ABOUT THIS BLOG: I'm an accidental academic (*not* on the tenure track) with a LOT of opinions about what makes higher ed vital...and what needs to change. On the ZEST blog/newsletter/what-have-you, you'll find my rants, advice, and favorite resources for sharing science, navigating academia, and being relevant *beyond* the academy. The foundation of ZEST is my conviction that change is possible. And urgent. But, we have to get real: systemically making the world a better place requires actually changing the system. No more task force reports collecting dust on a shelf. Change is a nested-doll process: identify grand, ambitious objectives, then work from the ground up (I'm talking policies, procedures, forms, and succession plans!) to reconceptualize and make the work of growth and change tangible. Capacity building isn't just about renovations and big budgets. It's about skills, shared values, and the daily, committed grind that moves us collectively forward. My work is to coach and study how people use tools, habits, evidence, and theoretical constructs that enable them to carry science knowledge out into the world as a toolkit for the good of society and the planet. I do this by tapping the deep synergies between science, the arts, and the humanities, with a hefty side helping of administrative nerdery. You can expect a mash-up of all that here at ZEST.