Kit Friedman

Kit is second-year master’s student in the Urban and Regional Planning program at Virginia Tech, originally from Long Island, New York. They are also pursuing an additional certificate in Science, Technology, and Society (STS). They graduated from Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and the Environment in 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources Conservation and Recreation Management. They are interested in environmental planning and policy, sustainable land stewardship, and grassroots conservation movements. Kit has held several positions engaging with local communities, ranging from environmental education as a park ranger at Natural Bridge State Park to serving over 10,000 meals to food insecure families across the New River Valley as the Summer Feeding Program Coordinator with the YMCA at Virginia Tech. They also serve as the Urban Affairs and Planning Department senator to the Graduate and Professional Student Senate, representing the graduate students in university governance and policy decisions.  They bring their experience and passion for service and community engagement and background in natural resources and STS to CECE’s research projects. In their free time, Kit enjoys spending time outside with their dog, Molly, and can frequently be found kayaking on the New River, ziplining through the forests of the Blue Ridge, cooking on the grill, and playing guitar around a bonfire.