The goal of the Community Team is to understand how Missouri communities have reacted to environmental catastrophes and how to achieve resilience under a changing climate characterized by increased periods of drought, flooding, and prolonged summer heat waves. The Community Team is addressing how resilient Missouri communities are to a changing climate. Their research is laying the groundwork for understanding the community-level effects of climate change by considering how diverse stakeholders make decisions in response to drought, storm events, and impacts on vegetation. Researchers are using historical and archival data to investigate resiliency in urban settings, among land owners/managers and vulnerable populations, and in state parks and historic sites to climate-related events and then will integrate these responses into a “resiliency framework” for Missouri.
Research Aims
- Aim 1: Find long-term patterns of response to environmental disruptions.
- Aim 2: Assess management goals and techniques to climate-related threats by landowners, land managers and vulnerable populations.
- Aim 3: Examine the effects of weather-related events and natural disasters linked to the response from Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites.
- Aim 4: Integrate responses to climate change within a regional resilience framework.
Community Team Lead
Dr. Charles Nilon
Dr. Charles Nilon is a Professor of Fisheries and Wildlife in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. He is an expert in urban wildlife ecology and conservation and the human dimensions in wildlife management. Dr. Nilon oversees the Community Team and collaborates with the Climate and Education Teams.
Climate Team Members
Andrew Hurley
Dr. Andrew Hurley is Professor of History at University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is a well-established historian with expertise in the environmental history of the St. Louis region. Dr. Hurley conducts and supervises research related to community responses to environmental shocks and disruptions in 19th and 20th century St. Louis and works with community partners to tailor research strategies to their particular environmental advocacy and planning goals.
Christine Li
Dr. Christine Li is Assistant Professor in the School of Natural Resources at MU. Dr. Li's research interests include conservation education/natural resources/environmental education, communication strategies, program development and evaluation, needs assessment, conservation psychology, conflict management, community empowerment, community forestry, civic ecology and capacity building in human dimensions of natural resource management. The goal of her research is to develop a fundamental understanding of how conservation education and pedagogy strategies influence natural resource learning outcome. The specific objectives of her research are to 1) design and evaluate the efficacy of environmental educational and outreach programs to key stakeholders, K-12, and public, 2) promote interdisciplinary research and community level collaboration in natural resource conservation, 3) investigate the individual attitudes, knowledge, perceptions, and behavior affect community resilience and other key stakeholder groups in natural resources management, 4) enhance educational and social science research methodologies and analysis, and 5) promote international collaboration in conservation education.
Mark Morgan
Dr. Mark Morgan is Associate Professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at MU. He is an expert in the social aspects of natural resource management, education and outreach. Dr. Morgan collaborates with Dr. Wilhelm-Stanis on surveying park managers and visitors to Missouri state parks about perceptions, concerns, and experiences related to climate change.
Robert Pierce
Dr. Bob Pierce is an Associate Extension Professor of Fisheries and Wildlife at MU. He is a member of the Community Engagement Team and works in collaboration with Drs. Nilon and Navarrete-Tindall (with Lincoln University) to develop methods for assessing the resiliency of landowners/managers and communities within the context of a changing climate, in urban and agricultural ecosystems.
Sonja Wilhelm Stanis
Dr. Sonja Wilhelm Stanis is Assistant Professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at MU. She is an expert in the human dimensions of natural resource management. She is co-lead with Dr. Morgan on the state parks project to assess resiliency by examining the relationship between park visitation and types of weather-related events and natural disasters. She manages the data collection instrument and protocols.
Staff, Postdocs, and Students
Adam Banning
Adam Banning is a Systems Administrator at MU supporting the Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES) IT infrastructure.
Yan Barnett
Yan Barnett is a Senior Spatial Analyst at the Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES) at MU and a lead developer for the Community Commons web-based application.
Zach Buckler
Zach Buckler is a Policy Analyst at the Institute of Public Policy. He works on the vulnerability and resilience piece of the Community Team research.
