Fellows List
Keyyana Blount
For the William Penn Foundation, Keyyanna works with the Watershed Protection team to articulate the connections between grant-supported activities and outcomes using their “theory of change” cumulative impact framework. She is a doctoral student at the University of Oregon studying carbon dynamics in estuarine wetlands within the context of wetland restoration.
Foundation Sponsor:
William Penn Foundation
Host Organization:
William Penn Foundation
Janae Davis
Janae assists the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Great Lakes Regional Office and the Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition (HOW) in kicking off their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Janae helps the NWF team clarify and work towards DEI goals related to institutional culture. She also provided feedback on the development of a project to launch the HOW Coalition’s DEI efforts and led an assessment of leaders and organizations serving frontline communities. Janae is a doctoral student in Geography at Clark University.
Foundation Sponsor:
National Wildlife Federation
Host Organization:
National Wildlife Federation
Vanessa De Anda
Vanessa assists the water, environmental education, and climate, and energy programs on various projects, ranging from synthesizing reports for Program Officers to attending webinars with leading environmental experts. She completed her MESM at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara in 2017 with a specialization in Water Resources Management.
Foundation Sponsor:
Pisces Foundation
Host Organization:
Pisces Foundation
Carla Dhillon
Dr. Carla Dhillon, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges. She is an environmental social scientist working in the areas of climate change, environmental justice, Indigenous studies, and science and
technology. Dhillon was a 2016 Environmental Fellow. She holds a bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and a master’s in Regenerative Studies from California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. She obtained a doctorate in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan.
technology. Dhillon was a 2016 Environmental Fellow. She holds a bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and a master’s in Regenerative Studies from California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. She obtained a doctorate in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan.
Foundation Sponsor:
C.S. Mott Foundation
Host Organization:
Vision for a Sustainable Environmental Future
Elena Huisman
Elena was born and raised in Driftwood, Texas, right outside of Austin where her interest in the environment first started. In 2012 she graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, MA with her bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Environmental Studies. Elena went on to earn my Master’s degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment in 2016. While in the Environmental Fellows Program Elena was placed at the National Environmental Education Foundation in Washington D.C. where she spent the summer working on evaluation methods and communications projects. Currently, she is the Grants and Program Manager at the Growald Family Fund where she manages the climate grantmaking team.
Foundation Sponsor:
National Environmental Education Foundation
Host Organization:
National Environmental Education Foundation
Gabriel Jones
Gabriel Jones is a Southern California native who has steadily moved east over time. As program coordinator with the Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA), and proud member of the inaugural cohort of Environmental Fellows, he now assists with planning and coordination for the Fellows Program as well as EGA signature events and communications. During his time as a fellow at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, he worked for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program to provide guidance to undergraduate students on navigating through their research placements and around campus resources, lead seminars on critical discussions of equity and the environment, and plan the 2017 Ann Arbor Diversity Forum. Gabriel received his Master’s in Environmental Justice and Master’s of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan and his Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Foundation Sponsor:
C.S. Mott Foundation
Host Organization:
Vision for a Sustainable Environmental Future
Joanna Lehrman
Joanna Lehrman works on strategies for effective engagement with communities impacted by the restoration of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. She prepares recommendations for how to fund inclusive engagement strategies around river restoration. She also works with the foundation to develop organizational Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies based on best practices, community, and board input. Joanna is a recent graduate from University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources & Environment with a Master’s in Landscape Architecture.
Foundation Sponsor:
Wege Foundation
Host Organization:
Wege Foundation
Erik Martinez
Erik is working to support the organization’s goal to protect special places located throughout the state of Massachusetts. With the Trustees, he has been able to help develop policies that will help guide Trustees employees on issues dealing with invasive species and land use concerns, as well as assisting with field surveys of sensitive and rare species found on their properties. Erik is a second year Master’s student at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara.
Foundation Sponsor:
Island Foundation
Host Organization:
Trustees of Reservations
Caroline Muraida
Caroline Muraida is a first-year Ph.D. student at the Stanford School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Science. Her research investigates the transgenerational health impacts of climate-related extremes. At the NRDC, Caroline authored a policy brief for the planned creation of an equity-centered, municipally-managed electric vehicle car share program in the City of New York. In addition, she contributed to research efforts on the scope of contaminants in public water systems across the United States. With WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Caroline worked with organizers conducting an urban heat island effects study as part of the larger Northern Manhattan Climate Action Plan. Caroline has a master’s in Environmental Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Foundation Sponsor:
New York Community Trust
Host Organization:
Natural Resources Defense Council
Kiara Ott
At the Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA), Kiara helps plan distance learning tours to Cuba and Southern Africa. She also assists in communication strategies among all members of the Environmental Fellows Program, and works on developing the EGA website’s resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Kiara recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Master’s in Environmental Health.
Foundation Sponsor:
Environmental Grantmakers Association
Host Organization:
Environmental Grantmakers Association