Emeriti Faculty Spotlight - Dr. Michael Paolisso

In early 2022, Anita and I moved to Bellingham, Washington, returning to the West Coast where
we grew up and went to college (in California, though). Since retirement in 2021, I have
engaged in applied anthropology in more flexible ways as I transitioned into retirement. I was
elected President of the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) and worked with colleagues in
navigating and addressing the organizational and financial challenges of the Covid pandemic.
Currently I am the Past President and will conclude my term this March at the SfAA annual
meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I continue to seek ways to be impactful through research and
writing. I co-edited and contributed to a 2023 special issue of Human Organization on applied
anthropology and water (co-editors Matthew Wilfong and Jeremy Trombley earned PhDs in
ENST and Anthropology, respectively, at UMD). I continue to work with the Deal Island
Peninsula Partnership (DIPP), keeping me a little involved in Chesapeake Bay environmental
work. I am looking forward to 2024, with the goal of more writing and practice focused on
communities, collaborations and climate change, all pursued in between hikes and creating
new friendships in the Pacific Northwest.

Published on Wed, 01/17/2024 - 09:59