Faculty Leadership | Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability

Cornell Atkinson’s Faculty Leadership

Cornell Atkinson benefits from the scholarship and experience of faculty from across the university. Their roles at Cornell Atkinson are described within the following categories: Director, Faculty Directors, Cornell Atkinson Scholars, Senior Faculty Fellows, and Past Directors.

Interim Director

Miguel Gómez will serve as Interim Director of the center through August 31, until Emily Bernhardt joins Cornell Atkinson as the Francis J. DiSalvo Director on September 1, 2026. The Francis J. DiSalvo Director is the chief executive of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. Their leadership is complemented by Cornell Atkinson's Faculty Directors, Staff Directors, and Senior Faculty Fellows.

Miguel Gomez — **Miguel Gómez**
Interim Director & David Drinkwater ’94 Faculty Director

Faculty Directors

On behalf of Cornell Atkinson, Faculty Directors serve as intellectual leaders, connectors, and communication facilitators within their area of domain expertise. Serving three-year terms, Faculty Directors act as ambassadors for Cornell Atkinson within and outside Cornell, and play a central administrative role in the Center’s Executive Committee.

**Vibha Kalra**
Kathy Dwyer Marble and Curt Marble Faculty Director

Cornell Atkinson Scholars

These distinguished faculty are hired through the Provost’s Radical Collaboration Initiative. They collaborate with businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, NGOs and others to set a research agenda that can forge long-term, long-range solutions to the world’s most urgent sustainability challenges.

**Billie Faircloth**
Cornell Atkinson Scholar and Senior Faculty Fellow

**Mario Herrero**
Cornell Atkinson Scholar and Senior Faculty Fellow

Catherine Kling - Faculty Director — **Catherine Kling**
Cornell Atkinson Scholar, and Senior Faculty Fellow

**Sheila Olmstead**
Cornell Atkinson Scholar and Senior Faculty Fellow

**Raina Plowright**
Cornell Atkinson Scholar and Senior Faculty Fellow

Senior Faculty Fellows

Senior Faculty Fellows are recognized for their high-level scholarship and effective external engagement on topics related to Cornell Atkinson’s sustainability mission. They provide guidance on external collaborations and programming, thought leadership, and strategic input on our external agenda. This is a 2-year renewable appointment with Cornell Atkinson.

**Lindsay Anderson**
Senior Faculty Fellow

Chris Barrett — **Christopher B. Barrett**
Senior Faculty Fellow

Buz Barstow — **Buz M. Barstow**
Senior Faculty Fellow

Rebecca Brenner — **Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner**
Senior Faculty Fellowhing Professor

**Christine Goodale**
Senior Faculty Fellow

**Tobias Hanrath**
Senior Faculty Fellow

**Meredith Holgerson**
Senior Faculty Fellow

**Natalie Mahowald**
Senior Faculty Fellow

**Phillip Milner**
Senior Faculty Fellow

Daryl Nydam - Faculty Director — **Daryl Nydam**
Senior Faculty Fellow

Steve Osofsky — **Steven Osofsky**
Senior Faculty Fellow

Gary Tabor — **Gary M. Tabor**
Senior Faculty Fellow

**John Tobin-de la Puente**
Senior Faculty Fellow

Past Directors

Cornell Atkinson has been guided by leaders who expanded its research reach, strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration, and advanced its mission to address complex sustainability challenges. We are grateful for the lasting contributions they made to Cornell Atkinson and the sustainability research across Cornell.