Cassandra currently manages the geospatial program and analytical staff of the Chesapeake Conservancy’s Conservation Innovation Center, which uses technology to support the strategic planning efforts of the Conservancy and its partners. In her work, she focuses on the development and application of creative remote sensing, GIS, and statistics models and techniques. Her professional priorities include improving the coordination, efficiency, and efficacy of environmental initiatives; providing data and GIS resources for diverse stakeholders; and bridging gaps between academia and practitioners to speed application of scientific research.

The Nicholas School was Cassandra’s home from 2013 to 2015. For her Master’s Project, she researched the impacts of wildfire on plant communities in Linville Gorge Wilderness Area. Some of her extracurricular involvements were with the Nicholas School Naturalists, the Duke Interdisciplinary Social Innovators, and local environmental non-profits. She also was a teaching assistant for Introduction to GIS and Conservation GIS.

Cassandra’s favorite classes included Landscape Ecology and Analysis, Forest Measurements, and Statistics.

Before Duke, Cassandra spent several years cultivating stakeholder relationships in Virginia’s Rappahannock River watershed through environmental education, community engagement, and restoration activities. A native of Youngstown, OH, she began her career by promoting Great Lakes water quality improvement efforts, and earned her B.A. in Economics and Environmental Science from Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University.

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