Rosina Bierbaum received an early introduction to pollution issues, hailing from smoggy Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Reading Rachel Carson’s “The Sea Around Us” at age 11 hooked her on an environmental career. She is a first-generation college graduate, earning a BA (English), a BS (Biology), and a PhD (Evolutionary Ecology). Rosina is Dean Emerita and Professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan and a Research Fellow in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. Her experience spans climate science, foreign relations, and international development. Rosina served for two decades in both the legislative and executive branches of the US government, including as Acting Director of the White House.