Fellows List
April Richards
April Richards completed her master’s in Environmental Justice and Conservation Ecology at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability in 2018. While in graduate school, Richards explored the connections between environmental justice, fisheries, and aquatic ecosystems. Following her 2018 Fellowship through the Environmental Fellows Program with the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA), she received a job at the organization. She is now a Research Associate for ORCA’s One Health Initiative.
Foundation Sponsor:
11th Hour Project (Schmidt Family Foundation)
Host Organization:
Ocean Research and Conservation Organization
Sally Ross
Sally Ross, who resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is pursuing a master’s in Forestry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. During the spring 2019 term, Ross will serve as an applied research consultant for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s DEVELOP pathway program. Sally enjoys writing, mentoring, and meeting new people.
Foundation Sponsor:
Mertz Gilmore Foundation
Host Organization:
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Julie Skarha
Fellowship Year:
2018
Julie Skarha is a graduate student in the Department of Epidemiology at Brown University and was a 2018 Environmental Fellow. She received an undergraduate degree in environmental sciences and statistics. She is passionate about environmental and health justice for incarcerated populations. Currently, she is studying how people who are incarcerated may be more vulnerable to extreme temperatures and related health outcomes.
Foundation Sponsor:
C.S. Mott Foundation
Host Organization:
Natural Resources Defense Council
Reflection Entry:
Tabaris D. Smith
Tabaris D. Smith is a Research Associate at Alabama A&M University, where he was formerly a graduate student in Urban and Regional Planning; he specialized in Community Development and Transportation. Smith also studied topics such as food insecurity, food banks, and institutional diversity. He has worked as an organizer on a number of local, statewide and national campaigns including that of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. Smith was also a legislative aide for his state representative in Orangeburg. Smith obtained a bachelor’s in Economics from South Carolina State University in 2016.
Foundation Sponsor:
Barr Foundation
Host Organization:
Transportation for Massachusetts
Reflection Entry:
Tiffany Taulton
I am currently pursuing a Masters degree in Public Policy and Management, with a concentration in Environmental Policy, at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. I am particularly interested in Environmental Justice issues and helping vulnerable communities become more climate resilient. As a former Navy brat and traveling English teacher, I’ve been to over 20 countries. I enjoy working with people from diverse backgrounds and speak varying levels of Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese.
Foundation Sponsor:
New York Community Trust
Host Organization:
Environmental Defense Fund
Reflection Entry:
Chris Torres
Chris is a doctoral student in the Public Policy and Administration program at Boise State University. With a background in philosophy and environmental humanities from UC Berkeley and University of Oregon, he studies how concepts of and mechanisms for equity and social justice can be better designed into and implemented through environmental policy.
Foundation Sponsor:
Pisces Foundation
Host Organization:
Pisces Foundation
Reflection Entry:
Rebeca Villegas
Rebeca Villegas is a dual degree student at the University of Michigan pursuing a Master of Science and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning. She is specializing in environmental justice, land-use and environmental planning, and science, technology and public policy. Villegas looks forward to graduating in May 2020 and applying the skills she has garnered through her degrees to contribute to climate change resiliency efforts in urban and rural communities. Currently, she serves as an Equity Intern for the Office of Sustainability and Innovation for the City of Ann Arbor.
Foundation Sponsor:
C.S. Mott Foundation
Host Organization:
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Reflection Entry:
Fantasia Williams
Fantasia Williams is a graduate of Howard University where she studied Economics and Sociology. She now attends the University of Michigan where she is pursuing a master’s in Environmental Justice as well as a Master of Public Health in Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology. At Michigan, Williams is exploring ways in which minorities can minimize environmental health disparities and environmental injustices in an era of climate change.
Foundation Sponsor:
The JPB Foundation
Host Organization:
National Audubon Society
Reflection Entry:
Shanna Williamson
Shanna Williamson is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Digital Coast Fellow at the National Association of Counties (NACo). Williamson engages in research and outreach that helps coastal counties in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi increase their long-term resilience. Before joining NACo, Williamson worked for the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance where she assisted the organization with community outreach for their Great Neighborhoods Campaign. The campaign focused on reforming Massachusetts’ zoning and permitting laws. Williamson has a master’s degree from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and a bachelor’s in the Geosciences from Skidmore College.
Foundation Sponsor:
Barr Foundation
Host Organization:
Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance
Reflection Entry:
Brett Zeuner
Brett is an MS student in the Environmental Justice track at University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. His master’s project focuses on distributive justice, using GIS to measure Inequitable distributions of cumulative risk. He is also researching the use of conflict minerals in green technology. This Summer, Brett looks forward to working with the Environmental Grantmakers Association to better understand how social sustainability is conceptualized in environmental philanthropy.
Foundation Sponsor:
C.S. Mott Foundation
Host Organization:
Environmental Grantmakers Association