Jennifer Senick, PhD, is Executive Director of the Rutgers Center for Green Building at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Urban Planning and Policy Development, Rutgers University, and an adjunct lecturer in the department. An experienced urban planner, Dr. Senick received her PhD. in Planning and Public Policy from Rutgers, her M.A. in Political Science from UCLA, and her A.B. in Government from Bowdoin College. Areas of expertise and publication include: sustainable development, green building, and environmental behaviour, trends in technology adoption/use and multi-method approaches to field inquiry and building performance evaluation. Current appointments include Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA), Board Member and co-chair of EDRA Sustainable Planning Design and Behaviour Network; Coordinator of International Health Planning and Impact Assessment Initiatives, American Planning Association (APA) International Division; Facilitator, NJ Health Impact Collaborative; Global Urbanism Biennial Theme Faculty Committee, Rutgers Global Advancement and International Affairs Centers (GAIA Centers); Rutgers Sustainability Committee.

As a current EDRA Board member, I have sought to advance collaboration with our sister E-B organizations and also related professional organizations such as the American Planning Association.  In so doing, it has become clear to me that the nature of organizational affiliation is changing bringing both welcome opportunities (such as virtual participation in distantly located conferences) and also more challenging ones (such as a means by which membership and conference dues can be scaled appropriately for new methods of participation and yet prove sufficient to cover organizational programming and membership development).   At the same time, I find that E-B research is becoming more commonplace, even mainstream, although it is unclear to me the extent to which IAPS and/or EDRA are afforded the opportunity to weigh in on associated policy, programs and other decision-making regarding environmental behaviour.  I do believe that greater IAPS-EDRA collaboration will afford these organizations an opportunity to exert more influence on important social processes, while simultaneously benefitting individual members.   The task is a big one.  I’m one person willing to participate in this endeavour.