College of Charleston alumnus Sean Hughes ’11 (M.P.A.) is one of four Americans who will join select sustainability experts from around the world in Australia as part of the 2011 Climate Change Professional Fellows Program. Participants from Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan and the United States will explore the science, impact, adaptation, and mitigation actions related to climate change with a goal of sharing expertise and developing best practices.
Hughes has already made a name for himself in the sustainability world through his Charleston-area involvement over the past three years. He played a key role during the start-up of the City of Charleston’s Sustainability Division, helping the City’s first director of sustainability design, fund, and implement projects. Through his grant writing efforts the City has been awarded more than $1.5 million dollars in grant funds for sustainability programs. In addition, Sean helped edit the City’s first Sustainability plan, which was incorporated into the City’s Century V Master Plan. Also, he helped in designing and vetting consultants for the City’s upcoming energy efficiency programs. Hughes is professionally accredited by the Congress of New Urbanism for his abilities in urban design and has earned his LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
As a complement to sustainability, Sean enjoys a keen interest in urban planning and design. In keeping with that interest Sean was one of the group of six citizens who planned and implemented the pedestrians-only King Street event that is now held the second Sunday of every month. In addition to earning his Master of Public Administration in May 2011, Hughes also earned a graduate certificate in Urban and Regional Planning.
“This is a very unique opportunity because the challenges of climate change transcend national boundaries and require cooperation between nations,” Hughes says. “I would love to come back to Charleston following this experience and use my skills and knowledge in sustainability, resilient systems, and energy efficiency to improve either the City or the College of Charleston, making them cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable.” According to Hughes, “The College of Charleston and specifically the Master of Public Administration program prepared me well to act upon opportunities such as these, providing real world experience and immense knowledge of organizational processes within governments.”
This international fellowship program is supported by the US Department of State Bureau of Educational Affairs Office of Citizens Exchange, the International Center, and Baruch College.
The Master in Public Administration is one of 19 master’s degree programs and 8 graduate-level certificate programs offered by The Graduate School at the College of Charleston.
Sean will be blogging daily (when possible) about his experiences at his personal website www.seanchughes.com.
