Our Team
Director
Branda Nowell, Ph.D.
Office: Caldwell Hall 227
Branda_Nowell@ncsu.edu
I was raised in rural Idaho, where I developed a keen appreciation for the importance of sustainable living early on. Although it was decades before these technologies were readily available, I grew up in a house powered by wind and heated by solar. While serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Papua New Guinea in a rural community development program, I became fascinated with both formal and informal institutional systems for addressing complex problems. My graduate degrees are in organizational and community psychology, and my research program specializes in institutional design, networks, and network governance. In 2008, I co-founded the Firechasers research initiative, which works with federal, state, and local agencies on institutional elements of wildfire resilience and cross-boundary wildfire and natural resource governance. I also served as a faculty fellow for NC State’s Office of Research and Innovation and consulted with institutions of higher education on institutional designs to support cross-boundary and interdisciplinary education and research.
I joined the Environmental First Year program as its director in 2023. NC State is an incredible place to be a student if you are interested in issues of the environment and sustainability. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with our first-year students and build stronger pathways to connect them to the amazing network of environment- and sustainability-oriented opportunities across NC State University.
Associate Director
John Resnick-Kahle, M.A.Ed.
Office: Biltmore Hall 3005
jfresnic@ncsu.edu
Throughout my life, I have grown and lived in many different places. I spent my childhood and high school years in Jersey City, NJ, before moving to Florida to attend Stetson University. Coming to college was an overwhelming but exciting new challenge as a first-generation student. At Stetson, I majored in political science with a minor in communications, and I also became deeply engaged with the community in various ways. I enjoyed engaging in a college environment through orientation, student government, and other leadership opportunities. After graduation, I moved to Washington DC and earned my Master of Arts in Education and Human Development from The George Washington University. In 2018, I joined NC State, and my wife and I relocated to Raleigh. During my career, I have been grateful to be able to support so many students as they pursue their goals and earn their degrees. Beyond work, I love to read, run, and spend time with my friends and family. My wife and I love taking our son and dog to all the parks and trails here in Raleigh to explore!
Coordinator of Student Success Initiatives
Kaly Wall, M.S.
Office: Biltmore Hall 3004
kaly_wall@ncsu.edu
I grew up and spent my childhood in Lexington, North Carolina before arriving in Raleigh in 2011 to attend NC State, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in zoology. Following graduation, I served a 10-month term in AmeriCorps before returning to NC State to earn my Master of Science in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology. After graduate school, I taught high school-level earth and environmental science in the Wake County Public School System before returning to NC State to serve as an academic advisor. I have been serving in my current role since April 2020. I also recently began my Ph.D. in educational leadership, policy and human development. My favorite thing about my job is that I get to support students during their transition from high school to college. I am particularly passionate about supporting under-resourced students, as I was a low-income, first-generation college student myself. Outside of work, I enjoy baking, watching movies, reading (especially Harry Potter), traveling when I can, and spending time with my husband Blane and our cats, Enzo and Millie, and our dog Huck.
Lead instructor for ENV 101
Dawn Rodriguez-Ward, Ph.D.
Office Location: James B Hunt Jr Centennial Cam NA
dtward2@ncsu.edu
My journey began amidst the concrete jungle of New York City, where I discovered a passion for urban gardening and treasured any green space I encountered on the streets and local playgrounds as a kid. In high school, my interest in environmentalism and social activism blossomed during a transformative internship with the environmental nonprofit organization, Rainforest Alliance, and evolved into a five-year commitment with them throughout college. I graduated from NYU with a dual major in Anthropology and Environmental Science and after a few years working at the New York Botanical Garden, I returned to school to obtain a Master’s in Anthropology, and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Ecology. In graduate school my research focused on understanding why people chose to adopt sustainable natural resource management practices. Trying to answer that question, led me to conduct fieldwork with floodplain farmers in Peru, artisans in Chile, and foresters in Mexico.
Returning to the U.S., I landed at NC State, where I coordinated an agricultural biotechnology graduate traineeship program (AgBioFEWS) and taught Advanced Agroecology, World Forestry, and First Year Seminar in the Life Sciences. Joining the ENVFY program, my favorite part of my job is meeting and getting to know our ENV101 students, and training them with the tools they need to become critical thinkers and collaborative innovators who (I know) will solve the grand environmental challenges we face. Beyond academia, I enjoy cooking, gardening, and hiking with my family.
Instructional Designer, Experiential Learning Coordinator, and Program Director, EcoVillage
Haley Smith, Ph.D.
Office(s): Lee Hall 109 and Biltmore 3003
hesmith2@ncsu.edu
Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, I grew up surrounded by the beauty and biodiversity of the Blue Ridge Mountains. My early love for the natural world was fostered by summer camp experiences hiking and backpacking throughout the mountains of Western North Carolina and opportunities to conduct benthic macroinvertebrate samples, test water quality, and perform research on acid mine drainage in middle and high school. My interests led me to pursue a double major in Biology and Environmental Studies as an undergraduate at Washington and Lee University, located just up the Blue Ridge in southwest Virginia. While in college, I had the opportunity to participate in research on the soil microbial ecology of an invasive garlic mustard in Yellowstone National Park. I also studied abroad for a semester in Kenya and Tanzania at the School for Field Studies’ Center for Wildlife Management Studies, where I conducted collaborative research on water resources and public health. This experience opened my eyes to the complex relationships between humans and the environment, and set me on a path to becoming an environmental social scientist. After graduating, I spent two years serving as an Education and Outreach Associate with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy through the AmeriCorps Project Conserve Program, before relocating to Fort Collins, Colorado to pursue my Masters in Conservation Leadership from Colorado State University. In 2020, I returned to North Carolina, this time to Raleigh, to begin a PhD in Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State, with a focus on studying the educational and behavioral outcomes of participatory science experiences. I have been involved with the Environmental First Year Program since the Fall of 2022, first as a TA, then as an instructor. I became the Program Director of EcoVillage in Fall 2024, and continue to serve as an instructor for ENV101 and the Coordinator of Experiential Learning for the Environmental First Year Program.
ENV 101 Instructor (003)
Jill Furguson
Office: Biltmore 3003
jmfurgur@ncsu.edu
With roots in Nebraska, I possess a deep appreciation for wide open spaces and big skies. Coming from a land-locked state also left me with a sense of wonder for the ocean, which I first saw as a teenager. That experience led me to study marine biology at Eckerd College in Florida, where I studied biology, including genetics, marine ecology, and botany. During that time, I also worked with a local human rights organization advocating for seasonal farmworker rights. After graduation, I worked in prairie restoration and nature education before moving to North Carolina to pursue a master’s degree in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources (FER) at North Carolina State. I studied tropical ecology in Costa Rica with the Organization for Tropical Studies; collaborated with a Tribal community in Western North Carolina to conduct a biological inventory of bloodroot; and studied abroad in China. I later earned a second master’s in Geography at UNC, researching how infectious diseases move through the environment. After designing outdoor experiential educational curricula and teaching middle school science, I returned to NC State, where I am now completing a PhD as an environmental social scientist. My research focuses on inclusive, ethical approaches to co-producing knowledge with Indigenous communities to inform environmental governance. This is my second year with the Environmental First Year Program.
ENV 101 Instructor (007)
Emily Koester
Office: Clark Hall 209
ejkoeste@ncsu.edu
Emily is passionate about the connections between humans and the environment, a passion that has shaped both her academic and professional journey. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies, she spent a year in Germany as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant.
Her interest in how human experiences influence policy led her to AmeriCorps in 2020, where she worked on food insecurity initiatives at UNC Greensboro. This experience sparked a new direction for her career, and in 2023, Emily earned a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from North Carolina State University.Currently, she’s applying her expertise in her role as Program Coordinator for the University Honors Program, and as an instructor for ENV 101 Exploring the Environment!
Academic Advising Graduate Assistant and ENV 100 Instructor
Matthew Ricigliano
Office: Biltmore 3003
mdricigl@ncsu.edu
While I was born just outside of Pittsburgh, PA, I have called North Carolina home for most of my life. Growing up in Winston-Salem, I have a love and connection to the state of North Carolina. I studied history and Italian at UNC-Chapel Hill, and following graduation, I served a two-year term with Americorps as a College Advisor through the Carolina College Advising Corps in Stokes County, North Carolina. Through this role, I supported many low-income and first-generation aspiring college students, and I developed a passion for student access and success. After my Americorps term, I worked as an advisor with the First in the Forest program at Wake Forest University, where I helped Pell-Grant eligible and first-generation students navigate their first year of college. Currently, I am pursuing my Master of Education in Higher Education Administration through NC State’s College of Education. I am new to the Raleigh area, and I am looking forward to getting to support the Wolfpack community! Outside of work, I love to watch sports, travel, and spend time with my friends and family.
Logistics Coordinator for ENV 101
Nicole Rosales-Garcia
Office: Biltmore 3003
ngarcia5@ncsu.edu
Master’s student in Climate Change & Society (MEAS) with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences (FER) from NC State University. Research expands the climate change realm in urban forestry, harmful algal blooms and communication. Hobbies include pickleball, hiking, painting, reading, and listening to Taylor Swift.
Strategic Initiatives Graduate Assistant
Anna Woodroof
Office: Biltmore 3016
amwoodro@ncsu.edu
Raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, I developed an early appreciation for community and the environment. I earned my BA in Sustainability Studies from SUNY Stony Brook University and I worked at a water utility and later at a community development non-profit, where I focused on housing and storm recovery efforts. These experiences inspired me to further my education at Brandeis University, where I earned a Master’s in Sustainable International Development. I then spent eight years at Earthwatch Institute in Boston, MA designing and managing a variety of citizen science expeditions both locally and internationally. In 2024, I began my PhD at NC State in the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management department, where I study participatory and citizen science. I support the Environmental First Year Program through work on Strategic Initiatives and am excited to contribute to this dynamic and interdisciplinary team. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my spouse and daughter.
ENV 101 Instructor (002)
Jenna Wagner
Office: Biltmore 3003
jcpastel@ncsu.edu
I grew up outside Washington D.C. and always had a passion for nature and the outdoors. I got a double major in Biology and Environmental Studies and a minor in Mathematics at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. During my undergraduate studies, I interned at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, where I was exposed to conservation genomics, conservation ecology, One Health, and animal conservation. Once I graduated, I continued working at the Smithsonian as a Research Assistant at the Zoo’s Nutrition Laboratory. My research focus was primarily on exotic animal nutrition, and specifically exotic animal milks. I decided to continue my research here at North Carolina State University and I received my Masters in Animal Science and Nutrition. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Animal Science and Nutrition. I have joined the Environmental First Year Program team as an instructor for ENV101. I appreciate the program’s focus on cultivating students who will be able to approach problems with an interdisciplinary mindset.