High Meadows Fellows Profiles

High Meadows Fellows

Pace Center pace.princton.edu

About the High Meadows Fellowship program

The High Meadows Fellowship program places recent Princeton graduates in two-year positions with non-profit organizations that aim to protect the environment and build environmental sustainability, or that bring an environmental focus to building community capacity and increasing the self-sufficiency of community residents, with the awareness that true sustainability can only flourish in a just society.

Through their work with these nonprofits, fellows have an opportunity to gain valuable professional experience while exploring a career in the public interest and making a genuine contribution toward advancing the organizations’ objectives. Positions are with Environmental Defense Fund, The Food Project, and the Vermont Community Foundation, in locations throughout the U.S.

These profiles of individual High Meadows fellows illustrate some of the ways fellows have been able to build on the knowledge and skills they developed at Princeton and have found new opportunities to develop and extend their expertise. Their responsibilities have included research, report writing, developing and promoting public policy proposals, working closely with diverse groups of people, and testifying before legislative committees.

Fellows commit to spending the full two years as full-time employees of the sponsoring organizations. Since learning and increased understanding are the goals of the program, fellows are encouraged to participate in related educational seminars and conferences and to take advantage of other professional enrichment opportunities.

The High Meadows Fellowship program is sponsored by the High Meadows Foundation, which was co-founded by Princeton alumnus, Carl Ferenbach III ’64 and his wife, Judy W. Ferenbach. At least once a year, the fellows gather to review their experiences with representatives of the Foundation and the Pace Center, which coordinates the program.

“Our hope for the fellowship,” Carl Ferenbach says, “was to provide an opportunity for young men and women interested in science and policy related to the environment to be involved with non-profit organizations where their efforts would really make a difference, and where they would be able to think about their own professional development and what they want to do next. The possibilities for a career in this area are much less structured than they would be for someone interested in a career in business, for example.”

For more information about the High Meadows Fellowship program and how to apply, contact the Pace Center at [email protected] or call 609.258.7260.

mailto:[email protected]



Name: Jacob Aronson ‘11

Hometown: Tenafly, New Jersey

Major at Princeton: Woodrow Wilson School; Certificate in Environmental Studies

Fellowship position: Agricultural Policy Fellow, Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, D.C. (1st year fellow) Next stop: Law school, studying environmental law

“The agricultural policy fellowship is exciting work. The staff at EDF is very impressive and is great to work with in this fellowship. Even as a new fellow, I feel that I am an important member of the team at EDF and that my work is highly valued. I’ve learned a lot during my fellowship, both about specific agricultural policies and about the way policymaking actually happens. In a way, my work is similar to the Wilson School’s policy task force: learning about a policy issue, evaluating the effectiveness of current policy, developing reasonable and practical recommendations to improve policy, and convincing policymakers to adopt those recommendations.”

As the Agricultural Policy Fellow, Jacob is helping EDF evaluate the effectiveness of national farm conservation programs, in anticipation of the debate and reauthorization by Congress of a new Farm Bill. National farm conservation programs incentivize farmers to implement practices that lessen the environmental impact of agriculture on air and water quality, wildlife habitat, and other natural resources. Jacob’s work will involve analyzing information from the Department of Agriculture and producing reports to communicate EDF's conclusions and recommendations to policymakers. In developing recommendations, Jacob will be working with staff at the Department of Agriculture as well as Congressional staff. Jacob will also have frequent communication with other environmental and agricultural organizations to coordinate EDF’s advocacy efforts in support of the bill. The work is fast-paced as the political situation on Capitol Hill changes and evolves.



Name: Aditi Dasgupta ‘11

Hometown: Pasadena, California

Major at Princeton: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Certificate in Environmental Studies

Fellowship position: International Oceans Fellow, Environmental Defense Fund, San Francisco, CA (1st year fellow) Next stop: TBD

“The High Meadows Fellowship has been an eye-opening experience so far. Not only have I expanded my academic knowledge but I have also learned about working for an environmental advocacy organization and what that means to me. I feel lucky to be passionate about the topic I work on and most importantly I get to integrate science and policy on a daily basis.” In the late 1980’s, scientists at EDF concluded that overfishing was, and still continues to be, a serious, but solvable threat to marine ecosystems. The solution: catch shares, a fishery management system that dedicates a secure privilege to harvest a percentage of a fishery’s total allowable catch. At EDF, Aditi has the position of International Oceans Fellow, working on the Catch Share Design team to provide research and analysis to the European Union as they implement catch shares in their fisheries. On a daily basis, Aditi’s work includes reading, writing and producing case studies and also includes some travel to the East Coast and Europe. According to Aditi, “The High Meadows Fellowship is a great opportunity to learn about working for an environmental advocacy group. As an organization, EDF employs people from a variety of backgrounds, and this gives me the opportunity to understand how environmental advocacy can work with a variety of careers. In addition, having a community of fellows who can share their work and also their learning experiences is extremely helpful as I navigate through my choices regarding the future.”



Name: Jenna Skowronski ‘11

Hometown: Freeport, Pennsylvania

Major at Princeton: Chemistry; Certificate in Materials Science and Engineering

Fellowship position: Industrial Energy Productivity Fellow, Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, D.C. (1st year fellow)

Next stop: Possibly medical school

“EDF isn' t afraid to go out of the box to find answers to our looming environmental and energy problems. The diversity and breadth of EDF's work is g iving me the opportunity to blend my love of science, interest in manufacturing and strong belief in the possibility of feasible environmental solutions at an organization that is as well- respected as it is innovative.”

As a first year fellow, Jenna is involved in three main projects, as well as various smaller, short-term projects. She is assisting in the planning and execution of the pilot phase of a partnership that EDF has with IUE-CWA, a labor union with over 40,000 members. The partnership involves traveling to facilities where the workers from the union are employed and carrying out a "Treasure Hunt" with representatives from EDF, an independent energy consultant, and union members to identify opportunities for improved energy efficiency and cost savings. The Treasure Hunt project has proven successful and is moving into the beta phase during which five more treasure hunts will be conducted.

