Director named for UF Office of Sustainability

February 2, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Dedee DeLongpré, the former executive director of Sustainable Alachua County, has been named the new director of the University of Florida’s Office of Sustainability, Ed Poppell, vice president for finance and administration, announced today.

“My goal is to create a vision for the entire university so everyone understands what we mean by sustainability,” said DeLongpré, who is the first person to hold the position.

DeLongpré has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and a master’s of business administration with an emphasis in sustainable management from the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco. She has experience in nonprofit management, primarily in the areas of education and the environment, and said she has a passion for people and their concern for the environment.

DeLongpré had been executive director of Sustainable Alachua County since June 2005. Previously, she developed curricula for graduate-level courses in sustainability while working as an associate for Natural Capitalism Inc. in Colorado. She was a program administrator for Fauna & Flora International and a development director for Presidio Hill School and Dunn School, both in California.

“For a university or institution like UF, all three spheres of sustainability must be held in dynamic equilibrium – environment, social and economic,” DeLongpré said.

One of her goals is to build on the office’s previous success to create programs that balance the environmental aspects of sustainability while remaining fiscally responsible.

“Anytime you are trying to get people to consider a new world view, it is a challenge because it’s not just a new program but a new way to think about the future.”

“UF is fortunate to attract someone like Dedee with the experience and vision to position UF as a global leader in sustainability,” Poppell said. “We are excited to have her at UF, and she will energize this campus to be a model for sustainability.”