Maxine Burkett is the founding faculty director of the newly established Center for Just Environmental Futures at Stanford University in California. She currently serves as the Emerson Collective Professor of Climate, Environment, and Society in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Throughout roles in the White House, the U.S. State Department, and academia, Professor Burkett has focused on the relationship between environmental change and inequity, its impact on communities, and how law and policy can help build a better world for all.
A graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts, Professor Burkett earned her juris doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley.
Kim Lewis is vice president for research and chief research officer at Howard University. A full professor of physics, Dr. Lewis most recently served as the HBCU’s associate dean for research, graduate programs, and natural sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. In her new role, she will serve as a member of Howard’s executive leadership team, providing strategic leadership to all aspects of the university’s research enterprise.
Dr. Lewis received her bachelor’s degree in physics from Dillard University, an HBCU in New Orleans. She holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in applied physics from the University of Michigan.
J. Marshall Shepherd has been named a Regents’ Professor at the University of Georgia. The title is the university’s highest professorial honor. Dr. Shepherd currently serves as the Georgia Athletics Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences and associate dean for research, scholarship, and partnerships in the university’s Franklin College of Arts and Science. His research has advanced the understanding of extreme weather patterns, predictability, and associated risks.
Dr. Shepherd holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. all in physical meteorology from Florida State University.
