This page lists the current and former students of the Koebele Research Group for whom I serve(d) as a primary advisor or supervise(d) research. It also lists other graduate students who I am actively collaborating with on projects/papers (at UNR unless otherwise noted). I consider myself lucky to work with a such a talented and fun group of students.
Current Research Group Members
Dr. Jesse L. Barnes is a postdoctoral research fellow at UNR, working on the National Science Foundation-funded project "Transition Dynamics in Integrated Urban Water Systems." Barnes's research and teaching interests include U.S. environmental policy adoption and implementation within the U.S. federal system, water resources management, and consumer perceptions of localized environmental initiatives such as potable wastewater reuse and solar panel adoption. He is particularly interested in how federal, state, and local institutional governance arrangements drive or impede environmental policy outcomes at the local level.
Barnes received his Ph.D. in Public Affairs from the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where he also earned the UNLV Social Science Research Methods graduate certificate. He won the 2023 Best Dissertation Award for his work on multi-level governance and institutional dilemmas in implementing the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. At UNLV, Barneswas also a graduate researcher, instructor, and research fellow. He received his M.S. in Water Resources Management from the UNLV College of Sciences, where he was an NSF-funded research assistant. As a first-generation college student, Barnes proudly earned his B.A. in Political Science from UC Berkeley.
Julián Cardona is pursuing an M.S. in Hydrology in the Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences at UNR, with a focus on governance of groundwater resources. He is also a research assistant to Dr. Koebele on a National Science Foundation grant that aims to study collaborative governance in the Colorado River Basin. Building on this project, his research focuses on the evolution of collaborative groundwater management and governance. He is motivated to understand the interrelations between surface water and groundwater and how they can be managed collaboratively as they face greater pressures. He aims is to identify patterns of collaboration that support adaptation to climate change around groundwater in the Colorado River Basin, with a focus on rural areas and farming.
For most of his professional life, Cardona worked for public and private organizations on innovative social and environmental projects. In 2016, he made a halt in his professional career to study his greatest intellectual passion -- water as a fundamental resource for human and environmental development -- through graduate studies in water science, policy, and management at the University of Oxford (Chevening Scholarship). After that, he worked at The Nature Conservancy on water governance, advising water funds in different countries in Latin America and Africa and designing long-term financial mechanisms to secure water resources conservation. Upon finishing his Ph.D., Cardona hopes to work with governments and communities on designing governance arrangements in water stressed basins to be sustainable future generations.
Caleb Cage is pursuing a PhD in UNR's Political Science Department with an emphasis on disaster resilience and leadership in crises. In his professional life, Cage has had a number of policy and leadership roles within state government, mostly around veterans, military, and emergency management issues. He lives in Reno with his wife and three children.
Jordyn Greenis a PhD student in UNR's Political Science Department. Her research concentrations are in Public Administration and Public Policy, with a focus on K-12 and higher education. Her research interests include collaborative governance and policy learning during policy implementation, as well as community engagement and civic engagement in higher education. Green holds an MS in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University.
Amber Reid, MSW, is a PhD student in UNR's Department of Political Science, with research concentrations in Public Administration and Public Policy. Reid has a bachelor’s degree in education (’98, secondary math and science) and a master’s degree in social work (’14), both from UNR. Prior to joining the Nevada Department of Education (NDE), Reid worked as a school social worker in Washoe County School District, which provided invaluable experience when she was asked to oversee the state’s Social Workers in Schools state block grant at NDE in 2016. Reid joined NDE’s Student Investment Division in March 2022 as the director-equivalent for the Office of District Support Services, where she oversees the Grants Management Unit, the Audit Unit, and supports much of NDE’s financial reporting and state education dollar payments to local education agencies. Reid is the proud mother of 4 adult children and enjoys tap dancing, rock climbing, and hiking with her trusty service dog, Sage.
Student Collaborators
Katherine Chang is a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington studying social and education policy. Her research utilizes policy process theories to examine state legislative politics and court-induced school finance reforms. She collaborates with Dr. Koebele at UNR on using the Narrative Policy Framework, especially around school choice policy. See our latest collaborative article here.
