Each year, 20 promising environmental leaders are awarded $15,000 each to complete master’s and doctoral degrees in New England and California to advance their skills and develop their expertise to address critical environmental challenges. Nearly $15 million in grants has been invested in Switzer Fellows over the past 30 years. The Switzer Foundation identifies, supports, and nurtures emerging environmental leaders through academic funding, leadership training, and preparation for policy impact.
Parker, a Fisheries Biology major, studies the conservation genetics of Pacific lamprey. He has been involved with fisheries and hydrology projects in Alaska, Washington, Florida, and California.
Living on the Yurok reservation at the mouth of the Klamath River, Keith is particularly interested in tribal trust fish species. He looks forward to continued participation in the Klamath River dam removal project, and offering his scientific expertise as well as his Native traditional ecological knowledge.
“We are proud to be selecting our 30th cohort of Switzer Fellows this year. The 2016 Fellows embody passion and commitment to positive change in a variety of environmental fields, says Lissa Widoff, Switzer Foundation Executive Director. “The Fellows hail from a variety of schools and professional fields of study which strengthens the Switzer Network of Fellows across many academic institutions. Fellows are supported in their interdisciplinary and collaborative work, positioning them for leadership in the nonprofit, government, business and academic sectors.”
Fellowships are merit-based and rigorously competitive. Candidates must be recognized for their leadership capacity by their academic institution or by environmental experts.
About The Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation
The Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation is a family grant-making organization that invests in individuals and organizations that drive positive environmental change. Founded in 1986, the foundation mobilizes leaders from diverse disciplines who focus on integrated solutions to environmental problems.
So far, over 15 million dollars has been given through the Switzer Environmental Fellowship Program and related grant programs. The foundation supports a network of nearly 600 Fellows who are leaders in nonprofit, public policy, business, academic and government sectors working to solve today’s environmental challenges.
Go to the Switzer Foundation website for more information on the 2016 class of Switzer Fellows, and the Fellowship program.