Jenna is also involved in the push for the Restore Act, an act which will go through Congress to ensure that the money BP had to pay as a result of the oil spill goes to the areas it directly affected, such as New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. This money would help to build up the ecosystem restoration industry, allow the region to become the global expert in that area, and export its skills to generate revenue for the area and create skilled jobs.

“This fellowship will give me the ability to gauge my interest in the subjects I work on and decide if it's something I want to pursue further…. I've certainly become more interested in finding environmental solutions that make sense for business and create jobs. Industry has a lot to gain from energy efficiency, not in the least of which is jobs and cost-savings,” says Jenna.



Name: Peter Sopher ‘11 Hometown: Washington, D.C. Major at Princeton: Economics; Certificate in Environmental Studies Fellowship position: Climate Economics Research Fellow, Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, D.C. (1st year fellow) Next stop: Graduate program in environmental economics or combined business and environmental

policy program “I love my job. Academically, it enables me to stay connected with economics, environmentalism, and the international frontier… I am motivated to work hard every day because I believe strongly in the overarching purpose of the entity for which I work.”

The primary focus of Peter’s job at EDF is to research various cap-and-trade programs around the world and to learn about the bureaucratic infrastructure that needs to be constructed and the political red tape that needs to be cut so that carbon emissions from deforestation are included in market-based climate policies. Peter has concentrated his research on Brazil and the deforestation reduction policy titled, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). In addition to this research, Peter has helped to write a case study about cap-and-trade, represented EDF at conferences, and assisted his supervisor with various projects, such as summarizing the past papers of people he is scheduled to meet.

After his fellowship with EDF, Peter would like to either enroll in a graduate school program that focuses on environmental economics, or pursue a combined graduate education in business and environmental policy. As Peter says, “Working at EDF has made me realize that graduate level education is necessary for working on the cutting edge of an academic field. It has also taught me that the professional academic lifestyle is fulfilling, while enabling one to work pleasant hours. I am currently unsure about whether I would rather be a businessman or an academic, but I know that I want whatever I end up doing to be tied to environmentalism.”



Name: Allison Tracy ’10

Hometown: Dartmouth, Massachusetts

Major at Princeton: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Fellowship position: Chemical Research Associate, Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, D.C. (2nd year fellow)

Next stop: Graduate school

“EDF brings together different areas of expertise to craft the best solutions to environmental issues. Over the course of the past year, I have gained practical experience in the world where science and policy intersect. This fellowship has provided me with ideas, skills, and resources for future career paths. I cannot stress enough what a rare opportunity this is.” Allison Tracy has worked as the Chemicals Policy Fellow at EDF for over a year, but somehow it does not seem possible that she has had the time to participate in so many diverse projects. Allison has had the opportunity to write blog posts on emerging science and policy issues, submit comments to the EPA on chemical reporting requirements, attend hearings and briefings on Capitol Hill, contribute to the design of a markets-based campaign, and participate in numerous conferences about the science at the vanguard of toxicology. Overall, her efforts are directed towards revision of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976, which has withstood criticism from industry, environmental groups and health professionals alike for decades. EDF is heavily involved in the revision process, and Allison has worked closely with both Senate and House bills.

Working in our nation’s capital is an important aspect of the experience for Allison who says, “Witnessing the process by which scientific discoveries are integrated into policy has given me an invaluable perspective on the reality of science in society.” She finds her position both fulfilling and enriching, particularly because of the high-caliber analysts and scientists she works with on a daily basis. “My coworkers are inspiring, whether they are representing the scientific perspective as expert witnesses or keeping the EPA on track with the legislation,” she says. After the fellowship, Allison plans to attend graduate school studying the ecology of diseases and their social and political settings.



Name: Jake Hiller ’10

Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina

Major at Princeton: Chemistry; Certificates in Environmental Studies and Sustainable Energy

Fellowship position: Corporate Partnership Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund, Boston, MA (2nd year fellow)

Next stop: Master of Business Administration

“The High Meadows Fellowship is one of the best post-graduate opportunities that Princeton offers to seniors seeking a career in sustainability. Whether you eventually want to work for a non-profit, in government, for a start-up or in a large corporation, the skills you build during your two years will prepare you to get there.” As the Research Associate for EDF’s Corporate Partnerships Program, Jake Hiller works with a diverse set of EDF project managers to analyze market data, provide programmatic support, and develop strategy for a wide range of ground-breaking corporate sustainability initiatives. Jake is gaining real-world experience in both the art and science of building partnerships with businesses that have the market clout to transform entire industries.

The EDF Corporate Partnerships Program engages companies on a multitude of levels, from placing top MBAs in office buildings and data centers to identify and implement energy efficiency savings, to partnering with private equity firms to influence their corporate holdings, to working with Walmart to cut the environmental impacts of its supply chain. Among other things, Jake is currently working to develop a new growth strategy for the EDF Climate Corps program, an initiative that in only three years has identified over $400 million in lifetime energy savings by embedding MBAs in Fortune 1000 companies for summer internships. The opportunity to both delve deeply into specific projects while simultaneously contributing to a wide range of other efforts has been extremely exciting and educational for Jake. “As a member of the Corporate Partnerships team, I’ve been given the chance to see the business case for environmentalism proven in a real-world context. It is incredibly inspiring to see leaders in the corporate world pushing themselves toward best practices and raising the bar for competitors to do the same.”



