This April, the Nicholas School of the Environment invites our graduate and undergraduate alumni to come together for Double the Green: Alumni Match Month.
Make your gift to any Nicholas School fund by April 30. Your gift is matched with an equal dollar amount to the NSOE Annual Fund, our most critical resource, until we hit $50,000. Alumni who give $50 or more are automatically entered into a drawing for a pair of tickets to a 2027 ACC Duke Men’s Basketball game and a $200 credit to the Duke University Store to show your Duke and NSOE pride!
Why Your Participation Matters
Only 8.6% of Nicholas School alumni give back financially, but this April, we can change that. Thanks to 11 generous Alumni Challengers, every dollar you give will be matched, doubling your impact.
Even small gifts, when combined, create extraordinary collective impact. We welcome support in any amount, and gifts of $50 or more qualify you for the prize drawing.
Keep your eye on the tree to track our progress throughout the campaign!
Alumni Are Leading the Way
Our Alumni Challengers have already committed $50,000 to inspire participation and double the impact of every gift this April!
Matt DEL-MEM’13 and Emily Burks
Matt Burks is Head of Market Development at GridVisibility. He has worked with North America’s electric utility industry and cleantech community for over 25 years. His focus is decarbonization, system reliability, and resilience. Emily is Chief Development Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at Zelestra, an international renewables Independent Power Producer. She is an accomplished senior executive with over 15 years of experience in the clean energy sector. They live in Boulder Colorado with their daughters Logan and Madison.
Charles Chase DEL-MEM’21
Charles Chase is an environmental professional with experience in different sectors of the energy industry. He currently works in the renewable energy industry focused on environmental compliance during the construction of utility scale wind and solar energy projects. Charles is a 2021 graduate of the Duke Environmental Leadership Master of Environmental Management Program.
Anne Marie Collins AB’81
After living and working in many places across the country (New Orleans, Denver, Sacramento and Chicago), Anne recently relocated to Virginia Beach, VA. She worked in Environmental Remediation for the first 20 years of her career before shifting into Management consulting, where she has been engaged in both Corporate and Contract work since the early 2000s. She has a bachelor’s degree in Geology and Public Policy from Duke, with a masters degree in Water Science from UC Davis. She also has an MBA and a Masters of Project Management.
Nicholas H. Dilks AB’96
Dilks is a Founder and Managing Partner of Ecosystem Investment Partners, a $1.4 billion AUM private investment firm that is one of the nation’s leading capital providers for large-scale ecosystem restoration and conservation. Nick has over 30 years of experience in environmental offsets markets, conservation real estate investing and private equity fund management. Prior to co-founding EIP in 2006, Nick was the Vice President for Real Estate with The Conservation Fund where, during his 10-year career, he completed some of TCF’s most complex and innovative transactions while helping TCF conserve over two million acres worth $1 billion nationwide. Nick holds an MBA from the University of Maryland and a BA in Environmental Science and Policy from Duke University.
Kim Dubose MEM/MF’14
Kim DuBose is Director of Science Operations at Rubicon Carbon, a carbon solutions provider that channels capital to unlock at-scale decarbonization projects and delivers enterprise-grade solutions for carbon credit purchases. Her expertise is in forestry and nature based carbon projects.
“My Nicholas School education and community continue to motivate me in my career as an environmental professional. The skills and network I gained there have been invaluable and I hope to support the inspiration and education of future environmentalists.”
Jim Fuechsel AB’76
Jim Fuechsel is a retired consulting executive with 35+ years advising federal agencies and the Department of Defense on strategic programs and transformation. A two-term member of the Nicholas School Board of Visitors, he champions climate action and sustainability at Duke and leads an alumni network focused on environmental initiatives. During his career at Booz Allen Hamilton, Jim held senior leadership roles in the Defense sector and oversaw a $500M business unit. He and his wife, Lynn (T’77), support local social service organizations in Arlington, VA. Jim earned a BA from Duke, an MBA from George Mason, and completed Duke’s Climate and Sustainability Summer Institute.
Scott Hall AB’73, MEM’76
Hall is the current Board Chair of the Park Institute of America, an NGO that seeks to educate the public about the value and importance of parks at all levels. The Institute coordinates the provision of fellowships and stipends to NSOE students to enable them to have real-world experiences in the field of conservation.
“With adequate support and resources the NSOE is ideally positioned to help prepare the next generation of conservation leaders.”
Cherie Wilson DEL-MEM’14
Cherie serves as Vice President of Government Affairs – Sustainability for Delta Air Lines. In this role, she is responsible for leading Delta’s international, federal, state and local climate policy coordination and disclosures, ensuring alignment between the company’s climate goals and its climate lobbying activities. Her work includes fostering partnerships and policies to catalyze the market for sustainable aviation fuel, key to enabling Delta’s net zero by 2050 goal.
Prior to joining Delta, Cherie was a Director of Federal Affairs for General Motors with responsibility for legislative and political engagement in the areas of vehicle finance, sustainability/climate change, and diversity, equity and inclusion. She began her career in Congress, working for U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Md.) and U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.).
Cherie is one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists and was named to Washingtonian’s 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 Most Influential People list of experts and advocates shaping policy in Washington.
In addition to her degree from the Nicholas School, she holds a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Maryland with her partner and children, and enjoys traveling with her family, reading books and running.
Plus Three Anonymous Donors
Give and You Could Win!
As a thank‑you for participating, all donors who give $50 or more during April will be entered into a drawing for a special package:
- Two tickets to a Duke men’s ACC basketball game next season
- A $200 Duke University Store credit
Reunion Classes: This is Your Moment!
For reunion alumni, every gift made during Alumni Match Month:
- Counts toward your Reunion Challenge standings
- Is matched dollar‑for‑dollar
- Strengthens your class’s collective impact
Every dollar. Every donor. Every new gift matters.