Allegra Fullerton is a PhD student, Research Assistant, and Instructor at the Center for Policy and Democracy at the University of Colorado Denver's School of Public Affairs (SPA). Her research focuses on three main topics; emotions, policy processes, and democracy. She specifically examines how these three areas intersect, how policies change, and how people engage in policy processes. She is also the student coordinator for the Conference on Policy Process Research, Building Democratic Communities, and an instructor at SPA. Prior to her time at CU Denver SPA, Fullerton attended Arizona State University where she was a graduate research assistant with The Center for Urban Innovation and a policy analyst with The Center for the Future of Arizona. Outside of her work at ASU, she was a community organizer who helped lead a successful ballot referendum and later state-wide ballot initiative.
Adam Wiechman is a Ph.D. student in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University with a concentration in Complex Adaptive Systems. Adam's research brings together policy process theory and dynamical systems approaches to explore the interconnected considerations and network of collaborations that drive the provision of shared infrastructure (both hard/built and soft/institutional) in human-water systems. His recent work with Dr. Koebele involves an investigation of the water governance network in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area and how collaborative governance forums contribute information sharing and processing capacities to actors trying to make water management decisions amid uncertainty. You can view an article Weichman published with Dr. Koebele here.
Research Group Alumni
Lauren Bartels graduated with an M.S. in Hydrogeology from UNR's Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences in May 2022. She was a graduate research assistant on the NSF-funded project "Transition Dynamics in Integrated Urban Water Systems" as well as an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipient. She holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Tulane University and previously worked in Washington, D.C. as a Science Policy Analyst. When she is not studying sustainable water management systems and policies, Bartels is probably running or doing a crossword puzzle.
Dr. Stephanie Bultema received her Ph.D. from the School of Public Affairs at University of Colorado Denver, where she was Co-President of the School of Public Affairs PhD Student Association. Her professional and research interests focus on large-scale inter-organizational collaboration for the common good. Stephanie partnered with Dr. Koebele's research group to explore negotiated policy change and advocacy coalitions in the Lake Tahoe Basin. You can view a book chapter that Dr. Bultema published with Dr. Koebele here.
Noah Dymalski earned his B.A.s in Political Science, International Affairs, and Spanish Literature and Culture from UNR in May 2020. His undergraduate research with Dr. Koebele, funded by UNR's Community-Based Research program, focused on the effectiveness of a best-practice certification for non-profit organizations in the Reno-Tahoe area.
Daniel Eitzman graduated with an MPA from the Political Science Department and a Graduate Renewable Energy Certificate in May 2022. He holds a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Nevada, Reno, and has a history of working with energy policy at the state and federal level. He worked in the 81st Session of the Nevada Legislature for Crowley & Ferrato Public Affairs. In his free time, Eitzman enjoys collecting vinyl records and spending time with friends.
JohnGiammonaWilberreceived his MPA from UNR, focusing on socially equitable environmental policy. Prior to that, he earned a BA in History from Chapman University, where his research focused on ecological imperialism in the 20th century.Giammona Wilbur is a former radio host and sound mixer and loves all things audio. He can be frequently found at local music venues.
Shelby Hockaday was a graduate research assistant on the USDA-funded project "Evaluating Alternative Water Institution Performance in Snow-Dominated Basins: Are Food Production Systems at Risk from Changing Snow Water Availability?" Formerly in project management for an international development contractor, Shelby received her B.S. in Earth Sciences: Geography from Oregon State University where she studied conflict-negotiation for water resources. In 2020, she received her M.S. in Geography from UNR, where she studied western water law in the United States and adaptations to the law in response to water issues such as resource scarcity and climate change. You can view an article Nadeau published with Dr. Koebele here.
Hannah Hoyos earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from UNR in May 2022. She worked with Dr. Koebele on a project funded by UNR's Community-Based Research program to study environmental justice in Nevada, with a focus on mapping where vulnerable populations face critical hazards.
Kalin Ingstad earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from UNR in May 2019. She worked with Dr. Koebele as an undergraduate researcher, funded by UNR's Community-Based Research program, to study the potential for various new renewable energy sources in Nevada.
Vanessa Kosinski earned a B.S. Biology from UNR in 2020. She worked with Dr. Koebele on a project funded by UNR's Community-Based Research program to study environmental sustainability in the food and beverage manufacturing sector in Nevada, with a focus on analyzing similar environmental challenges faced by multiple industries within the sector and potential mitigation actions. In her free time, Vanessa likes reading and enjoying the outdoors.