Name: Matt Davis ’09

Hometown: Providence, Rhode Island

Major at Princeton: Economics

Fellowship position: Environmental Defense Fund, New York

Next stop: Graduate school in environmental economics or policy

“It’s been absolutely amazing. I got started in a field in which I knew only the basics and started learning on day one. Since then, I’ve become much more comfortable discussing policy specifics with politicians and fellow advocates alike, and I love contributing to the debates and conversations that actually shape important policies and programs. My experience at EDF has certainly opened my eyes to the urgent demand for people who can think carefully and creatively about solving our environmental problems.” Matt’s work as an Energy Research Fellow at Environmental Defense Fund in New York centers on energy efficiency, especially in the buildings sector. But there is no “typical workday” for him at EDF. He attends conferences on green building and gets regular research and writing assignments that can range from tracking down expert advice to writing up an internal summary of a policy briefing. In his first month he had a crash course in New York politics, electricity infrastructure and markets, and he continues to learn and apply this knowledge every day. Currently he is finishing up a long-term research project on the intersection between behavioral economics and energy conservation which he will present in November, 2010 in Sacramento, CA at the Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change conference, hosted by the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy. Matt has been able to add a different perspective to many internal discussions about policies and potential projects. Because of his background in economics, he is often asked to brief colleagues on the implications of, or rationales for, specific policy proposals. After the fellowship, Matt plans to attend graduate school to study environmental economics or policy.



Name: Miriam Chaum ‘09

Hometown: Napa, California

Major at Princeton: Woodrow Wilson School, Environmental Studies


Next stop: More time with EDF, graduate school

“I am ecstatic to be among so many brilliant people who all care so deeply for the cause that is both my personal and professional passion. At EDF, I get the chance to translate the academic research interests I developed at Princeton into real-world solutions.” As an Economic Policy Fellow at Environmental Defense Fund, Miriam splits her time between the Office of Economic Policy and Analysis (OEPA) and the International Climate team. In her work with the OEPA, Miriam performs quantitative and qualitative analysis relating to the science of climate change and the economics and financing of carbon mitigation policies. She maintains EDF’s global emissions database and has designed and built a number of models that chart global, regional, and national emissions reductions pathways for use in EDF’s climate policy advocacy. Miriam is also working with another High Meadows fellow on a study investigating the behavioral economics of energy efficiency. As a member of the International Climate team, Miriam provides quantitative support on a number of issues, including international climate finance, deforestation in the developing world, and emissions from international aviation and marine transport, but focuses primarily on land-use, land-use change, and forestry policy in the developed world. Since December 2009, Miriam has served as a member of EDF’s delegation to the multilateral negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, at which she actively lobbies foreign governments on forestry and other land use accounting rules. Since the start of her fellowship, Miriam’s lobbying work has taken her to Denmark and Germany and will take her to China and Mexico before the end of 2010. After her fellowship ends, Miriam may continue her work with EDF for another year or two, but ultimately plans to enter an interdisciplinary doctoral program focusing on nvironmental economics, management, and policy.



Name: Candice Chow ’09

Hometown: Woodland Hills, California


Fellowship position: Environmental Defense Fund, Sacramento

Next stop: Undecided

“Sacramento is the ideal location to connect with these communities, and working by the state capitol building is a new and exciting experience. Because of EDF’s national presence, I have collaborated a lot with colleagues in different regions, and even in different countries.” Candice’s position as Agricultural Policy Fellow for Environmental Defense Fund in Sacramento, California, is specifically focused on policy incentives to reduce nitrogen pollution. She focuses on nitrogen pollution resulting from farms in the Central Valley of California, one of the top regions for specialty crops, as well as other areas of nitrogen pollution in the United States. Her other research projects include wetland and riparian habitat restoration and agricultural offsets for greenhouse gases. She works with research institutions such as the University of California-Davis and state and federal government agencies to focus on agriculture’s impact on the environment and has learned a lot about state and federal policies that focus on agriculture and the environment. Her hope is to significantly influence nitrogen policies and create working incentive programs for farmers to reduce the negative impact farming can have on the environment. Since beginning her fellowship, Candice has participated in numerous aspects of working at a non-profit, including grant-writing, strategy development, attending stakeholder meetings, writing internal and external memos, and lots and lots of research. She is fortunate to have two accomplished managers who guide her and also allow for a flexible working environment. After her fellowship ends, Candice hopes to attend business school and remain engaged in environmental sustainability issues in her career.



Name: Jana Holt ’08

Hometown: Wallingford, Pennsylvania

Major at Princeton: Politics, Environmental Studies

Fellowship position: Environmental Defense Fund, Boston

Next stop: Concurrent degree program at Duke University: Master of Environmental Management from the Nicholas School of the Environment and Master of Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business.

“I enjoyed learning about many different areas of environmental advocacy, policymaking, business, and nonprofit management. I think that this fellowship experience and the network I developed will open many doors for me in the future, and the skills I gained will be an asset as I move forward both in school and my career."

In her position as a Research Associate in Environmental Defense Fund’s Corporate Partnerships Program, Jana Holt provided research and project support for a wide variety of projects ranging from corporate vehicles and paper use to building energy efficiency and private equity management. Jana has gained exposure to many different economic sectors, while learning about effective strategies for implementation of corporate sustainability initiatives.

Through its Corporate Partnerships Program, EDF partners with Fortune 100 companies to spur innovations that reduce environmental impacts and save money throughout the supply chain. One project that Jana worked extensively on was EDF's corporate vehicles project. Jana worked with corporate fleets to implement greenhouse gas management strategies, as well as with policy makers to develop and strengthen incentives for alternative fuel vehicles. In one aspect of the project, Jana helped manage over $800,000 in grant funding from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to help municipalities and companies in New England purchase hybrid trucks that reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by about 50 percent.

Jana viewed her High Meadows fellowship as an incredible learning opportunity. “Every project presented a new challenge. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn from a great team of experts with a broad range of interests and experiences. The two-year fellowship experience allowed me to become a true member of the Corporate Partnerships team,” she says.



