Bio

Lou Dempsey spent over three decades working in finance and asset management as well as in alternative energy financing and project development within the commercial and industrial sector. Lou spent the first two decades of his career in finance primarily working with large for-profit and non-profit institutions managing and analyzing their assets to ensure optimal returns on their capital.

In 2010, Lou pursued his passion and began the master’s program at DU’s University College in Environmental and Policy Management. His capstone thesis, Endowment Funding for Campus-Related Energy Efficiency Projects: A Symbiotic Investment, led him to work with the Connecticut Green Bank to help advance clean energy programs and policies directed towards Connecticut’s commercial and industrial sector. Lou also worked with a large multinational conglomerate to design strategies to help reduce emissions for all of their affiliated companies.

Education

Lou earned his Master of Applied Science in Environmental and Policy Management from University of Denver in 2012 and he has a B.A. in American Studies from Providence College.

Professional Background

Lou spent the first two decades of his career working at various financial & asset management organizations such as US Trust, Bank Julius Baer, Bear Stearns and Commonfund. After earning his master’s in 2012, he started a consulting company called Sustainable Energy Resource Partners (SERP). SERP was selected by the Connecticut Green Bank to assist them in increasing adoption of clean energy technologies among property owners. Most recently, Lou worked for global Japanese trading company Marubeni, identifying and implementing sustainable energy strategies for their subsidiaries.

Motivation for Teaching

Lou is passionate about the environment and issues related to climate change. His desire is to educate and encourage this next generation of students interested in a career in environmental policy and management by assisting them in understanding the broad spectrum of opportunities and challenges related to the field of sustainable energy. Specifically, Lou wants to help students understand the dynamic world of alternative energy technologies and their applications by providing real-world experience and examples to his students.

Bio

Aaron currently serves as a Senior Project Manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Denver Regulatory Office, where he oversees the stream and wetland mitigation program. He is Chair of the Colorado Interagency Review Team (IRT) and manages the development of mitigation banks and in-lieu fee programs used to provide mitigation off-sets for stream and wetland impacts. He also manages a wide range of Clean Water Act Section 404 permits throughout the Denver metro area and the Front Range. Previously, he served as a biologist for the Colorado Department of Transportation and before that as a biologist and environmental inspector for multiple environmental consulting firms, specializing primarily in linear utility projects.

Education

Aaron earned a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation and Biology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an M.S. in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver.

Professional Background

Aaron spearheaded the development of a stream assessment method now used statewide in Colorado, as well as the development of the Colorado Mitigation Procedures (COMP)to establish the standard for debiting and crediting of streams and wetlands in Colorado. For his efforts, he has earned numerous commendations from the Albuquerque and Omaha Districts of the Corps, and a Silver Medal for Superior Service from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Motivation for Teaching

Aaron has a passion for sharing work experiences and seeks to develop the next generation of successful environmental professionals. His time in the government and private sectors has led to hard-won lessons in project permitting and planning which he hopes to pass to upcoming biologists and project managers.

Helping Students Be Successful

Aaron teaches his students based on real-life examples and hands-on exercises. He is emphatic about professional quality writing and assignment submittals. He is readily available via email to answer questions, provide guidance and offer insights from the environmental project management world.

Bio

Jennifer Golightly has taught research, argumentation, writing, rhetoric, history and literature for the past 24 years. She is the author of a book, “The Family, Marriage, And Radicalism In British Women’s Novels Of The 1790s: Public Affection And Private Affliction,” published in 2011 with Bucknell University Press and chapters in two edited collections, “Reproduction in the Novels of the 1790s,” which appeared in The Secrets of Generation: Reproduction in the Long Eighteenth Century (U of Toronto P, 2015), and “Gender Performance and the Spectacle of Female Suffering in Samuel Jackson Pratt’s Emma Corbett,” published in Female Transatlantic Travelers 1688-1843 (Bucknell P, 2021).

Jennifer supports digital humanities research and online teaching and learning and teaches courses on material and cultural eighteenth-century history as lecturer at Colorado College. She has taught writing, research, and literature courses at the College of Professional Studies since 2007.

Education

Jennifer earned a Ph.D. from the University of Denver in English Literature with a subspecialty in composition and rhetoric and an M.A. from the University of Denver in English Literature.

