Alumni Association Board 2016 - 2017
President
Gordon Clark '07 M.E.M. (2nd term ends 2017)Pescadero, CA
Gordon earned his B.A. in Environmental Studies and History at Bowdoin College. He then worked in Boston for the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, within its climate change program, to green the design and construction of public schools throughout New England and Atlantic Canada. Since 2007, he has held a number of positions at Peninsula Open Space Trust, a regional land trust based in Palo Alto, California, where he currently serves as Senior Director of Development, overseeing fundraising and the organization’s efforts to engage new audiences of conservation supporters.
Executive Committee
Vice President
Sara Smiley Smith ’07 M.E.Sc./M.P.H., ’16 Ph.D. (1st term ends 2017)New Haven, CT
Sara is the Program Manager for Yale College Environmental Studies where she works to cultivate a community of engaged problem solvers seeking solutions to a diverse set of environmental challenges. She received her Ph.D. from F&ES in 2016, and completed the joint master’s degree program between the School of Epidemiology and Public Health and F&ES in 2007. During her time at Yale, she has also had the opportunity to work in the University's Office of Sustainability. Sara holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Political Science from Middlebury College (2004). She spent her childhood on the remnants of her family’s dairy farm in the small town of Winslow, Maine.
Executive Committee
Secretary
Melissa Paly '87 M.F.S. (2nd term ends 2018)Portsmouth, NH
Melissa is a partner at CrossCurrent Communications, a communications consulting, marketing/PR, and media production company based in Portsmouth, NH. She has been involved in environmental communications and media production for more than 25 years, first with the Environmental Protection Agency, and since 1991 through her own business. She has worked extensively on issues around water, energy, land conservation, planning and growth management, affordable housing, fisheries, forestry, and more, with clients that range from government agencies to nonprofits, universities, museums, and businesses.
Executive Committee
Jaime Carlson ’09 M.E.M./M.B.A. (1st term ends 2019)
Los Angeles, CA
Jaime focuses on innovative business models to drive capital to natural resource management. Jaime is Global Finance Director at TerraForm, a $2B company operating renewable energy projects. She served in President Obama’s first term as advisor to former Energy Secretary Chu, overseeing deployment of $35B in Recovery Act funds. Jaime chaired the inaugural Yale Environmental Sustainability Summit (YESS) that gathered 400 alumni, students, and faculty from across Yale to discuss scaling solutions in sustainability. She founded Apertura Films, producer of “The Other Side,” named one of the best Latin American TV series by Rolling Stone Magazine and NY Television Festival winner.
Los Angeles, CA
Jaime focuses on innovative business models to drive capital to natural resource management. Jaime is Global Finance Director at TerraForm, a $2B company operating renewable energy projects. She served in President Obama’s first term as advisor to former Energy Secretary Chu, overseeing deployment of $35B in Recovery Act funds. Jaime chaired the inaugural Yale Environmental Sustainability Summit (YESS) that gathered 400 alumni, students, and faculty from across Yale to discuss scaling solutions in sustainability. She founded Apertura Films, producer of “The Other Side,” named one of the best Latin American TV series by Rolling Stone Magazine and NY Television Festival winner.
Ann Clarke '81 M.F.S., '92 D.F.E.S. (2nd term ends 2018)
Carmel Valley, CA
Ann is a mediator with expertise in environmental conflict management. Prior to moving to the Central Coast of California, she held positions at NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service in Washington, D.C., and at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. Prior to her Federal career, she was the Henry Clepper Forest Policy Intern at the Society of American Foresters, the Vermont State Forest Resources Planner, and an environmental planner in Oregon and Connecticut. She is past Chair of the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Law Section and past President of the D.C. Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. She earned her J.D. at the University of New Mexico Law School, where she was Lead Articles Editor on the Natural Resources Journal, an M.S. in geography at the University of Oregon, and a B.A. in geology at Colorado College.
Carmel Valley, CA
Ann is a mediator with expertise in environmental conflict management. Prior to moving to the Central Coast of California, she held positions at NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service in Washington, D.C., and at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. Prior to her Federal career, she was the Henry Clepper Forest Policy Intern at the Society of American Foresters, the Vermont State Forest Resources Planner, and an environmental planner in Oregon and Connecticut. She is past Chair of the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Law Section and past President of the D.C. Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. She earned her J.D. at the University of New Mexico Law School, where she was Lead Articles Editor on the Natural Resources Journal, an M.S. in geography at the University of Oregon, and a B.A. in geology at Colorado College.
