A great way to welcome the 2015 Fellows is by attending a Switzer retreat or event!  This coming year will mark 30 years of the Switzer Foundation supporting environmental leaders, and we want to celebrate!  We will host several events over the course of the year, but we will kick off the celebration at the upcoming fall retreats.  For this year's retreats, we're offering some travel reimbursement for alumni (domestic plane travel available, from within a reasonable distance!), and the agenda will offer something for everyone, including: 

• Rockwood Leadership Institute 'Transformative Leadership' training;
• Facilitated alumni discussion/workshop on the role of race, power and privilege in environmental leadership (see below);
• Saturday reception and dinner for weekend participants and alumni;
• Saturday evening campfire (calling all musicians, on both coasts - come play at the campfire!);
• Sunday networking sessions and family-friendly outdoor activities if weather permits (local alumni, bring the family!).

The New England Retreat will be September 18-20th at the Warren Inn and Conference Center in Ashland, MA.  The California Retreat will be October 2-4th at NatureBridge at the Marin Headlands in Sausalito. 

Other events will be scheduled throughout the year, but here are two that are already scheduled:

• Saturday evening, March 12, 2016, Washington, DC - Reception, dinner, and keynote (TBD) at Urbana, Hotel Palomar, 2121 P Street, NW
• Friday evening, May 20, 2016, San Francisco, CA - Reception and keynote (TBD).  Exact location TBD.

Stay tuned for more information on these and other gatherings in the works, including in Boston, southern California, and possibly in conjunction with the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City, CA, in January 2016. 

Photo: Cayusa/Flickr

The recent events in Charleston, South Carolina, and the tragic church burnings in the south have become a call to action, says Switzer Executive Director Lissa Widoff.  How can we as a Foundation, and a community of environmental leaders, take this moment of tragedy to reflect on our role in leading towards social justice, equity, and understanding of the many dimensions of difference - race, class, privilege, and more?

Read more

Friends and colleagues of Switzer Fellow Rafe Sagarin, who passed away recently as a result of a tragic accident, are putting together a petition to the Arizona Department of Transportation to build a one-mile memorial safe lane for bikes.  Click here to sign the petition on Change.org.

Again this year, the Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA) is opening their funders-only conference to a few environmental leadership program recipients, including Switzer Fellows.  This is explicitly NOT a fundraising opportunity, but is a terrific chance to learn about funder strategies on a range of environmental issues, and to hear prominent thought leaders across many fields.  The conference is September 28-30, 2015, in New Paltz, New York.  Since this is likely to be an annual offering and participation is on a competitive basis, we suggest only East Coast Fellows engaged in nonprofit and policy work consider applying this year.  Contact Lissa by July 15 for more information.

Our networking calls provide an informal way for Fellows to connect with each other on topics that directly inform their work.  This year, we're also inviting Fellows to include their colleagues on these calls to help expand your network.  We'll provide information about those participating in each call ahead of time.  We use WebEx Meeting Center, so participants have a chance to network face-to-face using their webcams (optional).  Contact Lauren for more information.

See list of upcoming Network calls.

See list of all Events.