M. Jennison Kipp

Resource Economist

Program for Resource Efficient Communities
Center for Land Use Efficiency
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
University of Florida
PO Box 110940
Gainesville, FL 32611-0940
Office: (352) 273-0245
Mobile: (814) 571-8396
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 Floridians(SM) 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. She holds master's degrees in applied economics and environmental pollution control from Penn State University and a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from Allegheny College, UF's 'sister' Gator Nation. 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.