| This Month's Five Minute Task |
Update your resume and bio to include the fact that you are a Switzer Fellow! Remember, there are now over 500 Fellows around the world, many in high level leadership positions, so be sure you let colleagues know of this important award. You will also be helping us to elevate the visibility and recognition of the Switzer Network!
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How can Switzer Fellows based in academia be better recognized as experts in their field and become more active contributors to current science and policy debates? Please share your thoughts on the Switzer blog! Lissa has posed the question in the context of refining our Switzer vision. We need your input!
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| Upcoming Events and Webinars |
1/14/13: Reception for Switzer and AAAS Fellows, Washington, DC
1/28/13: Sacramento Fellows' meet at the Pour House, Sacramento, CA
3/22 - 3/24/13: Switzer California Spring Retreat & Study Tour - Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta Water Issues, Walnut Grove, CA
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Professional Conferences
Let Erin know if you will be attending any of these!
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Welcome to the first E-News of 2013! We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season, and we are looking forward to another year of being inspired by all of your great work! Please let Erin know if you have any announcements you'd like to share in the next E-News that will go out in early February.
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January Highlights: Switzer Network News and Discussions | |
Switzer Network News: Watch the first in a new series of reports about the environmental and public health implications of the international goods movement industry! We start with the potentially devastating effects of ship strikes on whales, focusing on the work of 2008 Fellow, Leslie Abramson, of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
Three Leadership Grants totaling $85,000 were awarded to organizations working with Switzer Fellows on critical environmental issues. This fall we limited proposal submissions to organizations requesting renewal funding for first year grants. Each organization has continued their commitment to providing resources, mentoring and professional development opportunities for these Fellows as they work to solve environmental issues locally and regionally, in the U.S. and abroad.
Communications Training
Finding it hard to keep up with everything going on at big conferences? Liz Neeley from COMPASS talks about wading into a conference tweet-stream!
Switzer Blog Discussions:
Do The Math - Fossil Fuel Divestiture Gains Steam
Lissa Widoff attended Bill McKibben's 'Do The Math' tour in Portland, Maine, recently and blogged about the experience.
Lissa also offers links to two new handbooks on Leadership, Collective Impact, and Networks from our colleagues at Leadership Learning Community.
Finally, Lissa also summarizes the findings from our recent Annual Survey of Fellows and invites feedback from you!
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| Switzer Program and Network News |
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Winter Regional Gatherings
 Fellows in the Sacramento area recently got together over drinks and had a chance to talk informally, network, and get to know each other (from left to right, Mele Wheaton, Stephen Wheeler, Barbara Bamberger, and Jessica Davenport). There is also a Sacramento gathering planned for January 28th. (Thanks to Jessica Davenport for organizing both of these!) Similar events are in the works for Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles - stay tuned for more information on those! If you wish to organize a happy hour or other informal gathering for Fellows in your region, contact Erin.
For Fellows in our nation's capital, and for those who will be in DC for the NCSE 'Disasters and Environment' conference Jan 15-17th, the Switzer Foundation is co-hosting a reception with AAAS Fellows on Monday evening, January 14th from 6-8 p.m. Switzer (and AAAS) Fellow Dr. Holmes Hummel, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Department of Energy's Undersecretary, will talk about Science & Civic Leadership: How are scientists answering the calls of our time? Don't miss it! RSVP deadline is January 10th. |
March 22-24, 2013: The California Spring Retreat will focus on the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta and will be led by Switzer Fellows and colleagues working on a variety of issues in the Delta. The retreat will be based at the Ryde Hotel in Walnut Grove, California (about 90 minutes east of San Francisco). Through site visits, interactive presentations and discussion, we will examine:
- The rich history of the Delta region and how that informs current challenges and opportunities in statewide water policy;
- The competing interests in water use and how this has affected ecological and human communities in the region and beyond; and
- Current restoration and conservation efforts, floodplain management, and future policy challenges.
The agenda is being finalized and will be posted very soon. There will be a modest registration fee, and we will request contributions to the food/lodging expenses on a sliding scale. There will be limited space for this weekend, so please let Erin know as soon as possible if you think you would like to attend! Official registration will begin as soon as the agenda is finalized but we can save you a spot if you let us know!
April 5-7, 2013: The New England Spring Retreat will examine some of the ways in which large-scale coastal and marine spatial planning has informed policy and conservation efforts in the northeastern U.S. We will hear from Fellows and colleagues whose work has been influenced by the process of spatial planning. The retreat will be based on the campus of Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, MA. We are working with Fellows on the planning committee to finalize the agenda, which we expect to share with all Fellows shortly.
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Grant Program Information and Deadlines
Applications for 2013 Fellowships are due on January 10th! Thanks to all of our Fellows who have expressed interest in interviewing Fellowship candidates, and if you are interested and haven't contacted Erin, please do so by January 15th!
Concept letters for the spring 2013 cycle of the Leadership Grant Program are due on February 1st. We will experience another round of very constrained funding resources for the spring cycle so we expect to have to limit the number of proposals we will consider. If you plan to submit a concept letter and you have not yet contacted Erin or Lissa, please do so right away! |
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Call for Stories: Spring Newsletter
Just a reminder, we are devoting the Switzer spring newsletter to the topic of energy efficiency in all its forms, from personal to professional. Tell us how you incorporate your values into your life. Do you live off the grid? Do you have a home with a really low carbon footprint? How does your work contribute to renewable energy, reducing energy use and other efforts to move the needle on policy, or lets you have a big impact on how others live? Please send all stories or ideas to Lauren! |
Leadership Development Opportunities
The following are opportunities available through other leadership development organizations. Switzer Fellows have participated in both programs so if you are interested and would like more information from a Fellow who has participated, please contact Erin and we can put you in touch.
- The Environmental Leadership Program is currently accepting applications for emerging environmental and social change leaders. In addition to 12 days of intense training, Fellows will join ELP's national network of nearly 550 leaders. Applications to participate in ELP's professional development program will be accepted through March 1, 2013. Contact Errol Mazursky, ELP's Executive Director, with questions.
- The Kinship Conservation Fellowship Program is accepting applications through January 26, 2013. This is a month-long in-residence (Bellingham, WA) environmental leadership program that focuses on market-based conservation case studies and specialized leadership training for its fellows. The 2013 program will take place from June 29 - July 26, 2013.
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Fellows in the News Highlights
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