Joao Costa, Associate Professor, Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Costa comes from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where he was an assistant professor in the Department of Animal and Food Science. His expertise is in precision dairy and dairy cattle management as related to behavior, nutrition, One Health, welfare, and sustainability. He received his PhD in animal sciences, with a focus on animal welfare and behavior from the University of British Columbia (UBC), and M.Sc in agroecosystems with a focus on dairy science, ethology and animal welfare from the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil.
Costa has a very active research program supported by significant extramural funding, has received numerous faculty and graduate student research awards, and has close to 100 refereed publications, besides being an active internationally and nationally recognized speaker.
Berke Tinaz, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Plant Biology
Tinaz earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Skidmore College where he was introduced to plant research and worked with Dr. David Domozych on algal cell walls.
After Skidmore, Tinaz came to UVM and earned his doctorate in plant biology, where he worked with Dr. Jeanne Harris on a nitrate transporter in Rhizobium-legume symbiosis and the plant hormone abscisic acid. Tinaz’s postdoctoral research will focus on nitrate signaling and helping to identify the nitrate sensor involved in regulating abscisic acid accumulation in plant roots.
Aubrie Howard, Student Success Advisor, CALS Dean’s Office
Howard earned her B.A in journalism and minor in peace and reconciliation studies from the University of Maine. She worked with students in various nonprofit, public, and independent school environments, which led her to complete her M.Ed. in school counseling at Goddard College. She also became a licensed Vermont school counselor.
In her current role as a student success advisor for CALS students, Howard provides professional advising, develops student events, and facilitates workshops for first year, transfer, and undeclared students. She uses restorative, trauma informed, and experiential practices to ground her work and support students success at UVM.
Rachel Leslie, Senior Project Manager of Strategic Initiatives, CALS Dean’s Office
In this new role, Leslie will work with the CALS Dean’s Office to implement, assess, update and revise the college’s strategic plan. She will also work to advance CALS’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Leslie previously served as the CALS communications manager for almost five years.
Before joining UVM, Leslie was the programs, research and communications manager at Stanford University’s Center for Innovation in Global Health. In that role, she served as program manager for five major academic initiatives and research programs, where she coordinated strategic planning, fundraising, program development, implementation and evaluation. She also led the planning and execution of over 50 Center-sponsored events/year including an inaugural Women Leaders in Global Health conference with over 400 attendees from 68 countries.
At UVM, Leslie directed college-wide communications to support student recruitment and retention and promoted CALS scholarship and research. She serves as a college representative on the University Diversity Council and on the CALS DEI Committee, leading the coordination of college-wide DEI initiatives, including professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.