Brandi Colander '07 M.E.M. (2nd term ends 2018)
Washington, D.C.
Brandi is the Associate Vice President of Natural Resources and Energy at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Prior to joining NWF, Brandi served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the United States Department of the Interior. She has worked in multiple sectors in the energy and environmental arena, including as an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, as Deputy General Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and as Director of Market Development and Regulatory Affairs for Opower. She holds a Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.
Washington, D.C.
Brandi is the Associate Vice President of Natural Resources and Energy at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Prior to joining NWF, Brandi served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the United States Department of the Interior. She has worked in multiple sectors in the energy and environmental arena, including as an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, as Deputy General Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and as Director of Market Development and Regulatory Affairs for Opower. She holds a Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.
David S. Ellum '01 M.F., '07 Ph.D. (2nd term ends 2019)
Asheville, NC
Dave is Professor of Sustainable Forestry at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. He also chairs the College's Environmental Studies Department and is the Director of the College Forest. His teaching and research focus on silviculture practices that target small landowners co-managing for multiple revenue streams and diverse ecological values, especially medicinal plants and agroforestry systems. He lives in Fairview, NC, with his wife and two children.
Asheville, NC
Dave is Professor of Sustainable Forestry at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. He also chairs the College's Environmental Studies Department and is the Director of the College Forest. His teaching and research focus on silviculture practices that target small landowners co-managing for multiple revenue streams and diverse ecological values, especially medicinal plants and agroforestry systems. He lives in Fairview, NC, with his wife and two children.
Emily Enderle '07 M.E.M. (2nd term ends 2018)
Washington, D.C.
Emily currently serves as the Chief Environmental Policy Advisor for U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), where she specializes in climate change and toxics. Previously, she was an Environmental Health Advocate at Earthjustice. She contributed to and edited “Diversity and The Future of the U.S. Environmental Movement,” and co-founded the D.C. Chapter of the Environmental Professionals of Color Network. Emily holds a B.A., with high honors, in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College and is an Environmental Leadership Program Senior Fellow. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and son.
Washington, D.C.
Emily currently serves as the Chief Environmental Policy Advisor for U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), where she specializes in climate change and toxics. Previously, she was an Environmental Health Advocate at Earthjustice. She contributed to and edited “Diversity and The Future of the U.S. Environmental Movement,” and co-founded the D.C. Chapter of the Environmental Professionals of Color Network. Emily holds a B.A., with high honors, in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College and is an Environmental Leadership Program Senior Fellow. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and son.
Alex Finkral '97 M.F., '05 Ph.D. (1st term ends 2018)
Chapel Hill, NC
Alex is Chief Forester of The Forestland Group, a timberland investment manager (TIMO) that specializes in naturally regenerating hardwood forests. Prior to joining The Forestland Group, Alex was an assistant Professor of Forest Management at Northern Arizona University’s School of Forestry. Currently Alex is also an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Tech and serves on the USDA Forestry Research Advisory Council. He lives with his wife and kids in Chapel Hill, NC.
Chapel Hill, NC
Alex is Chief Forester of The Forestland Group, a timberland investment manager (TIMO) that specializes in naturally regenerating hardwood forests. Prior to joining The Forestland Group, Alex was an assistant Professor of Forest Management at Northern Arizona University’s School of Forestry. Currently Alex is also an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Tech and serves on the USDA Forestry Research Advisory Council. He lives with his wife and kids in Chapel Hill, NC.
Cassie Flynn '07 M.E.M. (2nd term ends 2019)
Brooklyn, NY
Cassie serves as a Climate Change Advisor at the United Nations Development Programme, where she advises countries on the international climate change negotiations and the fulfillment of national mitigation and adaptation targets. She is also the Co-Founder, with two fellow F&ESers, of ioby (in our backyards), a web-based platform that builds stronger, more sustainable neighborhoods. She hosts a regular video series called “Climate Winners” that shares ideas, stories, and information on personal actions we can take to address the climate challenge.
Brooklyn, NY
Cassie serves as a Climate Change Advisor at the United Nations Development Programme, where she advises countries on the international climate change negotiations and the fulfillment of national mitigation and adaptation targets. She is also the Co-Founder, with two fellow F&ESers, of ioby (in our backyards), a web-based platform that builds stronger, more sustainable neighborhoods. She hosts a regular video series called “Climate Winners” that shares ideas, stories, and information on personal actions we can take to address the climate challenge.
