DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire announced today that Joanne Burke, clinical associate professor of nutrition, is the first Thomas W. Haas Professor in Sustainable Food Systems. The professorship was established earlier this year with a $1 million gift to the Sustainability Institute at UNH from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, generated from a donor-advised fund established by Durham philanthropist Tom Haas.

Burke's primary responsibility as the new Thomas W. Haas Professor in Sustainable Food Systems will be to advance the mission of Food Solutions New England (FSNE) through engagement, network development and scholarship. FSNE is a regional food systems learning-action network dedicated to advancing a sustainable New England food system. Burke's areas of expertise include community nutrition and dietetics education with an emphasis on food system capacity, food security, and food system sustainability. Her work as the Haas Professor will complement her role as director of the UNH Dietetic Internship Program in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture.

"This is a wonderful example of enlightened philanthropy and faculty talent coming together to serve the state and the region," says Tom Kelly, UNH chief sustainability officer and director of the Sustainability Institute. "Joanne has been a leader in state and regional food systems and security issues, and her new role as the Thomas W. Haas Professor in Sustainable Food Systems will allow her to expand that work. We thank Tom Haas for his vision and generosity."

"The University of New Hampshire's Sustainability Institute is leading on so many fronts," says Haas.  "Living in a rural community as I do and understanding the important role that agriculture has played in our state and nation, I wanted to help position UNH to lead in the field of sustainable food systems. I am happy to know that there will be a Haas professor leading the charge on this issue, now and in the future."

Food Solutions New England is organized around four interrelated activities: (1) the New England Food Vision, which calls for the region to build the capacity to produce up to 70% of food in ways that are environmentally and socially sustainable, promote health, and accessible by all New Englanders by 2060; (2) New England state food planning initiatives; (3) annual New England food summits and topical workshops; and, (4) related analysis, communication and visualization. The work of Food Solutions New England (www.foodsolutionsne.org) is part of UNH's broader sustainability leadership. Sustainability is a core value of UNH, shaping culture, informing behavior, and guiding our work. As a nationally recognized leader, the Sustainability Institute acts as convener, cultivator and champion of sustainability on campus, in the state and region, and around the world. Learn more at www.sustainableunh.unh.edu.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 11,800 undergraduate and 2,400 graduate students.

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Photograph available to download: /unhtoday/news/releases/2013/08/images/joanneburke-(683x1024)-3685.jpg
Caption: Joanne Burke, clinical associate professor of nutrition at the University of New Hampshire, is the first Thomas W. Haas Professor in Sustainable Food Systems.
Credit: Cheryl Senter