Emily (Greenlee) Orvis writes: “Robbie Orvis and I welcomed our second son, Benjamin (Benji) in January 2024. He joins almost-4-year-old big brother Jack. We live in my hometown, Arlington, Virginia. Robbie is a senior director at Energy Innovation, where he’s worked since we graduated YSE, which was somehow 10 years ago! I’m a VP at Voltus, a demand response provider. We are hoping to see many of you at the reunion in October.”

Luke Swampdog Tyree writes: “I established a private foundation and reclaimed 1,000 acres of our traditional Yessah territory by securing $3 million in grants within six months. In partnership with Washington and Lee University, my nonprofit funds a $5,000 annual scholarship for BIPOC students. Through sheer determination, I navigated poverty, racism, and threats of violence to get here, and fought big conservation organizations and the state of Virginia just to access lands we BOUGHT while mostly without a dwelling or staying in my granddad’s rusted out single wide. I used the skills I learned while at Yale — the scholarship writing part where I had to raise enough money to pay off a loan that no rural job could ever afford — to build an indigenous empire!!! And I f*ing did it! Ten rental houses where white people pay me rent, 1,000 acres, wetlands, an eight-acre lake!! Next: an endowment just like Yale!”

Caitlin Doughty writes: “I got married in 2023, twice! To the same person! His name is Marcelo, and he would immediately make friends with all of you. Sarah Marlay attended our Washington wedding. Erin Beasley and Denise Soesilo ’12 attended in Ecuador. Travel, the mountains, and hosting game nights keeps us busy. For work, I am leading rights and equity efforts for freshwater projects at The Nature Conservancy, mostly in Latin America and Africa. It’s fun and challenging.”

Lynette Leighton and her family returned to the San Diego area last July after spending three years in Okinawa, Japan. She is still working at Michael Baker International as a project/technical manager in federal planning (specializing in the planning and design of DoD installations around the world). Lynette has a busy year ahead in her role as program manager for a portfolio of installation climate resilience plans, overseeing the implementation of sustainability/resilience-related executive orders and other DoD-led initiatives in real property development.

Tara Meyer writes: “Several Yale foresters gathered in Freeport, Grand Bahama, this past January to celebrate the marriage of Sam Teicher and Courtney Cardin. Guests included Franz Hochstrasser ’18, Maggie Thomas, Clara Rowe, me, Gator Halpern, Gina La Cerva, Elisa Iturbe, and Josh Fain.”

Samuel Miller McDonald writes: “I successfully defended my PhD thesis during a two- to three-hour viva examination at Brasenose College, University of Oxford on July 6, 2023. My thesis title is ‘Degrowth and Progress: A Critical Genealogy and Contemporary Analysis of Growthism.’ I’m excited to be publishing a trade book on some related themes with HarperCollins (U.K.) and Macmillan (U.S.) early next year!”

Frances Moore writes: “I spent the 2022-2023 academic year in Washington, D.C., working as the senior economist for climate, environment, and clean energy issues at the Council of Economic Advisers. Got to hang out lots with D.C. YSEers, particularly my ‘landlord’ Luke Basset ’10. Now back living in Berkeley working as an associate professor at UC Davis, researching climate change impacts, economics, and adaptation policy. This year also kept me busy planning a wedding — I got married at the end of April in the redwoods outside Santa Cruz!”

Agnes Walton writes: “Our family of three plus feral New York cat is living in Oslo. A rarity now, the cold and snowy winter this year was glorious though we dearly miss friends in the U.S. I teach climate reporting at the Institute for Journalism and continue to make video for The New York Times. Some highlights of the last year were our wedding in Portugal with so many foresters present, Dana Patterson ’17 and Eugene Greer’s woodland wedding shortly after, and a spring visit from not one but two Star Childs' (Star Childs ’80 and Starling Childs ’14). Hoping to see many more of you over here!”

Allyza Lustig writes: “The Fifth National Climate Assessment came out last November to much fanfare. It was my second time working on the report (this time alongside Leo Goldsmith ’20, Austin Scheetz ’20, and Yishen Li ’18!), and I hope that many of you will find it relevant in your work. Leading Art x Climate, the first-ever art gallery to be featured in the assessment, was a career highlight. Shout out to Emma Greenbaum ’18 for hosting us at the SF Exploratorium for a blowout celebration of art and science! Delighted to still be in touch with many dear YSEers — took a trip to NOLA with Sara Schwartz, Hannah Walchak, Yan Kramsky, and Sam Meysohn at the beginning of the year, and thoroughly enjoyed paddling around the swamps together.”

Caitlin Chiquelin writes: “I continue to live, laugh, and love.”

Yishen Li writes: “Friends from the Class of 2018 gathered in New Haven and the Great Mountain Forest last fall for our five-year reunion! It was great to see that while many of us had embraced exciting changes in our lives, one thing will never change: friendship and a sense of belonging. See you all in another five years or (hopefully) sooner!”

Emma Johnson writes: “I moved to South Korea in May for a job with the Green Climate Fund. Outside of my job as a communications officer with GCF, it has been a lot of fun to eat delicious food, explore Korea’s national parks, and travel to different cities around the country. I’d love to meet up with other YSE alums that are also in Korea! If you are, please reach out — I'd love to hear from you and connect, on the other side of the world from Yale.”

Pari Kasotia writes: “I have been leading all the state and federal policy efforts for Luminace — a Brookfield Power US Asset Management LLC entity since July 2023 — which is keeping me super busy. Our older daughter turned 5 and our younger turned 1 in the fall of 2023. Looking forward to the clean energy opportunities in 2024 especially as the IRA gets underway and we enter a pivotal election year.”

Raghav Srivastava writes: “I’ve been working as a research associate with the Centre for Pastoralism in India since June 2022. It’s been a fascinating and valuable opportunity to contribute to efforts and movements by nonsedentary peoples to secure tenurial rights over their grazing and forestlands. I’ve also been able to build research-supported arguments for the relevance and nonrelevance of current statutory tools for rural tenurial security, based on the reality of how they work and the politics across agro-pastoral landscapes in India.”

Suman Chandra writes: “In 2023, I assumed a crucial role at the Ministry of Renewable Energy in India, leading the Climate Change Division and responsible for deploying agricultural solar. I represented India in negotiations during the SBI and SBSTA sessions in Bonn. I also played a pivotal role in global dialogues under the Mitigation Work Program and participated in COP28 in Dubai. Currently, my team and I are immersed in the preparation of our next biennial update report (BUR) for submission to the UNFCCC. In early 2024, I was promoted to the position of director in the ministry. This journey is fueled by a spirit of radical optimism, driving me to continue making impactful contributions to climate initiatives.”

Lauren Sadowski writes: “Since graduation I’ve been teaching undergraduates in field conservation and wildlife research courses in partnership with Indigenous communities in Taku, British Columbia, and the Okavango Delta of Botswana. During the summer of 2023, I moved back to the States, where I became an affiliate faculty member at Emerson College, teaching ecological conservation and a new field coastal course on salt marshes and tide pools. In addition to teaching, I’m beginning a new position at the EPA in Boston for the environmental justice program. I’m living out a perfect mesh of YSE PE2 and ecosystem specializations in both jobs, and also still enjoying the game of spikeball!”