James Lyons '79 M.F. (2nd term ends 2018)
Edgewater, MD
Jim is Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals in the U.S. Department of the Interior. He most recently directed the Renewable Energy program at Defenders of Wildlife and continues as a lecturer and research scholar at F&ES. Previously he worked with Oxfam America and as executive director of the Casey Trees Endowment Fund. During the Clinton Administration, Jim served as USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment overseeing the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Most of Jim's career has focused on natural resource conservation and public land policy issues, working in the Congress, as policy director for the Society of American Foresters, and beginning his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Edgewater, MD
Jim is Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals in the U.S. Department of the Interior. He most recently directed the Renewable Energy program at Defenders of Wildlife and continues as a lecturer and research scholar at F&ES. Previously he worked with Oxfam America and as executive director of the Casey Trees Endowment Fund. During the Clinton Administration, Jim served as USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment overseeing the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Most of Jim's career has focused on natural resource conservation and public land policy issues, working in the Congress, as policy director for the Society of American Foresters, and beginning his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Joe MacDougald ’05 M.E.M. (1st term ends 2017)
Madison, CT
Joe is a Professor in Residence, the Strasser Fellow in Environmental Law, and the Executive Director of the Center for Energy & Environmental Law (CEEL) at the University of Connecticut School of Law. Joe also serves as the Director of UConn Law’s Energy & Environmental LL.M. degree program and as an Executive Board Member for the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation. Joe is also an Advisory Board Member for the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy. Joe has held many elected or appointed offices in Madison, CT, including Selectman, PZC Chairman, and Chairman of the Board of Finance. Prior to joining academia, Joe had a full corporate career as a General Counsel and then President of an international biomaterials company.
AYA Delegate
Madison, CT
Joe is a Professor in Residence, the Strasser Fellow in Environmental Law, and the Executive Director of the Center for Energy & Environmental Law (CEEL) at the University of Connecticut School of Law. Joe also serves as the Director of UConn Law’s Energy & Environmental LL.M. degree program and as an Executive Board Member for the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation. Joe is also an Advisory Board Member for the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy. Joe has held many elected or appointed offices in Madison, CT, including Selectman, PZC Chairman, and Chairman of the Board of Finance. Prior to joining academia, Joe had a full corporate career as a General Counsel and then President of an international biomaterials company.
AYA Delegate
Tara Meyer '15 M.E.Sc. (1st term ends 2019)
Portland, OR
Tara is a Biologist with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, where she manages private lands access and wildlife conflict programs and staff in Region 5 (southwest Washington). Prior to F&ES, Tara worked to solve conservation and wildlife conflict issues in Wyoming, Tanzania, and across the Asia-Pacific. Tara is currently serving as a Human-Wildlife Coexistence Technical Advisor for the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network and as the Committee Chair for the new MK McCarthy-RW Worth Scholarship for Leadership in Conservation Science, which she designed and co-created while studying at F&ES.
Portland, OR
Tara is a Biologist with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, where she manages private lands access and wildlife conflict programs and staff in Region 5 (southwest Washington). Prior to F&ES, Tara worked to solve conservation and wildlife conflict issues in Wyoming, Tanzania, and across the Asia-Pacific. Tara is currently serving as a Human-Wildlife Coexistence Technical Advisor for the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network and as the Committee Chair for the new MK McCarthy-RW Worth Scholarship for Leadership in Conservation Science, which she designed and co-created while studying at F&ES.
Jen Molnar '04 M.E.M. (2nd term ends 2017)
Washington, D.C.
Jen is the director of The Nature Conservancy’s Central Science Program, which identifies, tests and develops new approaches that improve how conservation benefits both nature and people. The program's projects relate to ecosystem services, human well-being, economic measures for conservation, corporate practices and urban conservation. Jen was editor and co-author of the Atlas of Global Conservation and has led global analyses of habitat conditions and threats, with a focus on marine and freshwater systems.
Washington, D.C.
Jen is the director of The Nature Conservancy’s Central Science Program, which identifies, tests and develops new approaches that improve how conservation benefits both nature and people. The program's projects relate to ecosystem services, human well-being, economic measures for conservation, corporate practices and urban conservation. Jen was editor and co-author of the Atlas of Global Conservation and has led global analyses of habitat conditions and threats, with a focus on marine and freshwater systems.
