Executive Director Lissa Widoff

Greetings Switzer Fellows, friends,  

and colleagues,

As a private foundation whose mission is closely tied to the academic calendar through our Fellowship Program, we invariably greet the fall season with anticipation and excitement.  

This fall we will be gathering our twenty 2011 Fellows from New England and California in leadership retreats where they will build communication and leadership skills, learn about networked action and set their professional and personal goals. As part of our commitment to Fellows, we weave emerging themes and practices for solving complex problems into the collaborative learning environment that accompanies the Fellowship itself.

Collaborative action is essential, and collaborative skills are a prerequisite to innovation that can tap the strengths and expertise from many quarters.  Whether it is Fellow Michael Wilson's leadership in launching UC Berkeley's integrated Green Chemistry program in response to student and social needs, or Dustin Mulvaney of Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition holding the solar industry accountable for the life cycle of its products, or Heather Coleman and Sara Mersha engaging the most marginalized communities in climate change policies at international and local scales through OxFam and Grassroots International, we are learning that leadership is by no means a solitary feat. 

We are also increasing our investment in reporting the stories of Fellows' work through this newsletter, social media, Switzer Network News reports and our website. Fellows and our Network of environmental colleagues in all sectors are invited to contribute news on our blog, seek Fellows for solving today's environmental challenges, and collaborate with them to find new pathways for positive social and environmental change. Our mandate has in no way changed. We are only expanding the way we think about achieving our mission.  

In the spirit of collaboration, please see our Fellows and our Network as a resource in your efforts. I invite your ideas as we prepare Fellows to engage in the challenges ahead.

Lissa Widoff 

Executive Director, and Switzer Fellow (1992)

This year twenty new Fellows join the Switzer Network of nearly 500 Fellows. The 2011 Fellows cover a wide range of academic disciplines and professional interests, including conservation biology, sustainable food systems, engineering, law, marine biology, climate change, environmental education, and environmental justice. 

For example, Fellow Mark Elbroch is a published author and co-author of several field guides to wildlife tracking, animal skulls and animal behavior, who also collaborates with CyberTracker Conservation in South Africa.  He is completing his PhD in Ecology at the University of California, Davis.

Fellow Sarah Uhl led the Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Connecticut when it successfully campaigned for several pieces of groundbreaking state legislation, including a first-in-the-nation phase-out of bisphenol-A from food and beverage containers.  She is now studying the health effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.  

Fellow Jeannette Laramee spent three years in Zambia as a Project Manager for a local NGO, coordinating all aspects of construction of a residential and educational center for over 250 children.  She is currently pursuing a M. Eng. degree at Stanford University in Civil and Environmental Engineering, where her reasearch focuses on how wastewater treatment systems with resource recovery and reuse capabilities can be effectively implemented in developing country communities. 

All twenty environmental leaders have demonstrated an outstanding level of commitment to their work as well as the capacity to lead for on-the-ground change.  

Read the bios of all 2011 Fellows   

We have a limited number of spaces available for both keynote addresses.  If you would like to attend please contact Executive Director Lissa Widoff.

Carol Tucker, a 2001 Fellow and Brownfields Program Section Chief in the New England Environmental Protection Agency, has joined the Switzer Board.  Carol's government and community partnership experience will be a great asset to the Board and for Fellows.