Name: Jerry Moxley ’08

Hometown: Richmond, Virginia


Fellowship position: Environmental Defense Fund, San Francisco

Next stop: A PhD program in Marine Ecology at Duke University's Nicholas School for the Environment focusing on questions of marine predator movement, animal search theory, and fishery interactions with megafauna

“It was a big decision to jump into ocean and marine research for this job, considering my prior experience is wholly bird, mammal, and forest-focused. However, new things come with great excitement. In addition to gaining invaluable field experience on how to conduct marine field research, I am applying my mind, ideas, and knowledge on ecological theory in different ways and on new problems. It has been eye- and mind-opening.” As a Research Scientist with Environmental Defense Fund’s Ocean Innovations program, Jerry Moxley helped to identify the next important issues in ocean conservation and fishery management in order to inform future decision making by developing the data that is available on those subjects now. “The diversity of projects and questions I’ve been allowed to explore has been tremendous,” he says. “From projecting the development of fisheries in the Arctic Ocean to the ecological importance of lobsters in the Channel Islands, my work has jumped from applied to theoretical to back on-the-ground. Currently I am most focused on putting into operation the theory of ecosystem resilience—or managing ecosystems for their strength and health in order to withstand disturbances rather than the number of fish they can provide—with a particular focus on the Gulf of California and California Current.”

After his fellowship, Jerry began his PhD at Duke's Nicholas School for the environment where he will study questions of marine predator movement and distribution. He joined one of the best spatial ecology labs in the nation and looks forward to building his research on the practical lessons learned during his time at EDF (as well as continuing collaborations with the Oceans Innovations research group). However, one thing was certain: "My experiences with EDF have crystallized my understanding of the larger forces in the world that affect the animals and ecosystems that I am passionate about and has helped identify points where my research can intervene and leverage conservation outcomes."



Name: Margaret Arbuthnot ’07

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Major at Princeton: Anthropology


Next stop: Master of Environmental Management program at Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, SCEP (Student Career Experience Program) Biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

“Without this fellowship, it probably would have taken a substantial amount of time to get noticed and up to speed in the field of conservation, especially because most entry-level positions require a background in wildlife science that I lack. However, I was fortunate that EDF recognized the value of my interdisciplinary background and my genuine interest in the field. Therefore, I consider myself years ahead of where I would have been without this fellowship. It has opened so many doors and provided me with countless contacts for my future endeavors.” In her position as a Wildlife Conservation Fellow for New England species with Environmental Defense Fund, Margaret helped to plan and fund habitat restoration projects in southern Maine for the New England cottontail rabbit, which is endangered in the state of Maine and a candidate for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. She also participated in EDF’s efforts to conserve the threatened bog turtle in New York's Hudson Valley. In the first year of her fellowship, Margaret spent much of her time researching, writing, and coordinating the publication of a habitat management guide for landowners who have New England cottontails on their property. She also worked in the field and with GIS software to map the rabbit’s existing habitat areas and explore possibilities for expanding these areas through habitat restoration. During the second year of her fellowship, Margaret worked on several long-term habitat management agreements with private landowners and state agencies, and secured grant money to implement the restoration work. Upon completion of her EDF fellowship, Margaret returned to school for a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. She spent the summer between her first and second years of graduate school working on New England cottontail conservation strategies as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist in the Student Career Experience Program. She expects to graduate from Yale in May 2011 and continue her career in wildlife conservation.



Name: Edward Burgess ’07

Hometown: Sarasota, Florida

Major at Princeton: Chemistry


Next stop: PhD program at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability; awarded a National Science Foundation IGERT Fellowship

“The fellowship has given me invaluable insight into the policy process and has provided many inroads into the environmental policy world. I now firmly understand the practical needs and knowledge that are useful for advancing environmental causes at local, state and federal levels. The High Meadows fellowship exposed me to life working at a powerful and prestigious NGO. It pushed me to become more proactive, make use of my knowledge skills, and work with a team.” As a Living Cities Research Fellow at Environmental Defense Fund, Eddie conducted research and wrote for EDF’s Living Cities team, which focuses on urban environmental problems. As part of that work, he also participated in advocacy and policy development, mostly centered on transportation issues in the New York metropolitan area. His work at EDF included contributing to writing reports and policy relevant to transportation and energy policies, presenting public testimony at a variety of public hearings, conducting scientific research in conjunction with colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health and Cornell University on the impacts of traffic on air pollution and health, participating in stakeholder group meetings with local and state officials, and making media appearances with local television news and newspapers. Eddie coauthored a report on transit that was endorsed by the federal Department of Transportation and also worked with a team advising the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. ”It has been a great experience that has challenged me, boosted my confidence and skills, and given me opportunities for growth,” he says. He has gone on to a graduate program in environmental science and policy. “I have gained a stronger appreciation for the fact that strong science is critical, but more is needed to direct change for a better environment.”



Name: Carol Rosenfeld ’05

Hometown: Evanston, Illinois

Major at Princeton: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Studies


Next stop: A position in the Corporate Environment, Health, and Safety group at Exelon

“Working at Environmental Defense has taught me how to get people invested in a given issue by relating it to something they have a stake in, how to frame an issue for legislators to garner their support for a certain goal, how to write and deliver public testimony, and how to make connections in a large advocacy community and then make use of those connections to accomplish things.” Using her Princeton engineering training, Carol was involved in research and advocacy efforts during her two-year fellowship at Environmental Defense Fund. She worked with the Harvard School of Public Health to plan and coordinate a three-week air- quality study. She also became an expert on congestion pricing, conducting extensive research on the topic and preparing memos for policymakers. Using her new expertise, Carol testified on an environmental impact statement about Columbia University’s expansion, and she composed testimony about how to strengthen legislation for green buildings in New York City. In addition to honing her research and advocacy skills, the EDF experience taught Carol a valuable lesson about environmental policy: Change is incremental. With respect to congestion-pricing legislation, she says, “The work has been rewarding because I can look back at each small, incremental change—congestion pricing was in the paper, another group published a report about it, the Mayor started talking about it—and see how we’ve really made large strides on this issue and others.” Carol went on from EDF to a position at Exelon, one of the nation’s largest electricity utilities, in its Corporate Environment, Health, and Safety group. Her work there focuses on the company’s environmental policy, with a particular emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.



