Dr. Wendy Jepson, University Professor in the Department of Geography at Texas A&M University, was recently named a Fellow of the American Association of Geographers (AAG). The AAG Fellows program recognizes geographers who have made significant contributions to advancing geography, and Jepson and eleven other honorees were recognized as the 2022 class of AAG Fellows.

Jepson is an internationally recognized leader in water security issues and has conducted and presented water security research in numerous countries. A Fulbright Scholar (Brazil, 2016-2017), she is a recipient of several National Science Foundation grants that focus on water security.

“Jepson has long been at the forefront of finding solutions to water security issues, but she is also committed to addressing the pressing problems that geography faces as a discipline,” the AAG announcement read. “The AAG is therefore pleased to recognize Dr. Wendy Jepson as an AAG Fellow.”

She was also honored as a Texas A&M Chancellor’s EDGES Fellow earlier this academic year. The Chancellor’s Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship (EDGES) Fellowships honor mid-career faculty members making significant marks in their disciplines. Thirteen distinguished Texas A&M faculty members received the honor in 2021.

Jepson has led several international research projects to examine water governance, water security, and environmental justice for the benefit of advancing community and human wellbeing. Her individual research focuses on Latin America, principally Brazil and Mexico, with emerging research interests in Africa, including Ethiopia and West Africa.

As one of the founders of the Household Water Insecurity Experiences – Research Coordination Network (HWISE-RCN), Jepson has helped the network develop a cross-cultural indicator for household water security. The HWISE indicator challenges the water industry to not only consider its infrastructure but also the experiences of the people using that infrastructure, thus providing a strong incentive for change.

She also serves as the associate director of research (social science) at the Texas Water Resources Institute at the Texas A&M AgriLife Center in Dallas. She joined the institute’s leadership team in 2020 and as associate director works to develop and move forward initiatives that address pressing water security and resource issues facing Texans, as well as developing research to pursue those efforts.

Jepson has served as AAG National Councilor, been awarded the AAG Enhancing Diversity Award, and has contributed to the Enhancing Diversity Committee, the Committee on the Status of Women in Geography, and the AAG Climate Action Task Force. 

By Leslie Lee