Kris Morico '98 M.E.M. (1st term ends 2018)
Denville, NJ
Kris is the leader of environmental programs for GE, where she is responsible for the development and implementation of associated programs globally. Previously, she was the global leader of water programs in the GE corporate Environmental Health and Safety group for nearly eight years. Kris began her career as a process engineer for the Regional Water Authority and has since assumed a variety of positions across several Fortune 500 companies. She is a licensed professional environmental engineer, board certified environmental engineer (among other certifications), and elected Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers. She serves on the advisory board for the UConn School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and is the Vice President/President-elect of the National Association of Environmental Managers (NAEM).
Executive Committee
Denville, NJ
Kris is the leader of environmental programs for GE, where she is responsible for the development and implementation of associated programs globally. Previously, she was the global leader of water programs in the GE corporate Environmental Health and Safety group for nearly eight years. Kris began her career as a process engineer for the Regional Water Authority and has since assumed a variety of positions across several Fortune 500 companies. She is a licensed professional environmental engineer, board certified environmental engineer (among other certifications), and elected Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers. She serves on the advisory board for the UConn School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and is the Vice President/President-elect of the National Association of Environmental Managers (NAEM).
Executive Committee
Eugene Peck '96 M.E.S. (2nd term ends 2017)
New Haven, CT
Gene is a specialist in coastal zone/watershed policy, sediment management and the restoration of urban estuaries. His work focuses on developing sustainable integrated cross-program solutions to regional and local sediment challenges that utilize watershed management, ecological restoration, decontamination technologies, beneficial use of sediment and economic drivers to manage sediment as a resource rather than a waste.
New Haven, CT
Gene is a specialist in coastal zone/watershed policy, sediment management and the restoration of urban estuaries. His work focuses on developing sustainable integrated cross-program solutions to regional and local sediment challenges that utilize watershed management, ecological restoration, decontamination technologies, beneficial use of sediment and economic drivers to manage sediment as a resource rather than a waste.
Carlos V. Pineda '00 M.E.M./M.B.A. (2nd term ends 2019)
San Francisco, CA
Carlos is Senior Director, Conservation Areas Financing, for the World Wildlife Fund U.S. (WWF). Carlos will guide the global project finance for permanence initiative, Earth for Life, to build a common vision across WWF and formalize program requirements. With this vision in place, the Earth for Life team will raise substantial funding from a syndicate of donors to put a large portion of global biodiversity under permanent conservation in protected areas, parks, and reserves. Carlos has been charting paths to sustainability for over 25 years, first in education and conservation biology, then in clean energy project finance and development. Before joining WWF, he founded and served as CEO of Foresight Renewable Solutions – an independent originator, developer, and financier of wind, solar, and energy storage projects. He began his career in energy on the project finance team at the AES Corporation, a leading global independent power producer that in the 1990s participated in some of the first carbon offset projects and other environmental programs in the energy sector. He served as an associate in the Young Professionals Program at the World Bank, and later as an associate in BNP Paribas’ Project Finance Group. Carlos has also worked at Conservation International, studied as a conservation biologist with the Stanford Center for Conservation Biology, completed travel writing assignments across the Americas, developed micro-enterprises with remote tribes in Brazil, and found his first calling as a bilingual high school biology teacher with Teach for America, Inc. in Oakland, CA. Carlos earned a B.A. in human biology with honors in Latin American studies from Stanford University.
San Francisco, CA
Carlos is Senior Director, Conservation Areas Financing, for the World Wildlife Fund U.S. (WWF). Carlos will guide the global project finance for permanence initiative, Earth for Life, to build a common vision across WWF and formalize program requirements. With this vision in place, the Earth for Life team will raise substantial funding from a syndicate of donors to put a large portion of global biodiversity under permanent conservation in protected areas, parks, and reserves. Carlos has been charting paths to sustainability for over 25 years, first in education and conservation biology, then in clean energy project finance and development. Before joining WWF, he founded and served as CEO of Foresight Renewable Solutions – an independent originator, developer, and financier of wind, solar, and energy storage projects. He began his career in energy on the project finance team at the AES Corporation, a leading global independent power producer that in the 1990s participated in some of the first carbon offset projects and other environmental programs in the energy sector. He served as an associate in the Young Professionals Program at the World Bank, and later as an associate in BNP Paribas’ Project Finance Group. Carlos has also worked at Conservation International, studied as a conservation biologist with the Stanford Center for Conservation Biology, completed travel writing assignments across the Americas, developed micro-enterprises with remote tribes in Brazil, and found his first calling as a bilingual high school biology teacher with Teach for America, Inc. in Oakland, CA. Carlos earned a B.A. in human biology with honors in Latin American studies from Stanford University.
Gregg Renkes '83 M.F.S. (2nd term ends 2018)
Jackson, WY
Gregg works in renewable energy project development. He earned his bachelor's degree from Vassar College in biology/environmental science, master's degree at F&ES, and law degree at the University of Colorado concentrating on public land and federal Indian law. Past work includes Majority Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, private practice of law in Alaska and Washington D.C., Alaska's fifteenth Attorney General, Co-Chair of the Alaska Rural Justice Commission, Trustee for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trust Fund, and Trustee for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.
AYA Delegate
Jackson, WY
Gregg works in renewable energy project development. He earned his bachelor's degree from Vassar College in biology/environmental science, master's degree at F&ES, and law degree at the University of Colorado concentrating on public land and federal Indian law. Past work includes Majority Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, private practice of law in Alaska and Washington D.C., Alaska's fifteenth Attorney General, Co-Chair of the Alaska Rural Justice Commission, Trustee for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trust Fund, and Trustee for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.
AYA Delegate
Georgia Silvera Seamans '01 M.E.M. (2nd term ends 2017)
New York, NY
After developing valuable skills in community and urban forestry as an Urban Resources Initiative (URI) intern, Georgia applied her toolkit in Boston, Berkeley, Oakland, and New York City. She co-founded and directs Washington Square Park Eco Projects, a research and environmental education organization. Georgia is a Class Agent for 2001. She lives in NYC with her husband and two children.
New York, NY
After developing valuable skills in community and urban forestry as an Urban Resources Initiative (URI) intern, Georgia applied her toolkit in Boston, Berkeley, Oakland, and New York City. She co-founded and directs Washington Square Park Eco Projects, a research and environmental education organization. Georgia is a Class Agent for 2001. She lives in NYC with her husband and two children.
John P. Clarke
Jane E.S. Sokolow '80 M.F.S. (2nd term ends 2019)
Bronx, NY
Jane is an independent consultant in community greening, zoning projects, and interpretive science writing. She has worked on projects for OASIS New York, NYC Parks and Recreation, The American Museum of Natural History, and Audubon. Jane serves on the Boards of the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, Bronx Council on Environmental Quality, and Bronx Community Board 8 Environment and Sanitation Committee, and is a member of the 2013 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Region II Open Space Advisory Committee. She earned a B.A. from Colorado College and an M.Ed. from Lesley University. She lives in Riverdale, NY, with her husband.
Bronx, NY
Jane is an independent consultant in community greening, zoning projects, and interpretive science writing. She has worked on projects for OASIS New York, NYC Parks and Recreation, The American Museum of Natural History, and Audubon. Jane serves on the Boards of the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, Bronx Council on Environmental Quality, and Bronx Community Board 8 Environment and Sanitation Committee, and is a member of the 2013 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Region II Open Space Advisory Committee. She earned a B.A. from Colorado College and an M.Ed. from Lesley University. She lives in Riverdale, NY, with her husband.
Whitney Tilt '85 M.E.S. (1st term ends 2017)
Bozeman, MT
Whitney serves as Director, Land & Wildlife Conservation, for the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. His principal responsibilities are working with the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, in Emigrant, Montana, to ensure it is a best-in-class leader in land and wildlife conservation management, and addressing larger natural resource issues in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Whitney is also a partner in High Country Apps LLC, developing interactive field guides for smart phones and tablets. Prior to joining the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Whitney served as principal of Conservation BenchMarks, a consulting business specializing in strategic planning, evaluation, and natural resource issue management. He has also worked for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Sonoran Institute and National Audubon Society. Throughout his career Whitney has focused on conservation, working on a wide range of natural resource issues from Colorado River water allocations and black-footed ferret recovery to Asian tiger conservation and evaluation of federal fisheries programs.
