WFU hires first director of sustainability

Wake Forest University has hired Dedee DeLongpré Johnston as director of sustainability, a newly created position.

DeLongpré Johnston’s primary responsibility will be working with student, faculty and staff groups to develop strategic initiatives for integrating sustainability into university programs, from teaching and research to public service and campus operations. As a member of the campus administration, she will also work with local and regional community representatives to develop synergies between Wake Forest’s sustainability programs and those larger communities.

“We are very excited to welcome Dedee as our first director of sustainability,” said Jim Alty, associate vice president for Facilities and Campus Services. “She brings a wealth of experience in sustainability as well as in working with community organizations to plan and promote sustainability initiatives. Under her guidance, we look forward to exploring many opportunities to transition Wake Forest into a more aware and responsible institution regarding environmental, economic and social issues.”

DeLongpré Johnston comes to Wake Forest from the University of Florida, where she directed its Office of Sustainability. She has 15 years of experience in nonprofit management, primarily in the areas of education and the environment, and has served on the boards of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education as well as the Council for Sustainable Florida. Florida Trend magazine profiled her as one of 10 “Innovators of the Year” in 2007, and she was featured in a cover story in the October 2008 issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record.

DeLongpré Johnston holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurial studies from the University of Southern California and an MBA with an emphasis in sustainable management from the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco.