YSE Awards First Endowed Chairs for Professors of Environmental Justice

In recognition of their pioneering work in fostering inclusivity and equity in the environmental movement, Yale School of the Environment Professors Dorceta Taylor ’85 MFS, ’91 PhD, and Gerald Torres were honored with the first endowed chairs in environmental justice. Taylor was named the Wangari Maathai Professor of Environmental Justice, while Torres was named the Dolores Huerta and Wilma Mankiller Professor of Environmental Justice.

Taylor and Torres, internationally renowned scholars, have been central to YSE’s ongoing efforts in building a world-class environmental justice program and incorporating it across all disciplines.

“While climate change affects all of us, it doesn’t impact all of us equally. To be effective, climate research policies and ultimately climate solutions must be equitable. Solutions and policies need to be developed, evaluated, and then implemented by those who have an understanding of environmental justice issues,” Dean Indy Burke said. “Their teaching has formed the foundation of our environmental justice curricula and has helped draw talented students from across the U.S. and internationally who are eager to learn from them.”

Taylor’s endowed title, established through the support of Pamela Kohlberg ’75, honors the legacy of Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, an internationally renowned environmental leader and human rights advocate who founded the Green Belt Movement in Kenya. YSE hosted Maathai in 2002 as the Dorothy S. McCluskey Visiting Fellow in Conservation, and Yale presented her with an honorary doctorate in 2004.

Faculty

Dorceta Taylor Wangari Maathai Professor of Environmental Justice

“Efforts to green the environment and create sustainable ecosystems and livelihoods are essential dimensions of saving the planet. I hope I can honor Maathai’s vision and work in my pursuit of a just and sustainable planet,” Taylor said.

Taylor has dedicated her research and scholarship in the environmental field to the intersection of race, class, and justice with groundbreaking studies on institutional diversity and workforce dynamics. She has published numerous books examining connections between racial segregation and exposure to environmental hazards and urban environmental activism. Her watershed 2014 study on the state of diversity in nearly 200 U.S. environmental organizations and 2023 study on environmental grantmaking, which found that several of the largest mainstream environmental organizations received more funding individually than did all the environmental justice organizations combined, have identified inequities in the environmental movement.

At YSE, Taylor directs the Yale Conservation Scholars-Early Leadership Initiative and the Environmental Fellows Program, which provide pathways for underrepresented students into the environmental field. She has also directed the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, a two-year experiential learning summer program for undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds. This year, under Taylor’s leadership, YSE’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative (JEDSI) launched a database detailing the careers and personal stories of more than 200 environmental professionals of color in the United States. The public repository provides early career professionals with role models and opportunities for mentorship in the field.

“Her work has not only advanced the field of environmental justice but has also inspired countless students and scholars to pursue equity and sustainability in their endeavors,” Burke said.

Taylor’s students describe her as a tireless mentor and supporter of their research and work in environmental justice.

“Dr. Taylor has an unparalleled ability to marshal and weave the unequal threads of inequality, history, and degradation to illuminate the complexity of environmental issues,” said doctoral student Destiny Treloar’23 MESc, who was a Doris Duke Conservation Scholar. “Her research, advisership, and teaching have not only empowered me, but also many others, to critically engage and confront injustice with a deeper understanding of its roots and diverse pathways toward change.”

Pioneering scholar in federal Indian law

Torres, an acclaimed global scholar of environmental law, critical race theory, and federal Indian law, said his endowed title honors advocates who have not received adequate recognition for their work in the environmental field. Dolores Huerta, one of the founders of the United Farm Workers, called attention to the damaging impact of pesticides, fought for unemployment and health care benefits for agricultural workers, and was the originator of the phrase “Sí, se puede.’” Wilma Mankiller was the first woman elected chief of a major Tribe in the U.S. She worked to improve the Cherokee Nation’s health care, education system, and government, mobilizing the community to bring water to the nation in Oklahoma and overcoming a number of obstacles including resistance from male leaders of the Tribe, Torres noted.

Faculty

Gerald Torres Dolores Huerta and Wilma Mankiller Professor of Environmental Justice

“The endowed title demonstrates Yale’s commitment to these communities and reaffirms a commitment to expanding the horizons of what environmental study entails,” Torres said. “It helps center the kinds of issues that the environmental justice movement has raised and recognizes that integrating them into the study of the environment is no longer just a sideshow, but in fact, part of what we do. Our work is going to be more effective if it can reflect the kind of work that these two women did in their lifetime.”

Torres’ chair was established through the support of Mary Penniman Moran, co-chair of YSE’s Steering Committee, Frances Beinecke ’71 BA, ’74 MFS, and Kohlberg.

Torres is the founder of the Yale Center for Environmental Justice, a hub for scholarly research and policy development aimed at addressing systemic environmental injustices. Among other projects, the center, a joint initiative of YSE and Yale Law School, is working with Tribal Nations on a white paper that sets the foundation for Tribal co-management of public lands.

Before coming to YSE, Torres served as deputy assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in the Clinton administration and as counsel to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. He co-authored “The Miner’s Canary: Enlisting Race, Resisting Power, Transforming Democracy” and is on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Much of his current research focuses on new policy frameworks for conflict resolution.

“Professor Torres is an inspiring, innovative, and provocative thinker whose work has profoundly influenced the evolution of his field,” Burke said.

Kajol Gupta ’25 MEM, who is a research assistant for Torres, said his work on environmental justice sparked her interest in pursuing her studies at YSE.

“I grew up witnessing how inequitable and disparate environmental impacts can be to certain families over others. It wasn't until I went to college and studied work from scholars like Gerald Torres that I was able to put words to the experience. It inspired me to dedicate my career to the pursuit of environmental justice for all and played a big role in choosing this program for graduate school,” Gupta said. “The Dolores Huerta and Wilma Mankiller Professor of Environmental Justice title is a testament to the critical work he's done bringing voices to the table that hadn't been there for generations.”