David Bunn Chosen to Direct Environmental Policy and Management Program at UC Davis
By Lisa Howard
David Bunn has been selected to serve as director of the Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Management (EPM) program at UC Davis, a unique professional degree developed by the John Muir Institute of the Environment and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to train the next generation of environmental professionals.
As director of the EPM program, Bunn will lead a team of key contributors including the Muir Institute, faculty from across campus, and institutional partners in Sacramento and beyond.
Associate Professor Michael Springborn, the outgoing EPM faculty chair, and Professor Mark Lubell, the incoming chair, are faculty in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and were on the search committee. They were excited by Bunn’s unique mix of academic, public agency and private sector experience.
“We were looking for a needle-in-a-haystack skillset and are thrilled to have found such a great match in David,” said Springborn.
Since 2015, Bunn served as director of the California Department of Conservation, managing a staff of over 600 scientists and professionals to promote the judicious use and conservation of energy, land and mineral resources. Previously, he served as deputy director of the California Department of Fish and Game and as a natural resources policy consultant for the California State Senate and Assembly.
Bunn also served in previous positions at UC Davis, including associate director of the International Programs Office (now Global Engagement) in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. In addition, as an international project manager at the One Health Institute in the School of Veterinary Medicine, he coordinated research, training and capacity-building activities in East and West Africa and in Nepal over a nine-year period.
Bunn holds two graduate degrees from UC Davis: an M.S. in international agricultural development, and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Group in Ecology. He also holds a B.S. in wildlife biology from UC Davis.