Name: Sarah Barbrow ’05

Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts Major at Princeton: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Fellowship position: Environmental Defense Fund, Boston Next stop: Masters Student in Information at the University of Michigan pursuing a degree in Library & Information Services interested in pursuing a career in science librarianship.

"By spending time at my fellowship working with a variety of academic, non-profit, and government groups, I gained a valuable perspective on cross-organization collaboration. I plan to rely on these experiences to more effectively bridge different worlds as an information professional." During her two-year fellowship at the Environmental Defense Fund in Boston, Sarah took a leadership role in advocating a statewide bill to reduce diesel pollution from the construction industry. She worked closely with consultants, lobbyists, legislators, and other nonprofit staffers to advocate a bill that would require new pollution-control devices on government construction equipment. At the beginning stages of the project, Sarah was tasked with researching the implications and feasibility of the new pollution control measures. As the bill progressed, Sarah was more involved with communications and publications, and she assembled a coalition of likeminded NGO’s to unite behind the legislation. The experience with the NGO coalition had a lasting impact on Sarah. In trying to coordinate the efforts of several different organizations, she learned the politics and culture of the nonprofit sector, witnessing firsthand its successes and failures. She completed a Masters program in Ecology at the University of Michigan and spent her summers conducting research at a remote arctic field site in Alaska. Her work focused on microbial community dynamics in the freshwater systems looking at how water movements impacted microbial community composition and function.



Name: Yewlin Chee ’04

Hometown: Seattle, Washington

Major at Princeton: Molecular Biology

Fellowship position: Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, D.C.

Next stop: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

“I found my experience to be valuable for many reasons. I enjoyed working with the amazing individuals I met at EDF and was inspired by their devotion to their cause. I feel I had the chance to use my research experience from Princeton and apply it towards a broader subject area and was given many opportunities to think independently.” As an Environmental Health Policy Analyst with Environmental Defense Fund, Yewlin worked at building bridges between two worlds, researching particulate matter regulations set by the Environmental Protection Agency and writing releases and reports to make the information she gathered accessible to the general public. Her research was predominantly focused on assessing the public health burden of air pollution, especially with respect to pediatric asthma in urban areas throughout the country. One of the achievements of which she is most proud is co-authoring a report titled Dangerous Days of Summer, which discusses the risks to children when summertime air pollution rises above dangerous levels. After her fellowship, Yewlin went on to medical school in Philadelphia. She says her experience at EDF “was a unique attribute that I brought with me to my medical school interviews. Our emphasis on public health at EDF also helped solidify my desire to enter the medical profession.” She plans to continue in a residency in ophthalmology.



Name: Adam Gitlin ’03

Hometown: New York, New York

Major at Princeton: Economics


Next stop: Attorney for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, in Washington

“I most enjoyed the opportunity to work with professionals who were earnestly invested in what they did. These were do-gooders who were not simply ruminating in coffee shops about how they would make the world a better place; they were people who look around themselves and ask every day how they can improve and bring harmony to the relationship between human development and nature. Such an awesome sense of purpose and introspection is hard to find in any workplace. Finding it among calm, analytical, proactive individuals is even harder, yet those were exactly the sorts of people I worked with day in, day out.” With a strong Princeton background in economics and quantitative analysis, Adam worked closely with fellow staffers at the Environmental Defense Fund in producing a report on the status of freight rail in the Hudson region. The experience was both challenging and rewarding, and the final product represented hours of discussions with experts, field research, modeling, and heavy editing. The report has been presented to various regional transportation experts, and some of its conclusions have begun to impact policy. Adam appreciated the many ways in which EDF contributed to his professional development. In addition to learning about the office politics of large nonprofit organizations, he says he developed a more lucid, direct style of writing that extended beyond his Princeton writing background. He also enjoyed the opportunity to share his quantitative skills and help coworkers evaluate policy implications in a more rigorous way. During his fellowship, Adam was fortunate to meet many attorneys who were using their legal knowledge for social development, which broadened his ideas about “what one can do with a law degree to advance a cause in which one believes.” After the fellowship ended, he attended law school at the University of Michigan and was a law clerk for the Honorable Noel Anketell Kramer, District of Columbia Court of Appeals. After taking a break from legal work to organize students at Michigan State University for Barack Obama’s campaign, Adam went on to obtain a position in the prestigious Honors Program at the U.S. Department of Justice, in the Antitrust Division and continues to work there today.



Name: Naomi Levine ’03

Hometown: Lexington, Massachusetts

Major at Princeton: Geoscience


Next stop: Graduate student in chemical oceanography, MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program

“In addition to becoming a research scientist, I hope to bridge the gap between science and policy. My time as a High Meadows Fellow with Environmental Defense showed me that an effective way to influence policy was by becoming a leader in your field.” During her fellowship at Environmental Defense Fund, Naomi Levine was involved in a variety of clean-air lobbying efforts. It was a way to contribute to a cause she really cared about while advancing her own skills through hands-on experience. She says she particularly appreciated the way the people she worked with allowed her to shape the fellowship to suit her particular interests and abilities.

On the job, she wrote testimony about proposed clean-air legislation, informational pamphlets, and a report on the effect of pollution and global warming in Connecticut. “My fellowship at Environmental Defense showed me how I could become involved in policy while still becoming a research scientist,” she says. She found particular satisfaction when clean-car legislation was passed in Connecticut after she had worked on materials in support of that measure.

EDF honed Naomi’s communication skills, and she learned how to present technical information in a way that was understandable to non-scientists. More broadly, she emerged with a better understanding of environmental nonprofits and government policymakers, two sectors her future research will seek to impact.

Naomi’s research in the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program focused on the interaction between oceans and climate, specifically on a gas (dimethylsulfide) that is naturally produced by microscopic marine organisms and acts as a global coolant through cloud formation. Naomi’s work became the subject of two articles in Oceanus, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute magazine.



