Blake Rupe earned her M.A. in International Studies with a focus on Conservation Policy from the University of Iowa. She is currently the Sustainability Program Manager at the UI Office of Sustainability and the Environment (OSE), where she works to connect students and faculty to classes, research, organizations, and companies to advance the mission of sustainability in Iowa. She is also an Adjunct Instructor in the Global Health Studies Program.

Blake's interests in global health are myriad, and include a passion for eliminating waste and supporting local food systems - and everything in between.

Before coming to the University, Blake worked as the founder of a startup company that created mobile apps to encourage sustainable behaviors.  Her research on garbage and international environmental policy has taken her to Veracruz, Mexico and Haiti.

At U Iowa, Blake teaches courses on the connection between garbage and health, and on social entrepreneurship in global health (for which students complete projects for a local non-profit, Community Health Initiative, Haiti).