People

Anita Milman is a professor in the Department of Environmental Conservation (ECo) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Milman’s research examines on the multi-level governance of water resources, with a focus on human responses to hydro-climatic and other sources of environmental change. She earned a Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley and an M.Eng from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University. Prior to joining ECo, Milman was a Senior Research Associate with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the School of International Development at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom. Milman served on the editorial board of the journal Environmental Research Letters, as a member of the NAS Study Board for the NYC Watershed, and Chair of the International Water Resources Association’s Groundwater Task Force.

Tamee Albrecht is a post doctoral researcher in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research focuses on environmental governance, climate change adaptation in water systems, and interactions among water, energy, and food resources. Albrecht earned a Ph.D. in Geography from the School of Geography, Development & Environment at the University of Arizona, an M.S. in Hydrology from the Colorado School of Mines and a B.S. in Geology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has conducted research in the Middle East, South Asia, and the Americas. Prior to earning her Ph.D., Albrecht worked as both a hydrologist and GIS specialist with private-sector companies and international NGOs.

Dr. Emily Kumpel is an associate professor in the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering (EWRE) group in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has an M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Kumpel has over a decade of experience conducting research on topics including intermittent water supply, water quality in distribution systems, water access and equity, water quality monitoring, and the use of information and communication technologies in water delivery systems. Prior to joining the faculty at UMass, Dr. Kumpel was a Senior Research Scientist with the Aquaya Institute, where she was based in Nairobi, Kenya, for three years. She has conducted extensive field research in India, Kenya, Senegal, and Nigeria, and collaborated on research projects in more than a dozen other countries throughout Africa and Asia.

Dr. Brown is a professor in the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering (EWRE) group of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Adjunct Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University. His primary research interest is the development of analytical methods for improving the use of scientific observations and data in decision making, with a focus on climate and water resources, and he has worked extensively on projects around the world in this regard. His is funded by NSF, Rockefeller Foundation, NOAA, DoD, WRF among others. He consults for the World Bank, private sector, state agencies and municipalities and serves on the National Academies’ Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress, and the Steering Committees of the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation, World Wildlife Fund Basin Report, and City Water Resilience Framework. He has a number of awards to his credit, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering, the National Science Foundation CAREER award, the Huber Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Climate Science Award from the California Department of Water Resources.

Alexandra (Ola) Smialek is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research interests relate to the cultural economy – particularly the authentic integration of local cultural assets within economic development strategies as a tool for preservation, social connection, and economic growth. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Regional Planning from Westfield State University and a Master of Regional Planning at UMass, Amherst where she completed theses on understanding access to public transportation for working class women in Springfield, MA and studying the cultural representation of the Polish immigrant community in Westfield, MA. While she conducts her doctorate research, Smialek also works in hazard mitigation planning as a Planning Assistant for Jamie Caplan Consulting, LLC. Outside of research and consulting, Smialek teaches classes in the Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Department and for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at UMass, Amherst and was appointed to the City of Westfield Master Plan Committee.

Olivia Ashjian James is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research interests include the use of novel community engagement practices to identify hidden community concerns and participatory governance strategies. She has presented her research at the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture conference and will present at the upcoming Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning conference in November 2022. Olivia holds an MLA and MRP from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an M.S. in Professional Communications from Clark University. Her master’s degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst received a UMass Faculty Award.

Alice Lubeck is a PhD student in the Environmental Conservation Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Alice’s research focuses on state level policies to facilitate collaboration between small drinking water systems. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Oberlin College, and a Master’s in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana. Alice has worked as an evaluation consultant on education, public health, and housing studies. Most recently, she worked with the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center to help Northeast state agencies incorporate climate adapted management into their 2025 State Wildlife Action Plans.

Kimberly (Kim) Cruz is a junior undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a member of the Commonwealth Honors College. She is undertaking a double major in Environmental Science and Psychology. Her research interests include environmental policy, environmental justice, and conservation biology. Cruz has worked on literature reviews compiling data on biological responses to climate change to support the 2025 revisions to the Wildlife Action Plan of Massachusetts. Cruz currently works on projects seeking to support small community water systems across the U.S.