Welcome Back, Molly

WHEN MOLLY CRAFT-JOHNSON ’13 graduated from UP with an environmental ethics and policy degree, she went straight to grad school at The New School in New York City. A West Coast native, she said the move to New York was something of a “jarring life experience.” Even though she’d found the perfect program to pursue her interests in environmental policy and sustainable management, she felt far away from home and a little overwhelmed. So, she reached out to the UP New York Alumni Chapter to find UP alums in the region. Now, as UP’s new National Alumni Board President, she’s hoping to build connections within the alumni network—40,000+ and growing—to better offer the support that she found so helpful, both socially and professionally. In addition to being an alum, Molly has also been a visiting professor at UP. Most recently, during the pandemic, she taught an “innovation for sustainability” class online for the Pamplin School of Business. Class started at 7 p.m., which meant she was teaching in New York from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. the next day. “I had copious notes,” she says. “Being extemporaneous at midnight is not my strong suit!”

At the core of her interest in environmentalism is her commitment to social justice and the goal of addressing inequities. This passion for what she calls “the human side of environmental issues” was behind her work at the Tishman Environment and Design Center and her work with the Meyer Memorial Trust.

She did eventually fall in love with New York City—she lives there now with her husband, young children, and black lab, but she’ll be in Portland drumming up new ideas this fall. Expect to hear from her soon!