1st Year DEL-MEM student, Lisa Remlinger, recently testified in front of the state Board of Natural Resources about net present value and discount rates.

“When I realized one of my first classes with the DEL-MEM program was going to be economics, I thought “Oh, no.”  I’d been doing policy work for 5 years and the closest I’d come to supply and demand was where to eat for lunch.  But a little over two months into the program there I was testifying in front of our Governor’s office and Board of Natural Resources on discount rates and net present value.  Not only did I understand the terms, I realized their impacts were going to decide how many trees would be cut from state forestlands over the next 10 years.

Without the DEL-MEM program and my increased knowledge base, I wouldn’t have been able to participate in the process and a major stakeholder that I represent would have been left behind.”

Kim Fenwick Harmon, EHS Manager at Heaven Hill Brands, continued her professional and leadership development journey with DEL-MEM in August 2013. A little over a year after she graduated, she had these thoughts to share:

“The DEL-MEM program truly changed my life. By the time I graduated, I had the tools to impact my small, rural, Kentucky community. I had broadened my perspective, gained knowledge, and had the support of an amazing Duke staff and new life-long friends. The format is ideal. I experienced the greatness of the Duke campus while still being able to continue my career at home. My experience was priceless. I continue to challenge myself in my career with the words of my professors guiding my endeavors.”

DEL-MEM alum Alison Murphy, Global Collective Impact Manager for lululemon, reflects back on her experience as a DEL student:

“…The DEL program can best be summed-up as an incredible opportunity to learn from a community of experts. I was drawn to the program because of the format, which allowed me to continue in my career, and got so much more than I expected. I honed my writing and presentation skills, learned new ways and tools for analysis and decision making, and learned about the environmental movement from a number of angles and viewpoints. The friends I made in the program got me through the more challenging moments, and I look back on the whole experience with the best of memories.”

Learn more about the DEL-MEM program and how earning your master’s degree from the Nicholas School of the Environment can advance your career and develop your leadership potential.

Faculty, staff and alumni are available to share information about course format, leadership development, place-based sessions, and how you can immediately apply what you learn in the classroom to your career, just contact us at admissions@nicholas.duke.edu.  Check out our flyer at the following link.