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M. Jennison Kipp Searcy, M.S.
Resource Economist
Program for Resource Efficient Communities
352-273-0245
mjkipp@ufl.edu

Jennison conducts applied research and outreach on water, energy, and land-use conservation and efficiency in Florida, with an emphasis on community engagement and facilitation to bridge gaps between science and policy. She is especially interested in the dynamic relationships among land use planning, natural resource demands, utility incentive structures, climate change impacts, community resilience, and environmental justice. Collaborators in her work include state and regional agencies, local governments, utilities, and public- and private-sector practitioners (urban planners, developers, engineers, landscape architects, economists, and educators).

As State Coordinator of the UF/IFAS Sustainable FloridiansSM Program, Jennison develops educational materials and tools to improve public awareness of, promote actionable dialogue around, and help strengthen community capacity to address today’s most challenging ecological, economic, and social issues. She is a co-founder of Florida’s CIVIC (Community Voices, Informed Choices) Program, a FAMU and UF Extension partnership, and she served as Conference Chair for the 2019 Joint National Sustainability Summit and National Extension Energy Summit held in Tampa.

An Alumnus of the Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute, Jennison also served as an Agroforestry Extension Volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps in Kericho, Kenya. Among the many amazing people who have inspired her career, Jennison’s two young boys motivate her every day to work for a healthy environment, thriving communities, and a peaceful and equitable world.


Education

  • 2005 - MS Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
  • 2004 - M.E.P.C. Environmental Pollution Control, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
  • 2001 - Institute of Environmental Studies, Land Resources Graduate Student, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
  • 1996 - BS Environmental Studies, cum laude, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA.
  • 1995 - Duke University Marine Laboratory junior semester study, Beaufort, NC.