Name: Elena Martinez ‘11

Hometown: Falls Church, Virginia

Major at Princeton: Spanish Language and Culture

Fellowship position: Public Engagement Coordinator, The Food Project, Lincoln, MA (1st year fellow) Next stop: Graduate school

“This fellowship gives me the opportunity to explore issues that truly fascinate me on a daily basis and to see how these issues affect people in my community and in other communities in the Greater Boston area. I am practicing a wide variety of skills, and my job and my co-workers here are continually challenging me to re-evaluate my own views about food and agriculture.” Elena is the Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator at The Food Project with responsibility for managing The Food Project’s volunteer programs, developing relationships with school and community groups that may want to volunteer, and developing new volunteer opportunities. Elena manages and recruits volunteers for the Serve & Grow farm work volunteer program and leads some of those groups in the fields when they visit The Food Project. Elena is also designing the program structure, volunteer training, curriculum, and evaluation for a new volunteer program that will use university student volunteers to deliver a food literacy curriculum to preschoolers at Head Start centers in Boston.

As Elena explains, “I came to The Food Project because I was interested in the effects that our food systems have on food access and nutrition and I wanted to learn how different organizations engage in community education around these issues. My time here is giving me valuable exposure to how a successful non-profit operates and is broadening my views on food justice. I think that working at The Food Project will help me to understand the real issues in the field of food justice and give me a real-world perspective on food and agriculture that I could not have found in a university classroom.”



Name: Alex Brady ‘10

Hometown: Chappaqua, New York

Major at Princeton: Comparative Literature

Fellowship position: Grants Manager, The Food Project, Boston, MA (2nd year fellow) Next stop: TBD

“Working as the Grants Manager has given me a chance to put my background in writing to work in a new and interesting way, and helped me to develop new skills at the same time: in supervision, in budgeting and finance, in development, and more. Each grant is a puzzle to solve, and discussing our many different programs with different funders allows me to get both a high-level view of our organizational operations and a detailed look at how each of our programs run, affording me valuable insight into the ins and outs of a non-profit organization.” In his position as Grants Manager at The Food Project (TFP), Alex is part of the team responsible for securing the funds that keep the organization’s many inspiring projects and programs running. His responsibilities include overseeing a yearly schedule of proposals, reports, and letters to corporations, foundations, and governmental agencies; developing relationships with these institutions; researching new funding opportunities; supervising the Development Associate; and developing comprehensive fundraising strategies with the rest of the development team. Alex appreciates that TFP believes development team members benefit from witnessing the organization’s activities in person in the field, bringing that firsthand knowledge and the strength of their impressions to bear in the materials they share with funders. Though he came to TFP primarily because of his interest in sustainable and urban agriculture, he became convinced of the power of the organization’s youth development and food access programming through just such exposure, and believes it has positively informed both his written work and his personal interests, developing in particular an interest in the intersection between social and environmental justice. A year into his fellowship, Alex is thrilled to have gained a wealth of experience, found new and interesting ways to practice and utilize his written skills, and obtained a firsthand look at the inner workings of a non-profit organization. The fellowship has been an opportunity to explore a new field, and whatever path he may continue upon, the skills Alex has developed and the interests he has cultivated have built a solid foundation for his future in and outside of the workplace.



Name: Devon Ahearn ’09

Hometown: Newport Beach, California


Fellowship position: The Food Project, Boston

Next stop: Career in environmental advocacy

“The past year with the Real Food Challenge and The Food Project has been life-changing—it has forced me to venture out from an academic setting into an activist environment, to learn how to engage with a multitude of stakeholders, and to begin to comprehend how organizing can cause major change. Despite my relatively recent entry into food activism, I truly feel that I am a part of the movement for food and justice, that my voice and actions--when combined with those of my peers and colleagues--are being heard and felt. This position has piqued my curiosity in a legal career focused on social justice, particularly through our work negotiating with food corporations whose policies and practices are dictated by their contracts, which are a powerful tool for change. I am so grateful for the learning and growth I have experienced--as well as the friends and mentors I have come to know--through this position.” As National Programs Coordinator for The Food Project, Devon spends the majority of her time coordinating the Real Food Challenge (RFC), a national network of students who campaign for community-based, fair, ecologically sound, and humane (what we call "real") food in colleges and universities. She works with the RFC’s national team to coordinate the campaign and network, which involves managing projects, planning events, and developing new projects. Over the past year, Devon's work has focused on several major projects, including coordinating regional field organizers for RFC’s ground campaign and managing the Real Food Calculator, a tool used by students to measure the amount of real food their campuses purchase. She is currently working to develop an awards program to honor students, employees, and schools that have demonstrated a commitment to real food. Her accomplishments thus far include leading a team of experts to further research and develop the Real Food Calculator, managing and supporting students using the Calculator, presenting at various conferences focused on food justice and sustainable agriculture, and engaging with foodservice providers to negotiate terms of use for the Real Food Calculator. She also planned several major events for RFC, including four Student Leadership Trainings in spring and summer 2010.



Name: Laura Smith-Gary ’08

Hometown: Wyalusing, Pennsylvania

Major at Princeton: Religion, Women and Gender Studies


Next stop: Undecided, possibly a graduate program in religious studies or public policy, or more work with nonprofits

“It’s hard to describe how happy I am to be part of such a passionate, practical, idealistic, effective organization that is addressing some of the most critical issues we are facing. The organization and the work environment of the organization are both close to ideal, and those are critical elements in shaping the overall experience.” Laura’s responsibilities with The Food Project were focused on finding funding to support the programming of this Boston-area nonprofit, which brings together adults and youth from diverse backgrounds to pursue a mission of personal and social change through sustainable agriculture. She jumped right into her experience with TFP doing grant-writing and direct fund-raising working with groups and individuals who might be potential donors, as well as learning as much as she can about the organization’s many programs. Laura says she appreciated the way her supervisors at The Food Project appeared committed to making the most of each person’s unique gifts and talents and seemed open to allowing job descriptions to evolve so each person could work up to his or her potential. Laura was undecided about what the future might hold; likely possibilities included graduate school or work with nonprofits, perhaps on environmental or women’s issues. “Working in development for The Food Project will really let me see all the inner workings of a nonprofit, from finance to programs to human resources,” she says. “That kind of broad insight into and experience with nonprofits could put me in a position to find a very exciting nonprofit job post-High Meadows.”



