Sustainability Faculty Excellence Awardees
The purpose of this program is to recognize, celebrate, and honor the exceptional accomplishments of the faculty at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). This Program, co-sponsored by various divisions/units across the university, provides opportunities to share and celebrate these accomplishments widely and promote a culture of excellence.
2022-2023 Sustainability Faculty Excellency Awardee
Maria Leonard
Assistant Professor of Practice
Maria Leonard is an assistant professor of practice of Management with the UTRGV Robert C. Vacker College of Business and Entrepreneurship. She has a Bachelors's in marketing, and a Master's in Business Administration and has been named Woman of Distinction for education by the RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She is the 2023 UTRGV Faculty Sustainability Excellence awardee for sustainability education and has led and guided the Enactus chapter in its third year of commitment to its SOAR project.
Enactus2021-2022 Sustainability Faculty Excellency Awardee
Dr. Sylvia Robles
Assistant Professor of Practice
Dr. Sylvia Robles is a visionary entrepreneur, educator, researcher, and advocate of Humane-Innovation-Sustainable-based Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement by EMPOWERING her students and RGV entrepreneurs through her Adopt a Startup at UTRGV Program to develop sustainable businesses. Dr. Robles has experience with working with engineering students as an Instructor and Mentor for I-Corps teams. She is currently the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Sustainability Faculty Fellow, the Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization at UTRGV Brownsville Faculty Advisor, and a lecturer of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship/Department of International Business and Entrepreneurship.
Adopt a Startup2020-2021 Sustainability Faculty Excellency Awardee
Dr. Bradley Christoffersen
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Dr. Christoffersen leads the first large-scale field assessment of Tamaulipan thorn forest restoration in the Rio Grande Valley. Through a network of plots in Hidalgo and Cameron counties established with his graduate and undergraduate students, they have collectively monitored over 4,600 individual trees for their growth and survival in areas planted 3 – 33 years ago. Students have learned assessment of tree and seedling health, plot layout and design, plant identification, and geospatial tools while engaging with government (USFWS) and private sector (Land Life Company) partners to understand how large-scale reforestation operates in a real-world setting.
Christoffersen Lab2019-2020 Sustainability Faculty Excellency Awardee
Dr. Christopher Gabler
Associate Professor, School of Earth, Environment, and Marine Sciences
Dr. Gabler serves as program director for Bachelor of Science major in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Past research projects that provide students with sustainability learning experiences include growing 100,000 seedlings native to Tamaulipan thornscrub, which will be planted in the fall in areas like La Sal Del Rey National Wildlife Refuge in central Hidalgo County, and building a series of structures that will alter the environment in small areas to test physical and biological reactions to changes in rainfall to get a look at what could happen to plant life along the Gulf Coast 20-40 years from now.
Watch his Project on Climate Change2018-2019 Sustainability Faculty Excellency Awardee
Dr. Noe Vargas
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Vargas was integral in the revamping of the Mechanical Engineering Department curricula to promote Sustainable Innovation skills in undergraduate students. He also improved the Senior Design Project course experience for mechanical engineering students by including environmental considerations. Dr. Vargas also organized successful innovation challenges for engineering students. These “Innovaqueros” competitions focus on applying engineering skills to solve real community problems with sustainable solutions.
Watch his Award Video2017-2018 Sustainability Faculty Excellency Awardee
Dr. Amy Hay
Associate Professor, Department of History
Dr. Hay teaches about public health, disasters, and American environmental history. She also leads faculty development workshops designed to integrate sustainability principles across the curriculum and oversees the Environmental Studies Program which holds an annual symposium; publishes an online journal, Eco Rio; and includes the minor degree program.
Watch her Award Video2016-2017 Sustainability Faculty Excellency Awardee
Dr. Alfonso Mercado
Licensed Psychologist, Associate Professor, UTRGV Multicultural Clinical Lab, Department of Psychological Science, School of Medicine Psychiatry and Neurology Department.
Dr. Mercado, a National Register Health Service Psychologist, provides psychological services to children, adolescents, and adults. He has directed his latest research to document the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) within the Latino population. DBT is a first-line treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder and other complex clinical disorders.
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