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Bennear brings distinguished experience as a scholar, teacher and academic leader in the Nicholas School, as well as an extensive record of service to the university community and the nation.

Prior to being named interim dean, she served as executive vice dean, overseeing the Nicholas School’s academic and internal operations. Previously she was its senior associate dean for academic initiatives, managing master’s and undergraduate degree programs across the school.

“I am honored to be appointed the Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment,” Bennear said. “I have been a faculty member at the Nicholas School for over 20 years, and the school and the university are near and dear to my heart. I look forward to accelerating and elevating the Nicholas School’s mission to train the next generation of environmental leaders and to engage in cutting-edge scholarship that advances the frontiers of knowledge and helps shape solutions to the most challenging issues of our time.”

An interdisciplinary scholar of environmental policy, Bennear uses quantitative methods to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental policies and regulations related to topics such as energy development, drinking water quality and fisheries management. Her scholarship has been published in leading academic journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Environmental Science & Technology and Nature Ecology & Evolution. With three Duke faculty colleagues in law and history, she co-edited the book (Cambridge University Press, 2017). She is a two-time Teacher of the Year award winner at the Nicholas School, regularly leading graduate-level courses on energy economics and policy.

Bennear has served the university in notable ways. She was a faculty leader for , a university-wide working group of faculty and Ph.D. students, supported by the Kenan Institute for Ethics, that examined regulatory policy in domains including energy, environment, international trade, finance and technology. From 2017 to 2019, she chaired the ��ţӰ�� Priorities Committee, leading a comprehensive financial review of seven university-wide institutes and three university-wide initiatives. In addition, Bennear has served as the associate director for educational programs at the ��ţӰ�� Energy Initiative.

Bennear’s expertise in environmental policy has been sought nationally, and she has served on committees convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to examine and issue guidance on protocols for and . With Duke colleagues, she has collaborated on projects to improve retrospective reviews of regulatory policies for several government agencies. She has also informally consulted with offices of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the potential for information disclosure programs to enhance the enforcement of environmental regulations.

Bennear earned a Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University and a master’s degree in economics from Yale University. She graduated from Occidental College with a double major in economics and environmental studies.

Her appointment follows a national search chaired by Brian Murray, a research professor at the Nicholas School and director of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. The search was conducted by a committee that included faculty and administrators from across the university, with participation from Nicholas School staff, student and alumni leaders.

“I am thrilled that Lori Bennear has been selected as the next dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment,” Murray said. “Lori’s exceptional leadership as interim dean over the past two years, her deep understanding of both the Nicholas School and Duke, and her collaborative leadership style made her the clear choice in a highly competitive search that attracted outstanding candidates from around the world. Her advocacy for the Nicholas School’s faculty, staff and students, along with her reputation as a respected scholar in environmental economics, were key strengths that set her apart.”

The Nicholas School of the Environment is dedicated to expanding knowledge about Earth and our environment, with the aim of restoring and preserving natural resources while adapting to a changing climate and a growing population. Learning and discovery occur across four research divisions: earth and climate sciences; earth and natural sciences; environmental social systems; and marine science and conservation.