People : Staff

The Office of Sustainability is staffed by a Director along with two graduate assistants and two undergraduate interns.

Christian Wells, Director

E. Christian Wells is the Director of the Office of Sustainability and Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of South Florida. He received his B.A. from Oberlin College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Arizona State University. He is an environmental archaeologist, whose principal scholarly interests include cultural and ecological aspects of long-term human/environmental systems, the influence of environmental worldview on economic decision making, and quantitative modeling and analysis of soil science data. His research seeks to understand the land-use legacies established by prehistoric agrarian communities and the consequences of those legacies for contemporary farmers in less developed countries. One of his primary contributions has been to demonstrate the varying small-scale chemical changes to soil surfaces caused by ancient populations, which has led to new ways of detecting and studying human impacts on landscapes. Over the past 15 years, he has undertaken field research in Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico with funding from the National Science Foundation, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the National Geographic Society, and other agencies. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Society for Archaeological Sciences Bulletin, governing board member of the Society for Economic Anthropology, and member of the Committee on Curriculum for the Society for American Archaeology. He has written or edited six books and journal issues, including Dimensions of Ritual Economy (with P. A. McAnany), Mesoamerican Ritual Economy (with K. L. Davis-Salazar), and Advances in Geoarchaeological Approaches to Anthrosol Chemistry (with R. E. Terry), as well as more than 50 articles, chapters, and reviews. Christian can be reached at cwells@cas.usf.edu.

Sue Regonini, Sustainability Fellow

Suellen R. Regonini is a doctoral candidate in Applied Anthropology. Her research interests include media studies, economic anthropology, and the creative practices surrounding popular media, particularly those of entrepreneurial independent media and consumer product producers. Her dissertation examines the relationship between fan labor, participatory media, and convergence culture in the U.S. Regonini earned a B.S. in Biomedical Communications from the Ohio State University, an A.S. in Computer Graphics from the International Academy of Design & Technology, and an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from the University of South Florida. She has taught courses in visual literacy, interactive media, graphic design, and web design and development, and served as a USF graduate research assistant for the Center for 21st Century Teaching Excellence, the Dean’s Summer Institute in the Graduate School, and the Department of Anthropology. She has presented numerous papers to professional and public audiences and, in 2008, was selected as a Microsoft Port 25 Emerging Scholar. Sue can be reached at sregonin@cas.usf.edu.

Cindy Schafer, Sustainability Fellow

Cynthia A. Schafer is an M.S. student in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her research interests include climate change, sustainability, and health issues in less developed countries. For her thesis research, she is studying the relationship between the availability of potable water and the occurrence of water borne infectious diseases. Schafer received her B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University, where she was awarded the 2008 Nicole Roth Award for Leadership in Environmental Sustainability. At Michigan Tech, she served as a member of the Environmental Sustainability Committee and worked for the Carbon Academic Quality Improvement Program to inventory and offset carbon dioxide emissions on the Michigan Tech campus. She spent 2006 and 2007 as a participant in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Global Change Education Program—Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, working with faculty and graduate students to study the role of biological soil crusts in alpine ecosystems and carbon dioxide flux over Lake Superior. For her Senior Project, Schafer worked with a research team to reduce flooding and ameliorate its effects in a neighborhood of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. She spent 2009 as Construction Coordinator for the Alianza de Ministerios de Misericordia A.C. in Monterrey, Mexico, where she worked with community volunteers to build houses with abundant and recyclable materials (soil and rubber tires) using compacted earth and adobe techniques. Cindy can be reached at caschafer@mail.usf.edu.

David Pendry, Sustainability Scholar

David Pendry is a B.S. student in Environmental Science and Policy. His research interests include human impacts to ecosystems, environmental law, and interdisciplinary approaches to environmental sciences. Pendry is a member of the USF Honors Program, on the Dean’s List of the USF College of Arts and Sciences, and was the recipient of the USF Presidential Scholarship. He is an active member of the Student Environmental Association and a dedicated volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, All Faith’s Food Bank, and Children’s Haven. David can be reached at dpendry@mail.usf.edu.

Alex Rios, Sustainability Scholar

Alex Rios is a fourth year student seeking a Master of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture and Community Design. His research interests include green building, community design, and sustainable materials. Rios is an Apprentice in the Mentorship Program with the firm of Collman and Karsky Architects, serves as the Architecture Chair of Emerging Green Builders at USF, was Secretary of the Architectural College Council, and frequently volunteers with the American Institute of Architecture Students. Alex can be reached at alexmrios@gmail.com.