Our Team
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Dr. Meghann Jarchow
Department of Sustainability & Environment
Chair and Associate Professor
Dr. Jarchow is interested in sustainability as a framework through which to make the world a better place. Her specific focus within the field of sustainability is on creating more multifunctional landscapes within the former tallgrass prairie region and in sustainability education. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach to evaluating opportunities to enhancing the multifunctionality of this region.
LinkedIn | Research Gate | Curriculum Vitae
Contact Information
Office Location
Akeley-Lawrence Science Center 201E
414 E. Clark St.
Vermillion, SD 57069
Office Phone
(605) 677-6122
Team
SUSTAINABILITY | RESEARCH
USD SUSTAINABILITY TEAM MEMBERS
Not Pictured:
Erin Smith
Jacinda Netzer
James Jennings
Chase Stahly
Chase is currently a teacher’s assistant for Earth Science 101 and a PhD student who successfully defended his master’s thesis about plant-based meat and cultured meat in September 2025. His current research focuses on sustainability education, mindsets, and visioning. Before starting graduate school, Chase received a B.A. in Sustainability and in English at USD in 2019, and he worked on a large-scale farm from 2019 to 2021. He loves to read, swim in the Missouri River, and garden.
Glen Marshall
Glen is a Ph.D. student in Sustainability. His research focuses on sustainable consumption, social entrepreneurship, and economic development in underserved and rural communities. Before beginning his doctoral studies, Glen served for ten years as CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud, where he worked on youth development and community-based initiatives. He recently earned his MBA with specializations in marketing and business leadership. Glen also serves as a business instructor at Sinte Gleska University. He is a husband, father, dog foster parent and nature enthusiast.
Jacob Frohreich
Ph.D. Student, Department of Sustainability & Environment, University of South Dakota
Jake Frohreich is a Ph.D. student in Sustainability at the University of South Dakota. His research focuses on sustainability knowledge, education, and their relationship to the adoption of sustainable practices among small independent craft breweries. Specifically, he is investigating the factors that drive or hinder sustainability implementation within the independent craft brewing sector, examining how business knowledge, leadership, production scale, and awareness influence sustainable decision-making.
Drawing on over two decades of leadership experience in the U.S. Air Force, Jake brings a leadership-oriented perspective to his research, blending sustainability, organizational behavior, and policy analysis to explore how small businesses operationalize sustainability principles. His teaching and scholarly interests include sustainability, leadership, entrepreneurship, and small business management.
At USD, Jacob has served as a graduate teaching assistant for the Sustainable Environment Lab and as a graduate administrative assistant supporting academic program operations. Beyond academia, he remains deeply engaged in veteran-focused community initiatives and sustainability advocacy.
Khushboo Jain is completing her Ph.D. in Sustainability and Environment at the University of South Dakota, where she models how management practices influence land carbon fluxes and soil health across agricultural landscapes. She currently works as an Agroforestry Research Specialist at the Savanna Institute, advancing regenerative agriculture through data-driven insights and geospatial innovation.
With a background in remote sensing, ecosystem modeling, and field research, Khushboo develops Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) systems that make it easier to track and reward climate-smart farming. Her work bridges science and application- transforming complex datasets into tools that support farmers, policymakers, and the growing carbon economy.
Khushboo has been recognized with numerous awards, including the NSF I-Corps National Grant, the U.S. Carbon Program Leadership Award, and the South Dakota Governor’s Giant Vision Competition. She was also the winner of USD’s 3-Minute Thesis Competition (2023) and has presented her work at international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.
Khushboo Jain
Lab Alumni
Alice Millikin
M.S. Completed 2014
PhD student at West Virginia University in the Wildlife and Fisheries Resources Program.
Erin Wetzstein
B.S. Sustainability (Biology and Chemistry Minors) | Completed 2018
Undergraduate Research
Andy Sechrist
M.S. Sustainability | Completed 2020
Abby Davis
M.S. | Completed 2015
Eva Soluk
M.S. Biology | Completed 2018
B.S. Biology (Sustainability Minor)
Amin Rastandeh
PostDoc Researcher
Elena Tsakakis
B.S. Biology (Sustainability Minor)
Completed 2016
Honors Thesis
Daniel Whirlwind Soldier
Sustainable RIVER REU | May 2019
Jacinda Maassen
PhD Student
Emily Roberson
B.A. Sustainability and Anthropology Completed 2016
U. Discover Scholar & Honors Thesis
Lilly Sencenbaugh
May 2019
Undergraduate Research
Rina Thapa
Graduate Student
Shelby Huber
B.A. Media and Journalism (Entrepreneurial Studies Minor) | Completed 2016
Sustainability Program Technology Fellow
Lindsay Wright
M.S. Sustainability | Completed 2019
Jade Muller-Smit
Undergraduate Student
Maggie Squyer
B.S. Biology and Sustainability (Political Science Minor).
Completed 2018
U. Discover Scholar
Morgan Carnes
B.S. Sustainability | Completed 2015
M.S. Sustainability | Completed 2019
Alexa Kruse
B.S. Biology and Sustainability
Completed 2018
U. Discover Scholar & Honors Thesis
Tanner Hall
B.S. Sustainability | Completed 2019