Chris Fulcher
Dr. Chris Fulcher directs the Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES) at the University of Missouri. Chris’ systems-based approach to decision making enables public and nonprofit sector organizations to effectively address social, economic and environmental issues using unique collaborative management systems such as Community Commons (www.communitycommons.org). Chris and his team integrate Geographic Information Systems, data visualization, community engagement tools and Internet accessibility to better serve vulnerable and underserved populations. These web-based technologies help organizations and policy makers make more informed decisions about access, equity, and allocation of resources. Chris received his B.S. in Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University in 1984 and his M.S. in Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M in 1985. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri in 1996. In 2005 he completed his National Library of Medicine Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Informatics.
Riham Ghawali
Riham Ghawali is a graduate student at Lincoln University and works with Jeff Hargrove.
Lisa Groshong
Lisa Groshong is a PhD candidate in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at MU. She is in the state parks resilience group with Drs. Morgan and Wilhelm Stanis.
Jeff Hargrove
Jeff Hargrove is the Extension Technician at Lincoln University working with Nadia Navarrete-Tindall on land management in rural communities in Scott County.
Wyatt Hunziker
Wyatt Hunziker is an undergraduate student at Lincoln University. He will be studying aquaculture and food production.
Emily Johnson
Emily Johnson is the Associate Director of the Institute of Public Policy, Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri. Ms. Johnson manages the Vulnerability and Resilience piece of the Community Team research. She has extensive experience working with state, local, and nonprofit agencies to conduct process, impact, and capacity evaluations, design and conduct surveys, conduct needs assessments, convene focus groups and community input forums, provide technical assistance, facilitate strategic planning sessions, and provide training.
Angela Johnson
Angela Johnson works as a geographic information systems (GIS) specialist at the Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES) at the University of Missouri. Angela started working with CARES in June of 2011 as a data technician and, through her work on various projects, quickly developed skills which helped advance her role at the Center. Her current activities include data analysis, preparation of data for GIS mapping applications, design and execution of map layers for web-based platforms, and user support. Angela received a B.A. in Anthropology from James Madison University in May 2007 and a Graduate Certificate in GIS from the University of Missouri in December 2013.
Shuron Jones
Shuron Jones is a Master's student at UMSL, working with Dr. Andrew Hurley on the Community Team.
Akriti Khadka
Andrew Mallinak
Drew Mallinak is a Master's student at MU working with Dr. Charlie Nilon and Dr. Bob Pierce.
Kathleen Miller
Kathy Miller is the Director of Academic Programs for the Truman School of Public Affairs, a role she assumed in May of 2016. She has been with the Truman School of Public Affairs since its inception in 2001. For 15 years, she served as the Program Director for the Rural Policy Research Institute, a research institute focused on the design and impact of public policy on rural people and places. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Penn State University. Her research interests are in the areas of rural economic development and rural poverty. In addition, she has instructed two courses in the Truman School’s MPA program: Research Methods and Inquire in Public Affairs; and Regional and Economic Development Policy.
Sebastian Moreno
Sebastian Moreno is a Master's student at MU working with Dr. Charlie Nilon and Dr. Bob Pierce.
Ojetunde Ojewola
Ojetunde Ojewola is a PhD candidate in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at MU. He is in the state parks resilience group with Drs. Morgan and Wilhelm Stanis.
Jeanie Phipps
Jeanie Phipps is Administrative/accounting support staff for Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES) at MU.
Emily Piontek
Emily Piontek is a graduate student with the Missouri State Parks project on the Community Team. Her advisor is Dr. Sonja Wilhelm Stanis.
Regan Russell
Emily Scheperle
Emily Scheperle is an undergraduate student at Lincoln University. She will evaluate Prenger Center participants between ages 12 and 17 on their pre- and post-curriculum knowledge of food production, impacts of changing climate, and preparedness.
Sara Thuston
