Kerri LaCharite, PhD

Dr. Kerri LaCharite is an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at George Mason University's College of Public Health. She earned her Ph.D. in Sustainability Education from Prescott College and has dedicated her career to exploring the intersections of food systems, sustainability, and education.

Dr. LaCharite's expertise spans urban agriculture, food policy, and sustainable food systems. She has been actively involved in local food policy work, currently serving as co-chair of the Food Policy Task Force for the Fairfax Food Council and as a past member of the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council. Her research focuses on campus agriculture initiatives, food systems curriculum development, and the role of experiential learning in nutrition education.

She has published on urban agriculture and sustainability education, including work on campus farms and their pedagogical impacts. Dr. LaCharite regularly presents at national conferences and has received recognition for her teaching, including the Stearns Teaching Excellence Award and CPH Master Teacher Junior Faculty Award. She brings practical experience from her previous roles managing campus gardens and working within emergency food distribution.

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