Bozeman, MT
Whitney serves as Director, Land & Wildlife Conservation, for the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. His principal responsibilities are working with the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, in Emigrant, Montana, to ensure it is a best-in-class leader in land and wildlife conservation management, and addressing larger natural resource issues in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Whitney is also a partner in High Country Apps LLC, developing interactive field guides for smart phones and tablets. Prior to joining the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Whitney served as principal of Conservation BenchMarks, a consulting business specializing in strategic planning, evaluation, and natural resource issue management. He has also worked for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Sonoran Institute and National Audubon Society. Throughout his career Whitney has focused on conservation, working on a wide range of natural resource issues from Colorado River water allocations and black-footed ferret recovery to Asian tiger conservation and evaluation of federal fisheries programs.
Herbert I. Winer '49 M.F., '56 Ph.D. (no term limit)
New Haven, CT
A retired forester, Herb pioneered the field of stand dynamics, and initiated instruction in industrial forestry. He directed logging research in Canada, oversaw Lake State forest science and helped set safety standards for the logging industry. He presided as head of the Forest History Society.
New Haven, CT
A retired forester, Herb pioneered the field of stand dynamics, and initiated instruction in industrial forestry. He directed logging research in Canada, oversaw Lake State forest science and helped set safety standards for the logging industry. He presided as head of the Forest History Society.
Mark Ashton '85 M.F., '90 Ph.D.
Mark is the Morris K. Jesup Professor of Silviculture and Forest Ecology and Director of School Forests. He conducts research on the biological and physical processes governing the regeneration of natural forests and on the creation of their agroforestry analogs.
Mark is the Morris K. Jesup Professor of Silviculture and Forest Ecology and Director of School Forests. He conducts research on the biological and physical processes governing the regeneration of natural forests and on the creation of their agroforestry analogs.
Chad Oliver '70 M.F.S., '75 Ph.D.
Chad is the Pinchot Professor of Forestry & Environmental Studies. He is currently working on landscape approaches to forest management and is involved in the technical tools, the policies, the management approaches, and the educational needs.
Chad is the Pinchot Professor of Forestry & Environmental Studies. He is currently working on landscape approaches to forest management and is involved in the technical tools, the policies, the management approaches, and the educational needs.
Mary Tyrrell '97 M.F.S. (term ends 2017)
Hamden, CT
Mary is the Executive Director of Yale’s Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry. Her work focuses on land use change, forest fragmentation, sustainable forest management and U.S. private lands, with a particular emphasis on review and synthesis of scientific research, and making scientific information available to forest managers and conservationists. She leads the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative, a national research and education initiative aimed at improving the effectiveness of outreach, services, and programs for family forest owners, thus enhancing conservation and stewardship of America’s private lands. She is a senior editor of the book Managing Forest Carbon in a Changing Climate, published by Springer, and was the project manager for the Highlands Regional Study: Connecticut and Pennsylvania Updates – Forest & Agricultural Resources Analysis and Growth and Impact Analysis.
Hamden, CT
Mary is the Executive Director of Yale’s Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry. Her work focuses on land use change, forest fragmentation, sustainable forest management and U.S. private lands, with a particular emphasis on review and synthesis of scientific research, and making scientific information available to forest managers and conservationists. She leads the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative, a national research and education initiative aimed at improving the effectiveness of outreach, services, and programs for family forest owners, thus enhancing conservation and stewardship of America’s private lands. She is a senior editor of the book Managing Forest Carbon in a Changing Climate, published by Springer, and was the project manager for the Highlands Regional Study: Connecticut and Pennsylvania Updates – Forest & Agricultural Resources Analysis and Growth and Impact Analysis.
Gao Yufang ’14 M.E.Sc. and Doctoral Student
New Haven, CT
Gao is an active Chinese conservationist enthusiastic about the interdisciplinary research and practice of wildlife conservation. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Peking University and a master’s degree from F&ES, and he is now pursuing a joint doctoral degree between F&ES and the Department of Anthropology. His effort in unraveling the China-bound ivory trade, which was the focus of his master’s degree project, has helped the international conservation community gain a more comprehensive and contextual understanding about China’s ivory markets. Before starting his Ph.D., he was Executive Director of the Everest Snow Leopard Conservation Center where he led a public-private initiative in Tibet to foster the healthy coexistence between large carnivores and local residents in the Qomolangma (Mt. Everest) National Nature Reserve. He was named the winner of the 2016 Marsh Award for Terrestrial Conservation Leadership from the Marsh Christian Trust and Fauna & Flora International and is a 2016 Emerging Explorer of the National Geographic Society.