Bio

John Hill has over three decades of experience as an environmental and security executive and expert on large transportation, infrastructure, industrial and environmental projects in the United States, Asia and Europe. He also worked in venture capital centered on energy and environmental investments in the EU, UK and Scandinavia.

Education

John earned a bachelor’s and master’s in physics and a doctorate in environmental science and engineering, all from the University of California.

Professional Background

John’s professional experience includes: working as a California Legislature staff member working on the state’s environmental and energy policies; working for a Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality; performing environmental and safety risk analyses related to expanding oil and gas exploration and production operations in the North Sea; directing environmental operations for a manufacturer of specialty chemicals and propulsion systems; directing investments for a European venture capital and development firm (focused on energy and environmental investments).

Motivation for Teaching

John seeks to assist students in learning and applying multiple effective techniques for seamlessly integrating course materials into their current or aspirational professional contexts and thereby elevating their careers and career trajectories.

Helping Students Be Successful

John’s teaching emphasizes essential transferable professional skills, attitudes and knowledge such as working in groups and teams, critical thinking and persuading through writing, conversations and presentations. He highly values reflection to advance learning and retention.

Bio

Fenton R. Kay, Ph.D. is a now-retired biologist with 50+ years of experience in the field and lab. Fenton spent the largest part of his career doing NEPA studies and reports. As a result of his experience, Fenton has in-depth understanding of the issues surrounding wildlife, especially endangered species, management and protection. He also has a substantial understanding of the process and requirements for sensitive species surveys and analysis, and report generation for NEPA actions. The wide range of places he has worked as well as his deep interests in natural history provide hm with a wide-ranging understanding and knowledge of environmental management in a variety of places, habitats, and situations.

Education

Fenton earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of Nevada, an M.S. in Zoology from the University of Nevada and a Ph.D. from New Mexico State University .

Professional Background

Following his post-doc, Fenton taught for California State University as an Assistant Professor, followed by working for a company doing the environmental impact statement for the MX Missile Project. That job had him doing field surveys throughout the western U.S. He was the lead person for NEPA actions for the Nevada Department of Wildlife for six years and headed the Endangered Species database group for the Arizona Dept. of Game and Fish for two years. He worked as an independent biological consultant, specializing in NEPA, and worked for several companies as a NEPA specialist over the years.

Motivation for Teaching

Fenton was drawn to teaching while an undergrad. He has taught at Community Colleges, Universities, and For-Profit schools in California, Nevada, and New Mexico; both face-to-face and online. Online is his favorite teaching modality because it allows both the teacher and the students the opportunity to think about and respond to the issues/facts being presented. Fenton uses what he calls a modified Socratic Questioning teaching method in his online classes. He presents material, asks formal questions about the content, then follows up with each student by posing questions and thoughts that are aimed at pushing the student’s thinking beyond the immediate issue.

Helping Students Be Successful

In today’s world, the processes of managing the environment continue to become increasingly complicated. Lock-step thinking, following old patterns is not the answer. Fenton attempts, by his questioning, to push the students to the limits of what we know and understand about environmental management. There are no clear-cut answers in the profession, and Fenton’s approach to presenting the material is an attempt to help student’s make the intellectual and management moves necessary for their success as working professionals.

Organizational Leadership

Rolfe Larson’s leadership experience includes 30 years as a manager and consultant for entrepreneurial organizations in the private and nonprofit sectors. His experience includes multi-year engagements with Minnesota Public Radio, The Nature Conservancy, Public Media Company, the Denver Children’s Museum, Naropa University, the University of St. Thomas, and the University of Denver. His award-winning book on business planning, finance, and social enterprise, Venture Forth! — endorsed by the late Paul Newman of Newman’s Own — has been used in numerous college courses.

Consulting Experience

Rolfe’s consulting experience includes leading strategic and business planning projects and training for dozens of social enterprises, nonprofits, and government agencies throughout the US and also in Canada. His professional work involves providing both strategic and financial perspectives to organizations, primarily focusing on growth, entrepreneurship, diversification, and sustainability.

Education

Rolfe earned a B.A. in Linguistics and Psychology from Swarthmore College, an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and an M.A. from the Yale School of the Environment. He also earned a Certificate in Authentic Leadership from Naropa University.

Personal Perspective

Rolfe’s personal involvement in civic engagement includes numerous activities and campaigns that began as an activist teenager many decades ago. Areas of focus have included the environment, anti-war, anti-racism, and voting rights. As an educator, Rolfe is passionate about learning experiences that connect people and ideas in ways that help all of us learn to live and work better together.

Bio

Christopher Laughman is a senior leader in energy and sustainability strategy with over 20 years of experience advancing performance across real estate portfolios. His work bridges environmental policy, building operations, and human behavior—helping large organizations reduce the impact of carbon emissions through practical, scalable solutions.

Education

Chris earned his B.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Missouri. He holds an MBA in Business Sustainability from Marylhurst University and an M.A. in Management and Leadership from Webster University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Business Administration at the University of Denver, where his research focuses on the intersection of real estate, psychology, and marketing in multifamily housing.

Professional Background

Chris is the Senior Director of Energy and Sustainability at Greystar, where he leads U.S.-based initiatives to meet regulatory requirements, reduce energy use and carbon impact, and support ESG goals across the most extensive multi-family real estate portfolio in the world. His team supports data analysis, opportunity identification, compliance strategies, and resident engagement programs that drive measurable environmental outcomes. Before joining Greystar, Chris led the development of sustainability programs for several organizations, including Greybar, EdR, and Conservice. He also managed facility operations in both the private and public sectors, gaining firsthand experience in the operational realities that shape energy performance. Chris holds several industry credentials, including LEED AP in Operations & Maintenance and Fitwel Ambassador.

Motivation for Teaching

Chris is passionate about equipping students with tools that go beyond compliance and technology, focusing instead on how people and behavior shape environmental outcomes. His work with community-based social marketing has reinforced the importance of behavioral insights in driving meaningful and lasting change. Teaching allows him to share these approaches and help students build a more holistic view of sustainability.

Helping Students Be Successful

Chris brings real-world experience into the classroom through current case studies, regulatory scenarios, and hands-on tools from his work in energy and sustainability. He encourages dialogue, critical thinking, and practical application, and is always available for guidance, mentoring, and support as students pursue careers in sustainability.

Bio

Rich Lesser carries more than 40 years of industry experience in multiple environmental sub-disciplines. Currently, he combines experience in unknown material characterizations and site characterizations under multiple regulatory umbrellas, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know reporting at both the federal and state levels. He has integrated several of these laws at radiologically impacted sites. Rich has provided expert witness support, inputted on regulatory rulemakings and negotiated unique and precedent-setting environmental cleanup plans in several states. He brings credibility and expertise to questions of environmental law and regulation and environmental project management.

Education

Rich earned an MBA from the University of Denver.

Bio

Nanette recently retired from Trane Technologies, where she oversaw climate policy and advocacy on a global basis. She led the company’s United Nations advocacy engagement at various climate weeks as well as at the Montreal Protocol and Paris Agreement annual meetings where she was highlighted as a feature speaker in various business and NGO venues. She also led the company’s engagement with U.S. federal and state government regulators on climate and energy policies.

Motivation for Teaching

Nanette has a passion for improving the environment and seeks to develop the next generation of successful environmental policy professionals. Her time in large corporations has led to hard-won lessons in effective advocacy which she hopes to pass to upcoming students.

Helping Students Be Successful

Nanette teaches her students about the latest policy changes with real-life examples and hands-on exercises. She is readily available via email and virtual office hours to answer questions, provide guidance, and offer insights from the environmental policy world.

Bio

Mia Marzullo is a risk and resiliency practitioner and is certified as a Master Business Continuity Planner (MBCP) specializing in technical business recovery, life safety and business continuity management leadership. Her 20+ years of expertise include enterprise risk and resiliency business continuity / disaster recovery program development and steady-state management. Mia has worked in various private sector industries including real estate technology, technical consulting, media and broadcasting and most recently in large financial and insurance institutions.

Education

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Texas’ Emergency Administration and Disaster Planning program and graduated from Boston University with an MS in Business Continuity, Security and Risk Management. She is a Fellow Honors graduate of the Emergency Management Academy as well as a member of the Order of the Sword and Shield Honor Society.

Teaching Philosophy

Her passions include teaching Environmental Studies at DU, coaching home-based and entrepreneurial professionals, supporting endeavors to aid deployed troops around the world, and furthering the advancement of professionals and adult students, like her, who live with high-functioning Asperger’s. She accomplishes this by tuning in to each student’s superpower and encouraging them to use it as out-of-the-box thinking in their studies and career pursuits.