Maria Ivanova wants “to inspire thinking” and find solutions for the “wicked problems” of our time, as she calls them. Ivanova, professor of public policy and director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, studies global environmental governance, that is, “the design and execution of policy,” she says, “at all levels of governance, whether it’s in the neighborhood … or the city council or the state house, or the national government or the United Nations.”
The policies that Ivanova pursues occur specifically against the backdrop of global, environmental issues. Ivanova has now received the “Global” award for her mentorship in this space, through the Green Mentors organization. Green Mentors lists building a “green university for every graduate” and providing “green graduates for every job” among the values it pursues in its mission.
Being a green mentor, Ivanova says, “means I’m someone who cares about the environment and can impart that knowledge on others, and [I can] help them to not only learn, but to find opportunities and to grow in this field.” The award ceremony was held during Climate Week NYC, “the largest annual climate event of its kind, bringing together over 500 events and activities across the City of New York,” the organization states on its website.