Name: Marissa Grossman ’06

Hometown: Shaker Heights, Ohio



Next stop: Work with The Food Project’s new spinoff, Real Food Challenge

“I’ve had a fantastic experience. I’m learning a ton, I love the people I work with, and I’m given a lot of responsibility.” As National Programs Coordinator with The Food Project, Marissa Grossman worked on a campaign called the Real Food Challenge, which aims to build the student movement for a just and sustainable food system. The flagship goal of the campaign was to redirect 20 percent of the food served in college and university dining halls towards “real food”—food that is local, fair, ecologically-sound, and humane—by the year 2020. The campaign was under development for a year, and Marissa’s responsibilities covered every aspect of the program, from planning, to developing resources, to managing the website, to networking with students and other leaders. “My whole year has been devoted to working on it with five other people, so it will be a huge accomplishment when the campaign officially kicks off.” Working at The Food Project made her more aware of the impact of her food choices and the need for drastic change within the food system. Although she hadn’t decided yet where she will go when the fellowship ends, she was considering continuing work on food issues and a possible career in public health.



Name: Katie Fiorella ’06

Hometown: Haddonfield, New Jersey



Next stop: A year-long position with the UN World Food Programme in Uganda

“I chose to work at The Food Project in order to blend an interest in biology with a more practical implication of ecology–through agriculture. This experience has valuably shifted and expanded my interests in food, agriculture, and nutrition. Nearly five years later, I often draw from the skills and experience gained in my fellowship years.” As a Community Outreach Fellow with The Food Project, Katie Fiorella had a wide range of responsibilities that varied seasonally. In the winter, she worked on program development and outreach planning, as well as grant-writing and development activities. In the spring and fall, she coordinated a volunteer program involving more than 750 volunteers. In the summer, she supervised teenage interns and worked alongside them at TFP’s farms and farmers’ markets. She was also involved at the five farmers markets through spring, summer, and fall. “I feel extremely positive about my experience at The Food Project,” she says. “The two years I spent working at TFP have helped to shape me in countless ways–through my interactions with staff, youth, and community members.” When the fellowship ended, she went on to a year-long position in the regional office of the World Food Programme in Kampala, Uganda, where she is based in the pipeline and resourcing division assisting Country Offices in securing funding and food for distribution to the food insecure through both emergency relief and development programs. After her time in Uganda she enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of California, Berkeley and was awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. At UC Berkeley she studies Environmental Science and Public Health and plans to conduct her research on the intersection between natural resource use and health outcomes with a focus on agriculture and nutrition.



Name: Rebecca Nemec ’05

Hometown: Sanger, California

Major at Princeton: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Spanish and Portuguese Language and Culture


Next stop: The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA for a Master's of Science in Agriculture, Food and the Environment.

“I have found a sector/field/issue that I am now deeply committed to, and I think I will be for the rest of my professional career. What is even more exciting is that I have found something that I care about so much that the line between my personal and professional life has been blurred quite dramatically.”

As a Policy Analyst for The Food Project, Rebecca Nemec headed up policy efforts on issues of school-food reform, Food Policy Council development, sustainable agriculture, community food security, and farm-to-school program development in the Boston Public Schools. In her two years at TFP, she had a number of impressive accomplishments. She authored reports, grant proposals, and articles, including a report titled, Reinventing the School Lunch Line in the Boston Public Schools: Assessing the Feasibility of a Farm-to-School Program in the Boston Public Schools. She also was a panel speaker at several agricultural forums, most notably a panel series for the Yale Sustainable Food Project.

After leaving The Food Project, Rebecca went on to a job as Assistant Pastry Chef and General Operations Manager at Canto 6 Bakery. “I am very committed to working on issues related to the sustainable food movement,” she says. “That said, I wanted to gain experience in the food industry, to understand it more fully. I am also very passionate about reforming the school food system in the United States, and I thought working in a small food business would be a great start to understanding how the school food system works.”

After her brief stint at Canto 6 Bakery, Rebecca went on to become the Interim Project Director for the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness (BCFF), a project housed at the Boston Public Health Commission. The BCFF works to address issues of food security in Boston's most underserved communities. While at The Food Project, Rebecca helped write the grant to the W.K Kellogg Foundation that founded this collaborative.



Name: Dylan Fitz ’05

Hometown: Brentwood, Tennessee

Major at Princeton: Politics, Latin American Studies


Next stop: Doctoral program in Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

“I enjoyed having a clear path for stepping out of college and into a successful nonprofit at which I could have a real impact. Without the fellowship, I would not have had any idea how to find the types of jobs I would be happy with, and I would have likely ended up in a less positive environment.” During his fellowship at The Food Project in Boston, Dylan Fitz was involved in a number of challenging tasks. His main responsibility was to help plan and prepare TFP’s annual conferences, and he personally recruited, trained, and debriefed TFP’s youth conference delegation. Dylan also had the opportunity to work on the organization’s farm twice a week, leading volunteers and supervising interns in sustainable agriculture efforts. In his extra time, Dylan created a new website, researched opportunities for international expansion, analyzed costs and time frames for the expansion of TFP’s youth development programs, and reported news in the sustainable agriculture field in TFP’s e-Blast newsletter. In all of these varied jobs, Dylan was allowed to manage his time independently and shape his own fellowship experience. Dylan was deeply inspired by his fellow staff members at The Food Project, and he credits them with providing him “the motivation to help change the world.” In addition to the daily lessons of work at TFP, Dylan was able to step back and view the nonprofit sector with a wide angle lens. “There are a great many nonprofits that I believe in, and my time at such a successful organization has given me the knowledge to better understand these nonprofits, their structure, and their missions,” he says. “In the future, I can use my time to support these organizations in a better way.” Dylan enrolled in a doctoral program in Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He worked with a professor on evaluating a land reform program in Brazil, looking at how it has impacted participants in areas including income, food security, health, educational access, and other indicators.



