Congratulations to Dr. Michael Paolisso who was recently elected as the new President of the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA).

Dr. Michael Paolisso’s applied anthropology research focuses on coastal socio-ecological resilience, climate change, natural resource management and restoration, fisheries, and agriculture. His teaching and research transcend the boundaries of anthropology and engage the general public, policymakers, government planners and managers, and leaders in religious and non-government organizations. He co-founded the Deal Island Peninsula Project, a network of coastal residents, researchers and government and non-government officials undertaking collaborative science and management to increase coastal socio-ecological resilience in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. Prior to joining the University of Maryland in 1997, Dr. Paolisso practiced anthropology for 10 years at a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization undertaking policy research on gender and development.  

Dr. Paolisso has been a member of the SfAA for over 30 years. In 2019, Dr. Paolisso was the Program Chair for the SfAA annual meeting in Portland that featured diverse and important work by applied and practicing social scientists. As President, Dr. Paolisso will help ensure that the SfAA continues to be an impactful, sustainable, diverse and inclusive organization.