Meet the Faculty Mentors
As part of the Environmental Fellowship, there are mentors who provide the institutional memory that aids the Environmental Fellows when navigating projects. Additionally, their expertise is essential to promoting communication, exploration and achievement towards semesterly goals within the program.
Dr. Cindy Bennington
Email: [email protected]
Duration: 2024-Present
Cindy Bennington is a plant ecologist who teaches ecological and botanical courses at Stetson. As a co-creator and co-manager of the Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem adjacent to the Gillespie Museum, she is an active proponent for the conservation of small urban habitat fragments and the use of native plants in all types of landscaping. As faculty advisor to the Environmental Fellows, she is committed to working with undergraduates to reduce our campus' ecological footprint while educating the Stetson community about the value of those efforts.
Kathryn Carpenter
Email: [email protected]
Duration: 2023-Present
Kathryn joined Stetson University in August 2024 as the campus-wide Sustainability and Resilience Coordinator following her year of service as the AmeriCorps lead for the Campus Climate Action Corps. With over 30 years of experience in project management across environmental consulting, water resource management, nursing, and public health, Kathryn brings a wealth of expertise to her role.
She is leading Stetson in achieving a Gold rating from the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) by 2030. Stetson previously earned a Silver rating and is now committed to enhancing sustainability across campus. Kathryn's background outside academia and her mentorship of students and staff will be instrumental in reaching the STARS Gold rating.
Brandon Evans
Email: [email protected]
Duration: 2024-Present
After graduating from Stetson, Brandon joined AmeriCorps to work on empowering local communities to be more economically and environmentally sustainable. His current role as Campus Climate Action Leader has him working very closely with Stetson’s sustainability projects, where he is developing strong relationships between the community and the university.
Brandon is passionate about natural area conservation, environmental education, and sustainability efforts on personal and systematic levels. After AmeriCorps, he is hoping to join a land management team to directly work with Florida’s diverse and biologically vital ecosystems.