Boston keynote speaker Terry Tempest Williams, and Lissa Widoff

So far, our gatherings in celebration of our 30th anniversary have all been outstanding!  Our receptions in Washington, DC, and Boston were extremely well attended (about 70 people at each!), with inspiring speakers and lots of connections, re-connections, and great conversation.  Our gathering in the Los Angeles area was also well attended, bringing Fellows and Switzer family to the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino and then to dinner in Pasadena.  We have been reminded how much we enjoy seeing everyone, and how wonderful it is to get a roomful of compassionate, committed, smart people together.  

Our second annual Policy Communications training with COMPASS in March was another great success!  24 Fellows (the 2015 cohort, and several Leadership Grantees) participated in this two-day training which culminated in 40 individually arranged meetings with Congressional staff, international development organizations, NGOs and agencies.  Several Fellows were invited to continue advising current policy discussions.  We will follow these conversations with great interest!

On March 25th, Switzer Fellows joined colleagues from the Environmental Leadership Program, the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, and the New England Grassroots Environment Fund to spend a day exploring issues of diversity and inclusion in environmental leadership.  Working with trainers from VISIONS, Inc., we explored our understanding of the impact of race, privilege and systemic oppression within the social structures of our work.  We've now offered this training twice, and the feedback we've received has bolstered our commitment to incorporating principles of diversity and inclusion in our offerings to Fellows.  

How do you build a diverse network of leaders, scientists, community members, and natural resource managers to inspire engagement and action on climate policy?  Amber Pairis writes about her experience through a Switzer Leadership Grant, leading the Climate Science Alliance-South Coast.