New Haven, CT
Gao is an active Chinese conservationist enthusiastic about the interdisciplinary research and practice of wildlife conservation. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Peking University and a master’s degree from F&ES, and he is now pursuing a joint doctoral degree between F&ES and the Department of Anthropology. His effort in unraveling the China-bound ivory trade, which was the focus of his master’s degree project, has helped the international conservation community gain a more comprehensive and contextual understanding about China’s ivory markets. Before starting his Ph.D., he was Executive Director of the Everest Snow Leopard Conservation Center where he led a public-private initiative in Tibet to foster the healthy coexistence between large carnivores and local residents in the Qomolangma (Mt. Everest) National Nature Reserve. He was named the winner of the 2016 Marsh Award for Terrestrial Conservation Leadership from the Marsh Christian Trust and Fauna & Flora International and is a 2016 Emerging Explorer of the National Geographic Society.
Ben Serrurier '17 M.E.M.
New Haven, CT
Ben is a Master of Environmental Management candidate concentrating on clean energy, climate policy, and energy market regulation. Before attending F&ES, Ben was a Policy Specialist with Climate Solutions, a clean energy policy shop in Seattle, WA. He has advocated for state and federal policies related to electricity generation and transmission, fossil fuel exports, and transportation fuels. Outside of class, Ben enjoys fly-fishing, skiing, and international travel (ideally combined). Ben received a B.A. in Politics and Environmental Studies from Whitman College and in 2014 was named a Young Climate Leaders Network Fellow.
New Haven, CT
Ben is a Master of Environmental Management candidate concentrating on clean energy, climate policy, and energy market regulation. Before attending F&ES, Ben was a Policy Specialist with Climate Solutions, a clean energy policy shop in Seattle, WA. He has advocated for state and federal policies related to electricity generation and transmission, fossil fuel exports, and transportation fuels. Outside of class, Ben enjoys fly-fishing, skiing, and international travel (ideally combined). Ben received a B.A. in Politics and Environmental Studies from Whitman College and in 2014 was named a Young Climate Leaders Network Fellow.
Parfait Gasana ’18 M.E.M.
New Haven, CT
Parfait is studying the intersection between global energy policy and international development initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa at F&ES. His particular interest in environmental policy stems from his experiences growing up in Rwanda, East Africa, and observing firsthand the impact Western policies played in shaping regional politics. Parfait currently serves as a writer for the Yale Environmental Review and as a research assistant at both the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Government, Environments, and Markets Initiative. Prior to F&ES, Parfait was Assistant Director of the Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development at the McCormack Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, where he initiated the first partnership with the country of Rwanda. He earned his M.S. in International Relations from the McCormack Graduate School and his B.A. in political science from the University of Connecticut. While at UMass-Boston, he received the Beacon Graduate Leadership Award and the Ambassador John W. McDonald Award for Leadership and Innovation in Global Governance and Conflict Resolution for co-founding the Kigali Reading Center, a literacy nonprofit in Kigali, Rwanda. Parfait has also served in various volunteer capacities with the Office of the Governor and the Office of the Secretary of State for the State of Connecticut and the Institute for International Justice and Development.
New Haven, CT
Parfait is studying the intersection between global energy policy and international development initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa at F&ES. His particular interest in environmental policy stems from his experiences growing up in Rwanda, East Africa, and observing firsthand the impact Western policies played in shaping regional politics. Parfait currently serves as a writer for the Yale Environmental Review and as a research assistant at both the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Government, Environments, and Markets Initiative. Prior to F&ES, Parfait was Assistant Director of the Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development at the McCormack Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, where he initiated the first partnership with the country of Rwanda. He earned his M.S. in International Relations from the McCormack Graduate School and his B.A. in political science from the University of Connecticut. While at UMass-Boston, he received the Beacon Graduate Leadership Award and the Ambassador John W. McDonald Award for Leadership and Innovation in Global Governance and Conflict Resolution for co-founding the Kigali Reading Center, a literacy nonprofit in Kigali, Rwanda. Parfait has also served in various volunteer capacities with the Office of the Governor and the Office of the Secretary of State for the State of Connecticut and the Institute for International Justice and Development.
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