Kerri LaCharite, PhD

Dr. LaCharite is an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. She writes and teaches about sustainable food systems, food and culture, urban agriculture, and the effects of agriculture-based learning on eating behaviors. Her work includes: Pedagogical Objectives of Campus Agriculture Initiatives in Higher Education, and Cultivating Sustainability: Impact of Campus Agriculture Projects on Undergraduate Student Connections to Nature, Environmentally Responsible Behaviors, and Perceptions. Dr. LaCharite’s work draws on her various roles in the food system, including serving on Pittsburgh’s Food Policy Council and Fairfax Food Council, working as produce specialist for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and teaching at Chatham University where she also managed the campus organic gardens, greenhouse, and beehives.

Research

Research Interests

• Agriculture-based Learning
• Urban Agriculture
• Sustainable Food Systems
• Local Food Policy
• Sustainability

Publication

• LaCharite, K. (2016). Re-visioning agriculture in higher education: The role of campus agriculture initiatives in sustainability education. Agriculture and Human Values, 33(3), 521-535. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-015-9619-6
• LaCharite, K. (2021). Growing a Culture of Sustainability: Urban Agriculture Experiences and Undergraduate Student Perceptions and Behaviors. In L.T. Esters, A. Patchen, I. DeCoito, N. Knobloch (Eds.), Research Approaches in Urban Agriculture and Community Contexts (pp. 143-164). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Book Chapter

LaCharite, K. (in press). Growing a culture of sustainability: Urban agriculture experiences and undergraduate student perceptions and behaviors. In M. Barnett, A. Patchen, L. Esters, N. Knobloch, (Eds.), Educational Research on STEM Learning in Urban Agricultural and Urban Garden Settings. New York. New York: Springer International Publishing.

Affiliations

• Member

Agriculture, Food, & Human Values

• Member

Association for the Study of Food & Society

• Member

Advisory Committee, Fairfax Food Council 

Honors and Awards

• Master Teacher, Junior Faculty Award, College of Public Health, GMU, 2021

Degrees

• PhD, Sustainability Education, Prescott College
• BA, University of New Hampshire