Visiting Faculty, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management

John Jostes is a practicing mediator and facilitator specializing in complex, science-intensive disputes involving environmental and public-policy issues. He recently received the 2013 Sharon M. Pickett Award for Environmental Protection through Conflict Resolution from the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR). John recently completed a multi-year term as a national co-chair of the Environment/Public Policy Section of ACR. He also recently completed his second term as a Santa Barbara City Planning Commissioner in 2012. He has facilitated and mediated numerous local and national dialogues, including those related to homelessness, the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Plan, the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation, and endangered species issues. He has helped parties from all levels of government, the public and the private sector negotiate agreements over general plan updates, intra-agency tax allocation, wetland and dune system restoration, and transportation corridor siting, to name a few. Jostes has served on the boards of the Community Environmental Council, The Sustainability Project, and the Southern California Mediation Association, and has conducted pioneering research that resulted in mitigation monitoring being incorporated into the California Environmental Quality Act (AB 884). Over his career, he has provided internships to nearly seventy students at UCSB and UC Santa Cruz. He holds a Masters in Public Administration with a Public Disputes specialization from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Select EH Courses: Organizations and Environmental Leadership, Environmental Negotiation, and Environmental Leadership