The 2025 New Horizons in Conservation Convening
Honoring Our Legacy & Building Our Future
Cultivating Environmental Leadership Among Students and Professionals
Honoring Our Legacy & Building Our Future
Cultivating Environmental Leadership Among Students and Professionals
The New Horizons Convening was held on campus in the Yale School of the Environment, the newly renovated Yale Peabody Museum, and at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale. Renowned environmental justice professionals and activists, academicians, leaders from the food sovereignty movement, authors, leaders of local and national environmental organizations, and government policymakers were in attendance. Participants and alumni of JEDSI’s pathway programs, such as the Yale Conservation Scholars - Early Leadership Initiative and Environmental Fellows Program, were also a part of the convening.
The convening invited professionals, practitioners, students, recruiters, and vendors to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, to explore urgent issues in the environmental field. It encompassed multiple perspectives in environmental institutions, environmental justice, food insecurity and sovereignty, climate and energy justice, outdoor experiences, future leadership in the environmental movement, and more. It brought together students, academics, researchers, and professionals from a wide array of backgrounds and professional environments to give talks, participate in workshops, attend field trips, meet local leaders, and network with each other.
The convening was a resounding success! Thank you to everybody who was a part of it.
Registered attendees
Plenary sessions
Workshops
Thematic sessions
Flash talk speakers
Speakers
The convening featured plenaries, talks, and workshops around different themes around the environmental world including (but not limited to) energy, food sovereignty, wildlife conservation, media and art, policy, and many more. Check below for more detailed plans.
Leah Penniman. Co-founder and Co-director. Soul Fire Farm.
Dr. Teona Williams. Assistant Professor. Department of Geography, Rutgers University.
Charles Lee. Former Senior Policy Advisor, Environmental Protection Agency.
Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome. Former Federal Chief Environmental Officer. The White House Council on Environmental Quality
Dr. Tony Reames. Tishman Professor of Environmental Justice. School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan.
Dr. Shalanda Baker. Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action. University of Michigan.
Dr. Narasimha Rao. Professor of Energy Systems. Yale School of the Environment.
Dr. Brandy Brown. Founder, Sadberry Singer, Inc.
Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. Fellow, National Geographic Society. Research Faculty at University of California, Santa Barbara.
Samata Pattinson. Chief Executive Officer. Black Pearl.
Jena Brooker. Reporter. BridgeDetroit
Cities and Community Organizing
Maisie Hughs. Co-Founder and Board Treasurer. Urban Studio
Cate Mingoya-LaFortunes. Chief Officer of Climate Resilience and Land Use. Groundwork USA
Dr. Penn Loh. Distinguished Senior Lecturer. Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning. Tufts University
Dr. Frances Roberts-Gregory. Postdoctoral Researcher. Harvard University Center for the Environment
Nonprofit Leadership - Navigating Power Dynamics
Amali Tower. Founder and Executive Director. Climate Refugees
Marcelo Bonta. President, J.E.D.I. Heart
Marilynn Marsh-Robinson. Director. Partnership and Outreach. Vehicles and Freight. Environmental Defense Fund
LaTresse Snead. Founder and CEO. Bonsai Leadership Group
Public Health Challenges and Opportunities
Dr. Michelle Bell. Mary E. Pinchot Professor of Environmental Health. Yale School of the Environment
Dr. Ami Zota. Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences. Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
Dr. Amruta Nori-Sarma. Assistant Professor of Environmental Health and Population Science. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Broadening Participation in Outdoor Recreation Activities
Jose Gonzalez. Founder. Latino Outdoors
Dr. Mel Lewis. Lead Coach and Consultant. The Art of Change Agency
Rena Payan. Chief Program Officer. Justice Outside.