Name: Monica Pless ’03

Hometown: Queretaro, Mexico, and Gaithersburg, Maryland



Next stop: Managing a Farm

“I’ve learned how to plant, care for, and harvest my own fruits and vegetables. I’ve learned how to can. I’ve learned how to lead a conference call. I’ve learned how to talk to my congressman (and how to train a teenager who can’t even vote yet to visit, call, and write letters to congressmen). I’ve learned how to train a teenager to teach an eight-year-old how to use a power drill. On a more intellectual level, I’ve had the opportunity to read amazing books to put together a curriculum, and I’ve learned to use a more systems-based approach to considering social problems.”

Without her High Meadows fellowship at The Food Project, Monica Pless would have never discovered her deep passion for farming and sustainable agriculture. At TFP, Monica got her hands dirty and took a leadership role in the organization’s farms and orchards. She supervised high school interns building backyard gardens, sold fruit from an urban orchard, and learned the workings of organic farming. She coupled this experience with more professional work, building websites, developing policy, and managing large groups of people.

Monica served as the program coordinator for BLAST (Building Local Agricultural Systems Today). She also worked in the education and advocacy division with the goal of promoting TFP’s work in Boston and around the world. She has been very successful in these efforts, and she has seen TFP used as a model in agricultural conferences from Hawaii to Iowa.

After her fellowship at The Food Project ended, Monica went on to apprentice with farmer Don Zasada at Caretaker Farm where a 250-member CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is run, an arrangement where community members pay an annual membership fee to cover the farm’s costs and receive a weekly share of the harvest) and raise chickens, hogs, and cows. She went on to hold a number of different positions at sustainable farms across Massachusetts: Assistant Baker, Winter Caretaker, Vegetable Manager, and Farmer/Teacher. She returned to The Food Project as a Crew Leader in the summer of 2010. Her next project is to start and run a sustainable vegetable farm, a direct result of her TFP experience. “I can’t imagine that I would otherwise have the guts to go into farming,” she says. “This fellowship gave me a way to ease into a somewhat unusual career choice.”



Name: Ruthie Schwab ’09 Hometown: Branford, Connecticut

Major at Princeton: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies, Visual Arts

Fellowship position: Vermont Community Foundation

Next stop: Graduate school

“I am learning broadly about energy, agriculture, and land use while working with highly targeted projects in each of these areas. This exposure to a lot of different but related perspectives is exactly what I wanted to have before choosing a specific issue area for continued study and work after the fellowship. The breadth of work should help me find relatively quickly what issues most attract me and where I can make the greatest impact in the future.” At the Vermont Community Foundation, Ruthie serves as Environmental Philanthropy Associate. She works with the Executive Director of the High Meadows Fund to organize board meetings and site visits, meet with prospective and existing grantees, and connect environmental nonprofits working in similar fields so they can leverage resources and work more effectively. With the Vermont Community Foundation, she is organizing an energy competition among businesses in Middlebury, and researching farm-to-school programs to help develop a statewide model for school lunch reform and sustainable food and agriculture education. Ruthie says “I am thrilled to be working with well-respected people who share my interests, in a state whose scale and people allow for strong connections among private, state, regional, and federal levels, and with projects that have large, measurable impacts on energy efficiency and generation, food systems, and land use. Being on the receiving side of grant requests is an interesting and eye-opening perspective, and I think it will help me to work more deliberately and effectively on my own projects in the future.”

Future plans include graduate school, though Ruthie is not yet sure of the specific focus within environmental studies. She hopes that the next two years will help her to decide what program and work will best fit her interests.



Name: Ellen Zuckerman ’07

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

Major at Princeton: Geosciences, Environmental Studies

Fellowship position: Vermont Community Foundation

Next stop: Work for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, a nonprofit that promotes greater energy efficiency in a six-state region that includes Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming

“This experience has broadened my understanding of the environmental field and how environmental issues affect and are shaped by communities. It has introduced me to innovative practices in the renewable-energy, sustainable-agriculture, and land-use sectors. It has made me very excited about the thinking that is happening around climate change and energy. It has helped me understand how individuals can really make a difference in our communities.” As the Philanthropic Services Associate for the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), which serves communities by awarding grants to projects and organizations that work on everything from cleaning up local lakes to building sustainable food systems, Ellen was a member of two teams at the foundation. With the Community Philanthropy team, Ellen worked with the High Meadows Fund, which awards about $1 million in grants each year to improve the lives of Vermonters through a better environment. The work took her around the state to meet with important nonprofits and environmental and state leaders. She also participated in meetings and conferences, and researched energy, land use, and sustainable agriculture practices in the state. For the communications team, she conducted research on some of Vermont’s most pressing community issues, such as homelessness, water pollution, and the arts, then used this research to produce promotional publications and materials and organize events that help the Foundation’s partners formulate philanthropic strategies and deepen their understanding of the ways philanthropy can make a difference in the state. She created and launched a website, Understanding Vermont. Ellen is currently at a nonprofit that is committed to using energy efficiency to maintain affordable and healthy housing for low- and moderate-income families and communities in New York. She conducts comprehensive energy audits of multifamily and commercial buildings. Her responsibilities include conducting field data collection, carrying out energy usage analysis and energy modeling of buildings, and preparing audit reports containing recommended scope of work for energy efficiency improvements.

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High Meadows Fellows Profiles

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