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. She is currently advancing her expertise as a PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, focusing on global inclusion and social development. Tonoyan's research is transdisciplinary, underpinned by her commitment to driving social and legal change. Utilizing feminist theory and methodology, she conducts studies on marginalized groups, aiming to challenge and reshape existing power structures. Her areas of research and interest include sexual and gender-based violence, gender and human rights, gender equity, LGBTIQ rights, education leadership policy, access to education for Indigenous girls, and interdisciplinary curriculum design, implementation, and evaluation internationally. She has a profound passion for developing and implementing innovative teaching methodologies, particularly in graduate-level education. She also offers scholarly project advisement, such as thesis writing and capstone projects, assisting students in developing meaningful educational goals consistent with their interests, values, and abilities. As a multilingual expert, Tonoyan advises policy and practice internationally. She is an expert in quantitative and qualitative research methods, which brings a unique, mixed-methods perspective to her work. Her graduate teaching portfolio includes human rights law, gender-based violence, ethics of development, gender and development, and the economics of education.