BELL: Rhode Island Faculty
Robin Rose, Senior Associate Dean of Continuing Education has served Brown University for over 30 years, as a therapist, as the chief student affairs officer and as the founder and director of the Leadership Institute and the Brown Environmental Leadership Labs. She also founded and directed the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) program, a nationally recognized outdoor leadership program. Dean Rose has a national reputation as expert on leadership development programs for youth and experiential education. She currently supervises all summer programs within Continuing Education. She is passionate about environmental issues, gardening, snorkeling and learning from and with young people.
Kisa Jo Takesue is the Director of Leadership Programs in Continuing Education at Brown University. Raised in Hawai'i and Massachusetts, she established her longtime connection to Brown in her undergraduate years, receiving an A.B in American Studies. She obtained her Master's in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin and worked in Texas as a community-based social worker, providing supportive services to teen parents, immigrant families, and medical patients. She returned to Brown in 1996 to serve as a dean in the Office of Student Life and, later, as the inaugural director of the Stephen Robert '62 Campus Center and the Student Activities Office. During her tenure at Brown, she has collaborated with students and colleagues to implement a wide range of educational programs focusing on leadership and diversity. For six years she taught the Women and Leadership course in the Brown Leadership Institute. Takesue has presented workshops at national conference on topics related to student development and support and has co-authored an article in the Journal of College Counseling and a book chapter about multicultural student services and academic affairs. A founding member of the Asian/Asian American Alumni Alliance of Brown University, Takesue is a volunteer with Youth in Action, a Providence non-profit organization where young people work for positive social change.
Lauren Watka is a recent Brown graduate, having received her Master's in Environmental Studies in May 2012. Lauren has a background in biology and has conducted research at Brown University, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Dartmouth College in subjects from micro- and molecular biology to ecology (her newest favorite). However, her experience working as a fisheries scientist on New Bedford commercial fishing boats was the best part of her scientific journey yet. Lauren currently works as an Educator for the New England Aquarium in Boston where she shares her love for ocean science and conservation on a daily basis.
Christina Catanese is a Physical Scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mid Atlantic Region. Her work in water protection focuses on communications, GIS mapping and tools, and data analysis and management related to permits, enforcement, drinking water, and other EPA programs. Christina holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Political Science, and an M.S. in Applied Geosciences with a Hydrogeology concentration from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research and experience has taken her to such diverse locales as Puerto Rico, Cameroon, Sweden, and Northeast Philadelphia on topics from tropical montane stream ecology, to drinking water supply in the developing world, to stormwater management and combined sewer overflows. A native Pittsburgher, she now lives in Philadelphia, where she also performs, choreographs, and teaches ballet, modern dance, and yoga. Christina’s path as an environmental scientist began as student at BELL in 2002 and she has served as staff in 2006 and 2012.
Simon Liebling has spent two summers on the BELL staff and a third working with the Leadership Institute's on-campus programs since first attending BELL as a high school student in 2005. Simon graduated from Brown University in 2012 with an AB in history, and is an experienced outdoor educator and guide. He has conducted original research in biochemistry and worked as a policy analyst for a renewable energy consulting firm. Simon is currently based in Brooklyn, NY, where he works as an academic tutor.
Kurt Teichert is a Lecturer in Environmental Studies and Manager of Environmental Stewardship Initiatives at Brown University. He teaches courses and advises students on Sustainable Design and Environmental Stewardship. In 1990, Brown established an environmental education and advocacy initiative that links student research and education efforts with university operations to implement programs that reduce the negative environmental impacts. Kurt came to Brown in 1992 to support that initiative. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and has been involved in research, design and construction of high performance educational facilities for 20 years. Teichert serves as a Stakeholder in the Rhode Island Greenhouse Gas Initiative to develop and implement a state climate action plan. Prior to coming to Brown, Kurt served as Research Associate and Facilities Manager at New Alchemy Institute. He holds an M.Sc. in Resource Economics from Oregon State University and a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College.