My work life is based in, and driven by, sustainability science and coffee. I'm motivated by bridging knowledge to action gaps in food and other systems, and, in addition to supporting my livelihood through my academic life, coffee systems fulfilled that mission. My leadership experience in the work place stemmed from starting my own coffee roasting business. Much of my plate spinning entailed ensuring a healthy, professional, and creative work environment for the whole team, while simultaneously ensuring the collective coherence of our company values and daily operations. This kind of leadership required structured systems and radically minded transparency.

Operating my own business gave me the opportunity to put my teaching and training skills to use, but also the opportunity to develop these skills further. With over fifteen years in teaching coffee and sustainability science education to coworkers, students, and clients in diverse settings, training staff granted me new understanding as to what practical application means. Being fully immersed in the team and operations gave me the chance to see and hear what systems were functioning in theory versus in practice. Teachers and trainers can be incredibly effective bridge builders between knowledge and action gaps, but for knowledge to stick it has to be relevant.

Being a good knowledge to action bridge builder requires one to be in touch with what's relevant and to produce and share transparently, but it also requires the information to be credible. Over twenty years in cafes, roasteries, training labs, and consultancy projects has provided me the skills to evaluate coffee systems effectively. My graduate research experience in Sustainability Science at Lund University and Human Environment Geography at Florida State University refined my interest in sustainability, and honed my research on climate change and food system impacts, namely coffee production systems. These academic experiences balanced rigorous research and academic writing with institutional and public teaching opportunities.

As a consultant, educator and trainer, I’m excited to empower coffee entrepreneurs, strengthen community connections, and explore new ways to share knowledge. I am currently based out of the Buckman Coffee Factory, an independent shared-roasting facility located in Southeast Portland, Oregon. In my free time I enjoy seeing live music, singing karaoke and spending time with my spouse, Caryn, and cat, Edi.