Eve Barnett
Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Analyst, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
“I’m grateful for the support and mentorship I received while at Yale – the meaningful opportunities to engage with professors and practitioners alike helped me understand the world of possibilities and the path I wanted to pursue.”
Lani Chang
Project Manager, Wildfire Crisis Strategy at the USDA Forest Service – Pacific Northwest Regional Office
“I work for a team that supports strategic projects to implement 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy in the Northwest. Much of my work focuses on promoting equity in wildfire risk reduction efforts and co-production of actionable science between researchers and managers. As an interdisciplinary program, YSE helped me refine my skills as a boundary spanner.”
Humna Sharif
Climate Adaptation Manager at The Nature Conservancy Maryland/DC Chapter
“My work at UCROSS helped me dive into the intersectional nature of climate adaptation solutions and gave me a deeper understanding of the environmental, social, economic, and justice aspects of this work. While my work at UCROSS was focused on land protection efforts in Wyoming, I still use the deep understanding of communities’ connection to their lands and waters in my work on the Maryland coastline. I was able to develop key transferable project management and writing skills during my fellowship. UCROSS helped me connect with the Nature Conservancy, my project advisor at the time and my current employer.”
Tim Ibbotson Sindelar
Global Sustainability Manager for Driscoll’s
“At Driscoll’s, my goal is to help us to grow berries more sustainably. This means setting realistic but ambitious environmental targets and helping our growers and our entire supply chain reach those targets. To be successful, theory and practice must unite. Ucross and YSE very intentionally mix class-based and immersive education, meaning practice and theory complemented one another throughout my entire time at Yale. “
Austin Rempel
Riparian Restoration Program Manager at The Nature Conservancy
“Ucross helped me to establish connections with the Nature Conservancy in Wyoming and gave me the opportunity to spend the summer living on a ranch where I first learned about low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR). That experience laid the foundation for my current role stewarding an agreement between the Bureau of Land Management and The Nature Conservancy which seeks to scale up implementation of LTPBR and make it more visible, widespread, accessible, affordable, and effective.”
Jake Barker
Assistant Professor of Practice at Oregon State University Forestry and Natural Resources Extension
“Working across three counties in northwestern Oregon, I provide education and resources to small forestland owners, collaborate with agencies, and contribute to the larger natural resources professional community. I engage one-on-one with landowners, conduct forest visits, and lead classes and workshops on forestry topics. Every day I rely on the researching, networking, and event planning skills I developed with Ucross and WCC.”
Kathleen Voight
Additive Conservation Manager with the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
“My work focuses on improving ecological and agricultural values on conserved agricultural lands. I am working on a watershed-scale fire mitigation project in northwestern Colorado and I am supporting the Colorado Soil Health Program. I am also supporting CCALT’s Agricultural Resiliency Fund (ARF), which funds landowner-led projects focused on irrigation improvements, grassland health, and wildfire mitigation. As a Ucross Research Assistant, I assisted with the development of CCALT’s ARF, which is now on its second annual funding round! Through my work with Ucross, I developed the knowledge and relationships that inspired me to pursue this work.”
Ben Williamson
Project Manager, Mountains and Plains Thriving Communities Collaborative (MaPTCC) at Montana State University
“MaPTCC is one of 17 environmental justice centers established by the EPA in 2023. Our goal at MaPTCC is to ensure that the public investments in the Inflation Reduction Act and others don’t pass over the communities in EPA Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY) that need them most. Many overburdened tribal and rural communities need support in applying for and receiving federal grants for environmental and energy projects. This is the gap our center is filling. In my role at MaPTCC, I draw on skills I honed during my time at YSE and Ucross: communicating effectively, strategic planning, and delivering on commitments. I’m grateful to Ucross for providing the space to develop these skills.”
UHPSI students go on to…
- Program Analyst, National Park Service
- Social Scientist, U.S. Forest Service
- Executive Director, Lake County Resource Conservation District
- Forest Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy
- Director of Carbon Dioxide Removal, U.S. Department of Energy
- Policy Analyst, Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air
- Content Strategy Lead, ESRI StoryMaps
- Environmental Scientist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Director of Conservation, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
- Faculty, Emerson College
- Solar Developer, Candela Renewables
- Director of Sustainability and Strategy, Conservation Resources
- Community Water Planner, Stantec
- Manager, Native (Public Benefit Corporation)
- North Coast Project Manager, Trust for Public Land
- Forest Program Director, The Nature Conservancy- Wyoming
- Senior Climate Finance Advisor, U.S. Agency for International Development
- Impact and Sustainability Reporting Analyst, PopSockets
- District Ranger, U.S. Forest Service
- Stewardship Forester, Pacific Forest Trust
- Natural Resources and Tribal Relations Specialist, U.S. Forest Service
- Global Purchasing & Sustainable Sourcing Analyst, Griffith Foods
- GIS and Forest Monitoring Analyst, Wildlife Conservation Society
- Policy Analyst, California Department of Social Services
- Wildfire Crisis Strategy Project Manager, U.S. Forest Service
- Doctoral Student, Stanford University