Alumni

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the F&ES-based Tropical Resource Institute, we asked several distinguished alumni to recollect the work they did while they were here, share what they’re doing today, and reflect on how their experiences with TRI changed their lives.

Susan Shen — ’80 MFS; Molly Harriss Olson — ’85 MES; Jean Thomson Black — ’75 MFS; Hugh Brown — ’10 MF

The city of New York contains more than 20,000 acres of forests and wetlands, a fact that even many New Yorkers might not realize. Sarah Charlop-Powers ’09 M.E.M. is trying to change that: her nonprofit is working to restore and conserve these natural spaces — and to get more city residents outdoors.

Jules Opton-Himmel M.E.M. '07 became an oyster entrepreneur through a fortunate accident. But his oyster farm in Rhode Island has shown that you can provide food, clean local waters and make a decent living.

A.J. Hudson ’19 MESc has received a Switzer Environmental Fellowship, which awards emerging environmental leaders studying at universities in New England and California with funding and support for their graduate studies and career development.

As CEO of Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand, Molly Harriss Olson ’85 MES works from many angles to better align economic investments with sustainable development goals. She received YSE’s Distinguished Alumna Award during Reunion Weekend 2020, Oct. 9-11.

PhD candidate Ethan Addicott aims to create a tool to aid beach restoration efforts and maximize the value and utility of every bucket of sand.

Guillermo Castilleja has been described as a “true systems thinker,” something he says he developed while at F&ES. In an interview, Castilleja, a senior fellow at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, shares his vision for the foundation, his advice to students, and where he finds hope as a conservationist.

In his latest book, “A Furious Sky,” author Eric Jay Dolin ’88 MEM examines how hurricanes have helped to shape American history — and what the nation likely faces in the future.

Two new online certificate programs — on tropical forest landscapes and renewable energy, respectively — have made F&ES expertise available beyond the university’s New Haven campus. Working professionals from a range of sectors — and 34 countries — are already taking advantage. 

After centuries of overfishing and development, salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest were on the brink of collapse by the late 20th century, presenting a grim challenge for Native American tribes that have long relied on the fish. Aja DeCoteau ’07 M.E.M. is part of a response plan that has helped spur a remarkable recovery.

The new Grist list of 50 young leaders who are doing potentially “game-changing” sustainability work includes three graduates of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

Hilary Faxon B.A. ’11 M.E.M. ’13, and Lia Nicholson M.E.M. ‘14, have each received Gruber Fellowships in Global Justice and Women’s Rights for projects to implement environmental programs in vulnerable parts of the world.