Ashley Monterusso (she/her) is a first-year graduate student in the Urban and Regional Planning program. She is also pursuing the Energy Analysis and Policy Graduate Certificate. A creature of the midwest, she was raised in West Michigan before earning her undergraduate degree at DePaul University in Psychology and Sociology. Since then she has had a fulfilling career in the hospitality industry where she has participated in national and international conferences and gained valuable industry insight on sustainable distilling practices. Her interests in sustainability, food systems, local economies, and community-building, led her to the field of Urban and Regional Planning. Ashley’s research interests include: environmental and sustainable planning, the relationship between energy systems and land-use, community cooperatives, food systems, climate resiliency, and the effects technology will have on urban and regional planning.
In her free time, Ashley enjoys kayaking, film, coffee, hiking, and she’ll never turn down an opportunity to thrift for vintage glassware.