Dr. Hirsch is a Cultural Anthropologist specializing in community sustainability, cultural diversity, asset-based community development, and network building. She came to Georgia Tech in 2015 after eight years working with communities, municipalities, museums, universities, and businesses on sustainability and climate action in the Chicago area as well as around the country. She also has an extensive background in university administration, focused on study abroad and experiential education.

She earned her Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University and her BA in American Culture from Northwestern University. She studied abroad at Waseda University in Japan and spent three years working in Japan for the Japanese government and Baxter Healthcare. In her free time, Dr. Hirsch enjoys biking, hiking, and kayaking, spending time with her partner, son, and their two wire-haired terriers, reading, traveling (particularly to Asia), and volunteering with fair trade and reentry from prison programs.