Catie DeMets

Catie DeMets is a third-year doctoral student in Urban and Regional Planning. She engages in research at the confluence of sustainable food systems, community entrepreneurship, and agricultural land access and conservation, and aims to understand and build sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems and communities. Catie earned an MS in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana in Missoula, where she was a Bertha Morton Fellow. She earned a BA in Geology and Environmental Studies from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Most recently, Catie worked at the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters and, before that, Community Food & Agriculture Coalition. During her Master’s, she conducted a grant program evaluation, published research on two agricultural cooperatives, and instructed several undergraduate courses. She also received recognition in statewide pitch competitions for a community-building, sustainable food enterprise that she aspires to start someday. Catie’s career in environmental and community systems really took flight during the NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) she participated in – one at the University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2, and the other at Colorado State University’s Center for Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes (CMMAP). She has several publications to her name.

In her free time, she loves exploring natural places with her husband and two dogs, whether by land, snow, or sea. She also enjoys gardening, messing up her kitchen with overambitious cooking projects, and spending time with family and friends. She grew up surrounded by the farms and open lands outside of Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin