Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Sustainability and Global Development

Dr. Michael Mortimer is the director of the sustainability and global development practice masters programs at the Harvard University Division of Continuing Education. Mortimer worked for two decades in multiple roles at Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources and Environment. Prior to that he served as a Special Assistant Attorney General in Montana's Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. He attended Washington & Jefferson College, the Penn State Dickinson School of Law, and the University of Montana for his PhD. He has designed international educational experiences in 20 countries, worked with non-traditional masters students for more than 15 years, authored or contributed to more than 40 articles and books, and balances his work life with passions for travel, photography, and creating in the kitchen.

Nazeli Tonoyan is an academic and practitioner in sustainable international development, specializing in global inclusion and social justice. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where her transdisciplinary research uses feminist theory and methodology to examine marginalized groups and challenge entrenched power structures. Her scholarship focuses on sexual and gender-based violence, human rights, LGBTIQ rights, Indigenous girls' access to education, and inclusive policy design. An experienced educator, Tonoyan develops innovative graduate-level curricula and mentors students on research and capstone projects, helping them align academic goals with professional aspirations. Internationally, she advises on policy and practice, drawing on her multilingual expertise and proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative methods. Her mixed-methods approach uniquely bridges scholarship, practice, and policy to advance equitable development.