Abby Matanis earned an M.S. in Environmental Science from UNR in 2023, with a focus on renewable energy. Previously, she graduated with her Bachelor’s from the University of New Mexico in Communication & Journalism with a minor in Sustainability Studies. Her interests include human impacts on the environment, environmental remediation and management. She enjoys hiking with her dog, snowboarding, reading and enjoying the outdoors.
Casey Mentzerearned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UNR in 2014 and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Nevada. He earned his MPA through UNR’s Political Science Department in May 2019. Mentzer's research with Dr. Koebele focused on the policy impacts surrounding environmental disasters of the chemical manufacturing industry. He is currently the Process Engineer for the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility and continues to collaborate with UNR faculty on wastewater treatment, environmental surveillance, and other regional reclaimed water topics.
Courtney McKimmeyearned an MPA from UNR in December 2020. She is passionate about renewable energy policy and management, as well as the national security implications of climate change. She was previously the Senior Policy Director for the Nevada Lieutenant Governor's office and will be starting a new position as Tesla's Policy Advisor for the Mountain West. When she is not at work, you can find her hiking in the Sierras or visiting rural towns across Nevada.
Miranda Montes earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Nevada, Reno in May 2019. Montes' research with Dr. Koebele, funded by UNR's Community-Based Research program, focused on tracing and analyzing the impacts of natural gas usage in Nevada, including identifying the negative impacts of reliance on natural gas and highlighting the obstacles in lessening that dependency.
Matt Moore earned an MPA from UNR's Political Science Department in December 2018. He now is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Sierra Hospice located in Chester, CA. During his time as a graduate student at UNR, Moore worked as a Research Assistant with Dr. Koebele and other faculty members on projects involving social capital, social networks, and collaboration.
Nikki Nadeau graduated with a B.S. in Business Management at UNR in May 2022. She has a particular interest in how public-private partnerships can be used to create more environmentally sustainable societies. With Dr. Koebele, she conducted research on how collaborative governance processes aimed at reducing food waste are developed and implemented. This work was funded by a Nevada Undergraduate Research Grant and supported by UNR's McNair Scholars program. You can view an article Nadeau published with Dr. Koebele here.
Jesse Jo Rego earned a M.S. in Hydrology from UNR's Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences in 2023. She also holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy with a minor in Economics from Southern Oregon University and has worked as Research Assistant for the NSF supported project "Belmont Forum Collaborative Research: Building New Tools for Data Sharing and Re-use through a Transnational Investigation of the Socioeconomic Impacts of Protected Areas (PARSEC)". At UNR, she was a graduate research assistant working with Dr. Koebele on the SNOWPACS project, focusing on the role and design of water markets in the South Platte Basin. Her research interests include water resource management, ecological and water resource economics, and environmental justice. Outside of her research, she enjoys listening to music and going to rock shows. You can view an article Rego published with Dr. Koebele here.
Max Robinson holds a B.S. in Geology from East Carolina University and has a professional background in hydrogeology and groundwater modeling. He worked as a Research Assistant with Dr. Koebele on understanding the impact of collaborative governance processes on the performance of polycentric environmental governance systems in the context of the Colorado River Basin. Away from the world of water, he is often found riding/fixing his mountain bike, typically with his dog in tow.
Samuel Smith is pursuing his Ph.D. in Political Science. He was previously a graduate research assistant with Dr. Koebele on the NSF-funded project "Transition Dynamics in Integrated Urban Water Systems."
Karen Simpson is working toward their PhD in Political Science at UNR. They worked with Dr. Koebele on a book chapter about water scarcity and democratic security.
Molly Willoughbyearned B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.A. in Spanish in 2021. She is broadly interested in the intersection between natural resources and sustainability issues with social justice, and has worked as both lab technician and political organizer in an attempt to explore this highly multi-disciplinary area. She worked with Dr. Koebele on an honors thesis project aimed at characterizing Northern Nevada’s regional food network, with funding from the Honors Undergraduate Research Award. In her free time, Molly is usually singing or cooking, typically simultaneously.