Alumni Council

The Alumni Council is comprised of Nicholas School of the Environment Alums who are elected by the school to serve on a Board for a period of three years each. The Council is responsible for fostering better relationships between alumni, alumni and the school, and between alumni and the student body. Their mandate is ultimately to serve the school on a range of issues as set forth by the Dean of the Nicholas School. The Council convenes once a semester on Duke’s campus to engage with students and to discuss initiatives and also participates in frequent communications with school administration throughout the year.

Benefits & Expectations

Potential Benefits

Connect with the school from a strategic position
Influence the direction of how the school engages with alumni
Learn more about the school and broaden your perspectives on current issues/ topics
Improve alumni relations for the school and university by sharing your individual knowledge and skills
Receive exposure to other disciplines and professions which you may not encounter in your “day job”
Strengthen your reputation and build your personal brand
Enrich your career and/or professional development
Have access to new networks that may not have been previously available or considered
Get advanced invitations to university and school-related events and programs
Have fun!

Time Commitments

Attend on-campus business meetings twice a year — one in the fall and one in the spring. Meetings typically begin with dinner on Thursday evening, followed by our business meeting on Friday morning through late afternoon. Due to special on-campus events, meetings can be scheduled during the week or at a different time than usual, if deemed appropriate.
Attend virtual business meetings held approximately three to four times annually
Actively engage as alumni leaders 3-5 hours monthly

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

“Lead by example” in supporting the school as volunteers and donors
Serve as an ambassador by pro-actively staying apprised of activities, plans, and needs of the school; share pertinent information with your Nicholas School networks.
Participate effectively in a collaborative group process, provide feedback in a respectful manner, and be open to a variety of recommendations
Respond to requests via email and phone for feedback or assistance

Interested in joining the Alumni Council? Contact Director of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, Christy Thompson.

	Wynona Curaming MEM’25 Wynona is a rising second-year Master of Environmental Management candidate, focusing on energy and EAM (environmental analytics and modeling). She has served as a class assistant for a climate class and as a food-climate research assistant for the Duke World Food Policy Center. Prior to graduate school, she earned a dual degree in environmental science and public policy from Duke and Duke Kunshan University (DKU). At DKU, she co-led the publication of the university's first sustainability report and worked on multiple client projects, honing skills in project management, program evaluation and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This summer, she will do an energy analytics internship at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Her career aspiration is leveraging education and applied research to progress toward organizational climate and environmental sustainability goals, preferably in food systems.
	Rochelle Martin MEM’25 Rochelle Martin is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Environmental Management with concentrations in Business and Energy. With over ten years of corporate experience in facilities services and procurement, Rochelle brings a practical understanding of business and sustainability to her studies at Duke. She's also a former AmeriCorps volunteer, spending the year before coming to North Carolina volunteering to expand recycling in rural Montana. Rochelle holds undergraduate and master's degrees in music for vocal performance from the University of Washington and the University of Southern California, and has sung classical music professionally in cities across the western United States.
	Brooke Rose MEM’25 Brooke Rose (she/her) is an MEM with concentrations in Community Engagement and Environmental Justice and Terrestrial and Freshwater Environments and is pursuing a certificate in International Development Policy from the Sanford School of Public Policy. She graduated from Santa Clara University with degrees in environmental studies and sociology with a minor in Spanish. Before arriving to Duke, she completed a year of service with AmeriCorps/JVCNW in Anchorage, Alaska developing food sovereignty programs at the state's largest food pantry. She is originally from Northern California and is passionate about the intersection between community and climate resilience.
	Britteny Schalk DEL-MEM’25 Senior Packaging Engineer at DuPont de Nemours Britteny is ambitious and holds much confidence in the potential of the future. As a young child growing up in Western Michigan, she has always held an intense interest in understanding the world around her and finding her role in it. This passion has taken her on a journey to live more responsibly, appreciate the environment and acknowledge the cultural communities that shape our planet. Britteny holds a bachelor of science degree from Michigan State University in packaging engineering and has spent the past 10 years developing packaging for some of the world's most innovative medical device companies. The interactions from her professional experience have highlighted the increasing importance corporations are delegating to sustainable practices and have led her to a more recent opportunity with DuPont de Nemours in developing a packaging department focused on engineering excellence and sustainable practice. She is currently residing in Minneapolis with her partner Patrick and dog Maple and truly tries to enjoy every minute of the warm summers and finds much solace in the frigid winters. During her studies at Duke, she hopes to advance ideas around creating a circular packaging economy, understanding and developing possible synthesis for bioplastics and enhancing the accessibility to global educational programs in sustainable living – ultimately fostering collaboration, curiosity, compassion and, above all, hope.
	Prithveeraj Wavre MEM’25 Prithveeraj is a second-year student pursuing a Master of Environmental Management (MEM) at the Nicholas School of the Environment. He graduated with a bachelor's in chemical engineering from the University of Mumbai in India. He is passionate about decarbonization and meeting climate goals through commercializing clean technologies and scaling up renewable energy. Before coming to Duke, Prithveeraj worked as an associate consultant at KPMG India's ESG practice, where he worked on ESG reporting frameworks, ESG performance improvement strategies, GHG accounting, SDG alignment, and ESG due diligence for large global clients. He is a co-president of the Nicholas School Energy Club for the school year 2024–25 to grow and nurture the energy community on campus. Following his passion for renewable energy and clean technologies, he worked on developing a techno-economic assessment model and pathways to increase revenue generation streams for green hydrogen at AES as a 2024 summer associate. Prithveeraj is proud to be at Duke and hopes to continue to contribute to Duke in the future.

Alumni Council

Benefits & Expectations

Potential Benefits

Time Commitments

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

Alumni Council Fellows

Eligibility & Selection Process

Eligibility

Selection Process

Current Alumni Council Fellows

Wynona Curaming MEM’25

Rochelle Martin MEM’25

Brooke Rose MEM’25

Britteny Schalk DEL-MEM’25

Prithveeraj Wavre MEM’25

Former Alumni Council Fellows

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

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2003

2002

2001

2000

Giving Back, Leading the Way