Daniel J. and Julie A. Robison

The Daniel J. And Julie A. Robison Undergraduate Research Fund was established in 2012 by Dr. Daniel J. And Mrs. Julie A. Robison. When fully funded, the endowment will provide scholarship support for undergraduate students enrolled in forestry and environmental resources.

Dan Robison grew up in New Jersey, where his dad was a pharmaceutical research microbiologist and his mom a nurse and school teacher. He has on older brother and growing up, they did everything together — from Boy Scouts to working on a dairy farm in upstate New York. Dr. Robison completed his first degrees in forestry at the State University of New York – College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) and then a Ph.D. in forest entomology at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Julie Robison grew up in Wisconsin, where her dad was a social worker and her mom a child care provider. She has three siblings. Julie earned her bachelors degree in communications from the University of Minnesota, Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from University of Wisconsin – Madison, and executive education from Harvard University and Villanova University.

After graduate school in Wisconsin the Robison’s spent two years in Ivory Coast, West Africa, working for international development organizations (1991-1993). From there they settled in Syracuse, NY where Dan worked as research faculty at SUNY ESF, and Julie continued her career in international development with RTI International, as well as working as a consultant to the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship. In 1997 they relocated to Cary, NC.

From 1997 to 2012 Dan worked at NC State University’s College of Natural Resources as professor, director of the Hardwood Research Cooperative (1997-2004), and as assistant and associate dean for research, extension and program development (2004-2012), and completed the NSCU Natural Resources Leadership Institute, and was a Fellow of the American Council of Education (2007-2008). During this time Julie continued international development work in Africa and Eastern Europe with RTI International, and also served as an elected town councillor in Cary from 2001 -2012. Their daughter Sophie and Hannah graduated from Cary Academy High School.

In 2012 they moved to Morgantown, WV where Dan served as Dean and Experiment Station Director for West Virginia University’s Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. Julie seven WVU as Senior Advisor to Vice President for Administration and Finance. In 2019, the Robinson’s moved to Ames, Iowa where Dan became the Endowed Dean’s Chair and Experiment Station Director at Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Julie took up work as Program Coordinator and Extension Specialist in Community Development with ISU’s College of Design.