NOBULL: Merrigan named to sustainability Post at George Washington University

Former USDA official named to sustainability post

By Rita Jane Gabbett on 2/14/2014

The George Washington University has named Kathleen A. Merrigan, the former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the university’s first executive director of the Sustainability Institute.

During her four-year tenure at the USDA, Merrigan oversaw the daily operations of agency, leading the USDA’s budget process, establishing the agency’s priorities and monitoring progress, and driving its rulemaking process.

Before joining the USDA, Dr. Merrigan served for nearly a decade as a faculty member and director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program at Tufts University.

At GW, Dr. Merrigan will oversee university-wide sustainability efforts with the goal of building premier programs focused on sustainable systems. She will work closely with GW’s Office of Sustainability to integrate academics with GW’s successful sustainability outreach and practice initiatives, including its Ecosystems Enhancement Strategy, Climate Action Plan and GWater Plan.