Jon Shefner
Professor and Head of Sociology
The University of Tennessee
Phone: (865) 974-7022
E-Mail: jshefner@utk.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Jon Shefner is the founder of the UT Green Economy Initiative and the Betty Lynn Hendrickson Professor of Social Sciences. His interest in the Green Economy is spurred by concern over diminishing numbers of good jobs with secure wages and career ladders. He obtained his Ph.D. in Sociology in 1997 from the University of California, Davis. His work has been largely qualitative, and he has conducted participant/observation fieldwork in Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, New Orleans, and Knoxville. He teaches in a variety of subfields, from field research to political economy and social movements, at both graduate and undergraduate levels. He is the author of one book, co-editor of seven books, and author of many scholarly articles and book chapters. He is currently the Head of the Department of Sociology and was the founding director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Global Studies (College of Arts and Sciences).
Emily Medley
Graduate Research Assistant
The University of Tennessee
Email: emedley3@vols.utk.edu
Emily Medley is pursuing a doctoral degree in Sociology with concentrations in political economy and environmental sociology. Her research explores the evolution of social entrepreneurship across across space and time, using a comparative historical lens and qualitative/ mixed methods. The goal of this work is to identify tensions between public and private sectors and institutional opportunities and obstacles to socially beneficial enterprising.
Lisa East
Post-Doctoral Research Associate
The University of Tennessee
Email: eeast2@vols.utk.edu
Lisa East has a doctoral degree in Sociology with concentrations in political economy and environmental sociology. Her research focuses on the historical development of corporate political organizations within fossil fuels sectors and the impact of corporate political work on environmental politics broadly. She has expertise in qualitative and mixed methods and remains active in community organizing efforts in the East Tennessee area.