Donald Friend

Don Friend is a distinguished professional in the field of geography, currently serving as a Distinguished Professor of Geography and founding Director of the Minnesota Modeling and Simulation Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato since 1997. Friend has held various roles including Chair of the Department of Geography, Special Assistant to the Provost, and Director of Earth Science Programs. Additionally, Friend contributed as a Jefferson Science Fellow and Senior Science Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development from August 2019 to July 2020. Internationally, Friend has been a Guest Professor at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences and a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Germany. Educational credentials include a PhD in Geography from Arizona State University, an MA from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a BS in Conservation of Natural Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.