University of Redlands
Ph.D. Natural Resource Studies, University of Arizona, 2018
M.S. Natural Resource Studies, University of Arizona, 2014
B.S. Biology, University of Puget Sound, 2006
Contact :
Media Relations
Lewis Hall
123
P: 909.748.8760
E:
valerie_rountree@redlands.edu
Raised in the from the Pacific Northwest, I’ve lived in the Southwest since 2010 – first in Arizona and now Southern California. Although I miss the rain terribly, I have grown to appreciate and love the desert – enough to call it home. I have long been interested in understanding complex human-environment relations and I’ve grown increasingly passionate about addressing climate change as demonstrated through my teaching, research, and socio-political activism.
My teaching and research broadly relate to environment-society relationships – that is, how our actions as individuals and societies impact the environment and how the environment impacts us in turn. More specifically, my work centers on issues related to climate change and energy, especially those dealing with climate change mitigation, policy- and decision-making, stakeholder participation, and renewable energy resources.
Most recently, I have worked with undergraduate environmental and policy students at Redlands on research projects related to: Just energy transitions; California renewable energy policy design and implementation; California’s new mandate for residential compost programs; and estimating the CO2 equivalent emissions from turfgrass maintenance in Southern California.
EVST 100: Introduction to Environmental Studies
EVST 210: Energy and the Environment
EVST 241: Environment and Society
EVST 413: Responses to Climate Change
EVST 475: Senior Capstone
My recent and current research projects have relied heavily on undergraduate student research assistants who have contributed to all steps of the research process, including: research design, literature reviews, data collection and analysis, and paper writing.
Rountree, V., Sheble, A., Waldo, A. & O'Neal, C. (2021). "An Estimate of CO2 Emissions from Turfgrass Maintenance in Redlands, CA." Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) Annual Conference, online. June 28-July 1, 2021. (Poster)
Rountree, V., Robinson, A., Olive-Larson, S. & Nishikawa, H. (2021). "Evaluating the implementation of SB 1383: California's Organic Waste Diversion Policy A research plan for assessing progress and barriers to compliance." Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) Annual Conference, online. June 28-July 1, 2021. (Poster)
Rountree, V., Roach, C., Christopher, V., Tarr, C., & Daniel, I. (2021). "Taking stock of Just” energy transitions: A critical review of empirical research and an agenda for evaluating the “justness” of California’s energy transition." Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) Annual Conference, online. June 28-July 1, 2021.
Assistant Professor, University of Redlands, 2018 – Present
Instructor of Record, University of Arizona, 2012-2018
Rountree, V., Baldwin, E., & Hanlon, J. (2021). A review of stakeholder participation studies in renewable electricity and water: does the resource context matter?. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 1-16.
Rountree, V. (2019). Nevada’s Experience with the Renewable Portfolio Standard. Energy Policy, 129, 279-291.
Rountree, V., & Baldwin, E. (2018). State-Level Renewable Energy Policy Implementation: How and Why Do Stakeholders Participate? Frontiers in Communication, 3, 6.
Baldwin, E., Rountree, V., & Jock, J. (2018). Distributed resources and distributed governance: Stakeholder participation in demand side management governance. Energy Research & Social Science, 39, 37-45.
Guido, Z., Finan, T., Rhiney, K., Madajewicz, M., Rountree, V., Johnson, E., McCook, G. (2017). The Stresses and Dynamics of Smallholder Coffee Systems in Jamaica's Blue Mountains: A Case for the Potential Role of Climate Services. Climatic Change, 1-14.
Gerlak, A. K., Guido, Z., Vaughan, C., Rountree, V., Greene, C., Liverman, D., ... & Jacobs, K. L. (2017). Building a framework for process-oriented evaluation of Regional Climate Outlook Forums. Weather, Climate, and Society
Guido, Z., Rountree, V., Greene, C., Gerlak, A. (2016). “Connecting Climate Information Producers and Users: Boundary Organizations, Knowledge Networks, and Information Brokers at Caribbean Climate Outlook Forums.” Weather, Climate and Society
Faculty Research Grant, University of Redlands, 2021
Hall Network Seed Grant, University of Redlands, 2019
Marshall Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, University of Arizona, 2018
Dissertation Improvement Grant, Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, 2016
Carson Scholarship, Institute of the Environment, University of Arizona, 2016
American Meteorological Society (AMS) Summer Policy Colloquium Fellowship, Funding provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF), 2015
Climate and Society Graduate Student Fellowship, Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS), University of Arizona, 2015
Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) (aessonline.org)
Secretary and Board Member, Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS), 2021-present
General Education Committee Member, University of Redlands, 2021-present
Public Policy Advisory Committee Member, University of Redlands, 2021-present
Membership and Outreach Committee Member, Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2019-present
Conference Program Chair, Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS), 2017-present
Reviewer for Climate and Development, Energy Research and Social Science, Energy Policy, and Energies, 2017-present
School of Continuing Studies Curriculum Committee Member, University of Redlands, 2019-2020
American Meteorological Society Board on Global Strategies Student Board Member (AMS BGS), 2014-2016
Chair, University of Arizona Green Fund Committee, 2014-2015
Chair, Natural Resources Graduate Student Organization Invited Speaker Committee, 2015
President’s Advisory Council on the Environment and Sustainability, 2014-2015
Vice Chair, University of Arizona Green Fund Committee, 2013-2014
