Debra Rowe

president, u.s. partnership for education for sustainable development; Retired Professor, Energy Management and Renewable Energy, Oakland Community College

2014 Education Award Winner

Debra Rowe was Professor of Energy Management and Renewable Energy for over 40 years at Oakland Community College. She is the President of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development, which convenes cross-sector stakeholders to catalyze national and international sustainability initiatives. She is also Co-founder and Facilitator of the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium, the Disciplinary Associations’ Network for Sustainability, and Advisor to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Rowe ran Solutions Summits, compiled resources and authored a clean energy workforce development toolkit for the Clean Energy Ministerial initiative. She runs Education for Green Jobs and SDG Publishers Compact Fellows for the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative and its collaboration of ten UN agencies. Rowe chaired the Technical Advisory Group and the Green Jobs Policy Community of Action for the American Association of Community Colleges. She co-created the Sustainability Education and Economic Development Center and the Beyond Doom and Gloom: Engage in Climate Solutions initiatives. She is often a keynote speaker at national and international education and green workforce conferences. She is the author or editor of numerous publications, including the encyclopedia, Achieving Sustainability: Vision, Principles and Practices. Rowe earned a PhD, an MA, and an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BA from Yale University.