Author: Derek Tepe

I am a seasoned climate and sustainability professional with a diversity of domestic and international experience related to environmental science, local food systems, and sustainable agriculture. While completing my Natural Resources and Environmental Management undergraduate degree at Ball State University, I studied political ecology and agroforestry in Thailand with the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute. This experience inspired what would become a four year stint in Chiang Mai, Thailand, managing experiential education programs that explored the intersection of culture, conservation, agriculture, and development across Southeast Asia. This work broadened and diversified my understanding of effective, context-based sustainable agriculture solutions. I returned to the US in January 2020 and accepted an education fellowship at the Wild Center, a science education museum in the Adirondacks. In May 2023, I received my Master’s degree in Sustainable Communities from Binghamton University, during which I managed the campus food pantry. On my time off, I can be found reading, brewing beer, or testing my spicy food tolerance with homemade salsas. I also speak Thai! Certified Project Management Professional (PMP).