Fellows List
Victoria Loong
Hailing from Oak Park, IL, Victoria is a 2014 graduate of Purdue University. After working for two years as founding director of the Asian American Cultural Center at Purdue, she began her masters program in University of Michigan where she is now pursuing her interests in environmental policy.
Foundation Sponsor:
Solidago Foundation
Host Organization:
Solidago Foundation
Reflection Entry:
Claire Luce
Claire is a doctoral student in social work at Virginia Commonwealth University. She graduated with her MSW from the University of Illinois and with her BA in environmental science from Franklin University Switzerland. Her research interests include environmental justice and the intersection of the effects of climate change, trauma, migration, and mental health.
Foundation Sponsor:
Mertz Gilmore Foundation
Host Organization:
Virginia Conservation Network
Amonté Martin
l, Amonté Martin, am a first year doctoral student In the School of Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida. I desire to continue to develop as a researcher and learn more about the relationship between research and policy, specifically, environmental equity issues as they relate to urban and rural food deserts, food access, justice and policy.
Foundation Sponsor:
Mertz Gilmore Foundation
Host Organization:
Virginia Environmental Justice Coalition
University of Richmond
Sarah Naiman
I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University. My research aims to understand various barriers to Latinx engagement in environmental projects and organizations. Generally, I’m interested in how to include marginalized voices and concerns into mainstream environmental projects. In my spare time I love to play board games, hike, and play volleyball.
Foundation Sponsor:
Barr Foundation
Host Organization:
Clean Water Fund
Reflection Entry:
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: