Site Manager John Jay Homestead. Ms. Campbell has lectured extensively, presented professional papers and conducted numerous workshops for such organizations as LI Museums Association, the Federation of Historical Services, the Costume Society of America, and the University at Albany, to name but a few. Additionally, she has authored several professional publications and served as an adjunct professor of the Cooperstown Graduate Program of SUNY Oneonta.

Dr. Helen R. Desfosses is Associate Dean of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at UAlbany, and President, Albany City Council. She is a political scientist, who has combined teaching and research with consulting on legislative development around the world. She has a long and distinguished record of involvement in civic affairs.

Kate Maynard has been a Neighborhood Planner with the City of Albany for the past 2 years. Her primary responsibilities include: overseeing neighborhood based projects, plans and ongoing programs (i.e. C-1 Commercial Facade Program), serving as a liason for neighborhood residents and the City, grantwriting, promoting and marketing unique City neighborhoods, and community and economic development. Her background includes public and private sector planning work, and community development and environmental conservation work in El Salvador with Peace Corps. She will receive her Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University at Albany in May.

Val Washington is the Executive Director of Environmental Advocates, a non-profit environmental advocacy organization, formerly known as Environmental Planning Lobby. For over thirty years Environmental Advocates has worked in Albany on a range of environmental issues, helping to shape New York's environmental policy. Previous to her current position, Val worked for 13 years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Attorney General's Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB). For the latter 10 of those years she was the Deputy Bureau Chief, managing the Albany Office of the EPB. In addition to her administrative duties, Val was responsible for the Attorney General's environmental legislative program and also litigated or supervised a number of major environmental cases. During this period, the EPB had a national reputation as one of the country's preeminent environmental law firms. Prior to her work at the Department of Law Val was a Regional Attorney for the Department of Environmental Conservation for three years and Counsel to the New York State Olympic Task Force for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. She has taught environmental law at Albany Law School and at the Bard Graduate School of Environmental Studies as an Adjunct Professor.