Travis Tennessen to lead Western's Center for Community Learning

Travis Tennessen has been appointed to lead the Center for Community Learning as its new faculty director, following a national search that drew a strong pool of candidates. 

Tennessen has been the Center's interim director for the last two years and was Assistant Director for five years before that. With his doctorate in Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he is a geographer and community educator fascinated by the evolution of human-environment systems through time, and our species’ struggles to live more peacefully and gently. He seeks to infuse an ethic and practice of place-based learning throughout the university and the region. Tennessen created and co-facilitates Community Engagement Fellows and enjoys supporting the Sustainability Ambassadors. His distinctive approach to convening community engagement in higher education was featured in Bev and Etienne Wenger-Trayner's book "System Convening: A Crucial Form of Leadership for the 21st Century." 

Tennessen will lead the Center as it continues to develop its community leadership practices and plays a key role in supporting its strategic efforts to advance a deeper understanding of and engagement with place.