Inside Iowa State

Dec. 12, 2008

Rankin named director of sustainability programs at Iowa State

Merry Rankin, a director in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), will become director of sustainability programs at Iowa State University on Jan. 15.

This is a new position, created as part of the Live Green! initiative, a university-wide effort to turn Iowa State into a model of energy efficiency. The director will report to the president's office.

In her new post, Rankin will guide development of a university-wide plan for sustainable practices and coordinate environmental activities on campus. These will include such activities as energy conservation projects, a loan fund for energy-saving improvements in university facilities and recycling efforts.

Rankin currently leads the DNR's Keepers of the Land, a program that harnesses the talents of tens of thousands of volunteers who work on parks, trails, recreation areas and prairies throughout the state.

Rankin also was an environmental specialist in the DNR's energy and waste management bureau (2000-04), a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar assisting in community projects in South Africa (1999-2000) and wildlife and fisheries assistant with ISU Extension (1993-99).

She earned the B.S. in business (1987) and M.S. in wildlife biology (1998), both from Iowa State.

For more on the Iowa State Live Green! initiative, see www.livegreen.iastate.edu.

Merry Rankin has been named the director of sustainability programs at ISU.