University of Colorado Denver

Andy Pattison received his B.A. in Biology from Skidmore College in 1999 and went on to work as a conservation biologist for The Nature Conservancy in New York and Colorado specializing in butterfly habitat protection. Andy later worked as an educator and ecotourism guide Central America and Fiji with Blue Academy, a company he co-founded, while also teaching at Monte del Sol, a charter school in Santa Fe, NM.

Andy completed his MPA with a focus in Environmental Policy, Management, and Law at UCD’s School of Public Affairs (SPA) in 2007 while working at the Wirth Chair in Sustainable Development Policy as a policy researcher and advocate. In that same year he was awarded a National Science Foundation IGERT grant to pursue his PhD at SPA through the interdisciplinary Sustainable Urban Infrastructure program.

Andy’s research interests include: local climate and sustainability policy, policy process theories, the role of science and technical information in policy-making, and issues of social equity in sustainability and climate policy. As a member of the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (CSIS) at UCD Andy worked on teams completing greenhouse gas inventories and climate action plans for local governments in Colorado. He taught classes in the MPA program, including “Public Administration and Public Service”. He plans to complete his dissertation, which is on energy and climate related policy at the municipal and state level, in early 2013.

In addition to his academic work, in 2009 Andy participated as a Fellow in: the Denver Community Leadership Forum, as well as the Colorado State Political Leaders Fellowship. In 2010 & 2011 Andy was also the Sustainability Director for the Auraria Higher Education Center, a 50,000-person campus in downtown Denver, and a member of the Governor’s Pollution Prevention Advisory Board providing policy advice to the Governor and the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment.

In late 2011 Andy moved to Santa Barbara to join his partner Chandra who was beginning her doctorate at UCSB. Andy worked as a Senior Planner in the Sustainability and Climate Change team for PMC leading greenhouse gas inventories and climate action planning project for local governments and clients before leaving to launch his own consulting company. Andy also teaches at California Lutheran University in the Master in Public Policy and Administration program on topics such as public administration, public policy, and political economy.

While pursuing his PhD in Public Affairs at UCD under the IGERT program, Andy is continuing his research in municipal-scale sustainable development policy centered on energy and climate issues. The working title of his dissertation is "Beliefs, Learning, and Policy Entrepreneurs: An Examination of Local Climate Policy Development".

Publications

Books:

“Energy Management and Conservation Muni Best Practices”. Andrew Pattison. A publication of the Colorado Municipal League and the Wirth Chair in Environmental and Community Development Policy, August 2007.

Articles:

“A Social-Ecological Infrastructural Systems (SEIS) Framework for Inter-Disciplinary Study of Sustainable City Systems: An Integrative Curriculum Across Seven Major Disciplines.” Anu Ramaswami, Christopher M. Weible, Deborah Main, Tanya Heikkila, Saba Siddiki, Andrew Duvall, Andrew Pattison, Meghan Bernard. Forthcoming. Journal of Industrial Ecology.

“Policy Analytical Capacity and Policy Activities” (2012). Chrisopher Weible, Dallas Elgin, and Andrew Pattison. Canadian Political Science Review 6(1): 125-137.

“Policy Analytical Capacity Inside and Outside Government: A Case Study of Colorado Climate and Energy Issues” (2012). Dallas Elgin, Andrew Pattison, and Christopher Weible. Canadian Political Science Review 6(1): 101-116.

“Harnessing Expert-Based Information for Learning and the Sustainable Management of Complex Socio-Ecological Systems” (2010). Chris Weible, Andrew Pattison, and Paul Sabatier. Environmental Science & Policy 13(6): 522-534.

Conference Papers & Presentations:

“Production or Consumption? Unpacking the Socio-Economic Drivers of Carbon Emissions at the County Level”. Andrew Pattison, Robby Habans, and Matthew Thomas Clement. Presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference. Chicago, IL. April 12 – 15, 2012.

“Policy Analytical Capacity and Policy Activities”. Dallas Elgin, Andrew Pattison, and Chris Weible. Presented at: Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Annual Conference. Washington, D.C. November 3-5, 2011 & Western Economic Association International Annual Conference. San Diego, CA. June 29 – July 3, 2011.

“Policy Analytical Capacity Inside and Outside Government: A Case Study of Colorado Climate and Energy Issues”. Dallas Elgin, Andrew Pattison, and Chris Weible. Presented at the Western Economic Association International Annual Conference. San Diego, CA. June 29 – July 3, 2011.

“Maintaining Momentum: Moving from a GHG Inventory to a Climate Action Plan”. Andrew Pattison and Jarrett Smith. Presented at: the Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit. Boulder, CO. February 2011 & The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference. Denver, CO. Oct 11 2010.

“Understanding What is Inside the Box: Analysis of Policy Design and Social Construction”. Jonathan Pierce, Kristin Schumacher, Saba Siddiki, and Andrew Pattison. Presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference. Chicago, IL. April 22-25, 2010.

“A Review of Green Job Estimations for Colorado”. Andrew Pattison, Abel Chavez, Anu Ramaswami, and Blair Gifford. Presented at the Colorado Wal-Mart Green Jobs Council Summit. Denver, CO. November 18, 2009.

“Conducting a Greenhouse Gas Inventory”. Andrew Pattison. Presented at the Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit. Boulder, CO. February 11-13, 2009.

“An Analysis of Policy Pathways to Reduce Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Residential Buildings”. Andrew Pattison. Presented at the University of Colorado Denver Annual Research and Creative Activities Symposium. Denver, CO. April 11, 2008.

“Initiating and Implementing the Expansion of a Clean Energy Program into a Integrated Sustainable Campus Program”. Andrew Pattison. Presented at the Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit. Boulder, CO. February 22-23, 2007.