In addition to being a professor here at Pace University and having published several books, Pace’s Professor Melanie Dupuis now adds “Board of Trustee Member” to her list of accomplishments.

Professor Dupuis joined Pace six years ago to start the Environmental Studies and Science Department. She initiated a program that teaches students to be effective actors in the face of climate change, which she considers to be one of her best roles here, and she is grateful to Pace for giving her the opportunity to do that. It is her enthusiasm for the school that lead her to run for a position on the Board of Trustees.

“I ran for this position because I have become a big fan of Pace, its students, staff, and faculty,” Dupuis said. “The university is in transition and I wanted to be part of the process that brings the university to its full potential.”

The Board of Trustees is Pace’s governing body. It exists to represent the university’s stakeholders, from students to employees to administration by approving policies, budgets, the university mission, and its strategic plan. As a member of the Board of Trustees, Professor Dupuis will represent the faculty and the Staff Committee.

Prior to her work here at Pace, Professor Dupuis earned her BA from Harvard and her Ph.D. from Cornell. She then taught environment, food and theory classes in Sociology at University of California at Santa Cruz. From there she became the Associate Director at UC Washington Center, helping to run their internship program.

Professor Dupuis has used her knowledge of environmental science to write books on food, agriculture, and sustainability. Some titles by her include Nature’s Perfect Food, a book about the history of milk, and Dangerous Digestion, which is about the politics of American dietary advice. She co-edited Food Across Borders, which discusses the social and geopolitical processes behind food in America. Her upcoming project focusses on the urban sustainability side of the politics of coastal resilience in Lower Manhattan. In Dupuis’s words, “New York is simply not ready for the next hurricane.”

It is no secret that Professor Dupuis has a great love of the great outdoors. She enjoys spending her time in the Adirondacks and hiking and paddling in the Hudson Valley. She’s a mother of two, and a fan of live music. The most recent show she attended was Bill Callahan at Webster Hall.

Professor Dupuis speaks highly of Pace and wishes the best for it in the future. She believes in its potential for future growth and seeks to use her new position to help it do so. “We are a smart and strong institution that needs more recognition,” she said. “I really think we can get there.”