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Ashley Jankowski

Greater NYC/Ann Arbor | ashjank@umich.edu | LinkedIn 

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Education        

  

Master of Environment & Sustainability | Class of 2024 | University of Michigan

  • Concentration: Environmental Justice

  • Certificates: Rackham Professional Development DEI Certificate; Graduate Teaching Certificate (pending Spring 2023)

  • Extracurricular: SEAS Student Career Advisory Board; Tishman Center for Social Justice, Launch Committee

Master of Urban & Regional Planning | Class of 2024 | University of Michigan

  • Concentration: Social Justice and Urban Development

  • Research: Digital Cities + Connected Citizens: Interdisciplinary ArtsEngine team studying urban surveillance

  • Extracurricular: Editor, AGORA Journal of Urban Planning

B.A. Journalism, B.A. Environmental Studies | 2019 | New York University

  • GPA: 4.0; summa cum laude; inducted into Phi Beta Kappa (top 10% of graduating class)

  • Research: Historical Ecology of Jerusalem, under supervision of Dr. Eric W. Sanderson

    • Capstone research focused on collecting, deriving, and integrating archival and geographical data to scientifically reconstruct the historical ecology of Jerusalem.

 

Professional Experience   

Research Associate | Detroit River Story Lab | January 2023 - present

  • Designing an adaptable training module to teach college students how to pitch to local news outlets

  • Creates & administers storytelling & sustainability workshops for Detroit-area high school students

  • Facilitates partnerships between U. Michigan & local news outlets to create new journalism business models

Graduate Research Assistant | Graham Sustainability Institute | May 2022 - present

  • Co-designed a systematic program evaluation methodology to assess the Dow Sustainability Fellows Program

  • Conducts stakeholder interviews & qualitative data analyses to identify strategic programmatic improvements

  • Develops detailed reports & public-facing communications to elevate program impacts to stakeholders

Graduate Student Instructor | University of Michigan | January 2022 - present

  • Co-teaches 50-75 undergraduates through introductory Environmental Politics & Justice Coursework

  • Fosters group and individual learning through weekly discussion sections, Office Hours, and writing workshops

  • Collaborates with lead Professor to advance equity-centered curriculum design and lesson planning

Sustainability Fellow | Yale University | August 2019 – August 2021

  • Designed the Yale Co-benefit Assessment Tool to apply an intersectional lens to university-wide climate goals

  • Oversaw the implementation and evolution of Sustainability Action Plans at Yale’s 14 residential colleges

  • Advanced sustainability literacy across Yale community as Head Writer of “Yale Experts Explain” article series

  • Co-organized the Global University Climate Forum & moderated speaker session with Christiana Figueres

Cities Engagement Fellow | CDP, Carbon Disclosure Project | January 2019 – August 2019

  • Secured 20% growth in participation of North American cities disclosing annual emissions & environmental data

  • Established & managed relationships with 100+ city govs. of various sizes, demographics, & geopolitical contexts

  • Developed compelling visual & written content to advance organizational storytelling to investors & city leaders

Outreach and Activism Intern | PEN America | February 2018 – May 2018

  • Facilitated bipartisan community dialogues and trainings on (local) news literacy & citizen journalism

  • Led a national social media campaign challenging domestic threats against independent news & free expression

  • Mobilized urban & rural community leaders around the country to support local news & eliminate news deserts

Social Justice, Government & Environment Reporter| TAPInto | May 2018 – present

  • Bolsters local journalism by contributing hyperlocal news stories & increasing community readership

  • Amplified the calls of 5+ local Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 with original reporting and photography

  • Launched & leads “Hometown Heroes” column to promote community resilience with positive, place-based news

Presentations, Publications, & Workshops

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 Storytelling & Sustainability. 90-minute workshop designed and presented to 20+ Detroit-based high school students from the Green Door Initiative. July 2023.

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 “How Accessible Is the Circular Economy in Ann Arbor?”. Poster presented at the Student Michigan Association of Planners Conference. Ypsilanti, MI 2023.

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“Advancing An Intersectional Lens with Campus Co-benefits”. Poster presented at the New Horizons in Conservation Conference 2021. Virtual, April 2021.

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“Integrating Anti-racism with Sustainability Planning: Case Studies from Yale University”. Publication presented at the International Alliance of Research Universities Summit. Virtual, Oct. 2020.

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Goodall, M., Moore, E., Jankowski, A., & Halabi, C. (2020). Global Priorities, Educated Solutions: The Role of Academia in Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. International Alliance of Research Universities. https://campuspress.yale.edu/sdgs/.

 

Goodall, M. & Jankowski, A. (August 2020). Assessing Research and Teaching Connections to the SDGs: A How-To Guide from Yale Sustainability. Yale Office of Sustainability. https://yale.app.box.com/s/dwjvzuvjzwgy5lzo0g827ny8h9g94wfv

 

Freelance writing portfolio (2015-present): Regularly contributes original articles and reporting to various online publications, including The Nature of Cities, SheKnows, Sustain the Mag, MSN.com, INSIDER, Yahoo Lifestyle, WebMD, Stylecaster, HerCampus, TAPinto Local News & more

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Conferences Attended & Facilitated

  • Michigan Environmental Justice Conference 2021 (May ’21)

  • Global University Climate Forum, organizer & moderator (Nov. ‘20)

    • Moderated session on Climate Optimism with Christiana Figueres & Tom Rivett-Carnac bit.ly/32GvG4N

    • Moderated session on Sustainable Urban Transitions with Edgar Pieterse & Anton Cartwright

    • Moderated session on Psychology of Change Management with Dallase Scott

  • YALE Hixon Center Urban Conference: Future Cities’ Material Flows (Nov. ‘20)

  • AASHE Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education (Oct. ‘20)

  • YALE Hixon Center Urban Conference: Striving Toward a More Equitable & Sustainable Future (Nov. ‘19)

  • CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) Cities 2019 U.S. Spring Workshop, organizer & facilitator (April ‘19)

 

Volunteer Experience

Consultant, Storytelling for Social Change | U. Michigan Ginsberg Center | May 2022 - present

  • Collects and codes qualitative data for local Ann Arbor non-profit organizations to translate into “story banks”

  • Designs content strategy for narratives that organizations can draw on for fundraising, marketing, & advocacy

Youth Journalism Mentor | TAPInto Franklin Township | May 2022 - present

  • Offers free reporting resources and editorial services to local youth journalists in Franklin Township, NJ

  • Mentors high school students in designing academic and professional career paths incorporating (local) media

 

Skills & Certifications

  • ArcGIS, ArcGIS StoryMaps, basic R, basic Javascript, interviewing & editing, Microsoft & Google Apps

  • Certified Carbon Literate (Nov. 2020) by The Carbon Literacy Project in Manchester, UK

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