Athens, Ga. – James E. Kundell, director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s Environmental Policy Program and professor in the Institute of Ecology at the University of Georgia, has been appointed to the Chief of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Only three new members were tapped for the national board, which currently totals six. Members, who are selected for their expert knowledge and experience in environmental matters, provide Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, Chief of Engineers, with independent advice and recommendations relating to environmental issues facing the Corps. They meet approximately four times a year for a combination of work sessions, site visits and public meetings.
Kundell is recognized nationally for his research and technical assistance related to environmental policy, particularly in the areas of water policy and management and land-use planning. He has conducted studies related to water allocation, regional water management, source water protection and impacts of urban sprawl. He chaired the 50-member Water Plan Advisory Committee created by the Georgia General Assembly and was the principal author of Gov. Perdue’s Georgia Land Conservation Partnership Plan and the Georgia Solid Waste Management Plan. He served on the technical advisory committee of the Upper Floridian Aquifer Sound Science Initiative and was appointed by Gov. Barnes to his special advisory committee on the ACT/ACF Water Compacts.
Kundell now serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Joseph Jones Ecological Research Center and the Robert Woodruff Foundation. In his joint appointment with the Institute of Ecology, Kundell teaches a graduate course in environmental policy and management and serves as an adviser to masters and doctoral students.
“Water challenges exist across the country, and the Corps of Engineers is a critical player in addressing many of them,” Kundell said. “I look forward to serving on the board and assisting the Corps in addressing these water challenges in an environmentally sustainable fashion.”
The other two new board members are Richard Ambrose, director of the Environmental Science and Engineering Program at the University of California, Los Angeles; and Christopher Goddard, executive secretary and CEO of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Reappointed to the board are George Crozier, director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab; Courtney Hackney, professor of biological sciences at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington; and. Stephen Farber, director of the Environmental Management and Policy Program at the University of Pittsburgh.