Esaac Mazengia. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program and University of California Cota-Robles Fellow. University of California, Santa Cruz
Expanding Historic Preservation
Tony Richardson. Director. Urban Conservation Initiatives. The Conservation Fund
Dr. Jonathan Howard. Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies. Yale University
Alan Spears. Senior Director of Cultural Resources. National Parks Conservation Association
Dr. Omar Eaton-Martínez. Senior Vice President for Historic Sites. National Trust for Historic Preservation
Food Security and Sustainability
Laila El-Haddad. Journalist and Author
Dolores Perales. Co-Executive Director, Cadillac Urban Gardens. City Planner, City of Detroit
Dr. Ashley Bell. Associate Research Scientist. Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative. Yale School of the Environment
Strengthening Conservation
Dr. Mamie Parker. Former Head of Fisheries. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Amy Blaymore Paterson. Executive Director. Connecticut Land Conservation Council
Humna Sharif. Climate Adaptation Manager. Nature Conservancy (Maryland/DC Chapter)
Environmental Policy and Advocacy
Mark Magaña. Founding President and CEO. Green Latinos
Alfredo G. Fernández. Partner. Shipman & Goodwin LLP
Vanessa Garcia Polanco. Government Relations Director. National Young Farmers Coalition
Technology and Data for Building a Better Environmental Future
Dr. Weslynne Ashton. Professor of Environmental Management and Sustainability. Illinois Institute of Technology
Dr. Jennifer Marlon. Senior Research Scientist, Lecturer, and Director of Data Science. Yale School of the Environment
Dr. Yuan Yao. Associate Professor of Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Systems. Yale School of the Environment
Leveraging Stakeholder Engagement in Environmental Organizations
LA Caldwell. Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training and Education Specialist. The Nature Conservancy
Rebecca Villegas. National Director, Environmental Justice Strategy. National Wildlife Federation
Janet Nguyen. Senior Vice President — 100Women Pathway Project. Planet Women
Jessica Leung. Environment and Conservation Professional. World Wildlife Fund
Environmental Writing
Iris Crawford. Outgoing Communications Advisor for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Digital Quilt Making
Daniel Pizarro. Art Director of Daniel Pizarro Studio
Quitting Hard Things: How do you Know When You’re Done?
Jena Thompson. Founder and CEO. Ocelot Company
Starting Your Own Business or Consulting
Dr. Karen DeGannes. Founder. DeGannes Consulting Group
Grant Writing
Lisa Bassani. Senior Associate Director of Development and Alumni Services. Yale School of the Environment
Etuaptmumk: Two-Eyed Seeing in Our Daily Lives
Irene Norman. Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction. The Institute for American Indian Studies
Policy Memorandum (“memo”) Writing
Dr. Robert Klee. Senior Lecturer. Yale School of the Environment
Painting Workshop
Dr. Semente. Curator of Education and Public Programs. Davis Museum, Wellesley College
Meg Daupan. Program Manager. Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative. Yale School of the Environment
Salary Negotiations
Kevin Doyle. Executive Director. Office of Career and Professional Development. Yale School of the Environment
Applying for and Managing Federal Funding
Jumana Vasi. Thriving Communities Grantmaker Program Director. Minneapolis Foundation
Flash talks will be presented by selected attendees of the convening. Themes for the talks are:
Wangari Maathai Professor of Environmental Justice
Yale School of the Environment
Tishman Professor of Environmental Justice
Associate Professor, University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability
Refugee & Migration Expert
Founder & Executive Director, Climate Refugees
Founder, Latino Outdoors
Equity Officer, East Bay Regional Park District
Professor of Environmental Management and Sustainability
Illinois Institute of Technology
Founding President & CEO, GreenLatinos
Lead Coach and Consultant, The Art of Change Agency
Co-founder and co-director, Soul Fire Farm
CEO and founder, Bonsai Leadership Group
CEO and Founder, Empowering A Green Environment and Economy, LLC
Former Federal Chief Environmental Officer, The White House Council on Environmental Quality
Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training and Education Specialist
Computer Science Educator
Senior Associate Director of Development and Alumni Services, Yale School of the Environment
Senior Lecturer and Director of Community Practice, Tufts University Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning
Executive Director, Connecticut Land Conservation Council
Journalist and Author
Associate Professor of Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Systems, the Yale School of the Environment
Mary E. Pinchot Professor of Environmental Health, Yale School of the Environment
Founder, Sadberry Singer
Former Chief Innovation Officer, Walker-Miller Energy service
President, J.E.D.I. Heart
Senior Vice President for Historic Sites, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Free – Yale University student, faculty or staff
$160 – Students and workers of grassroots community organizations. This also applies to alumni of the University of Michigan’s or Yale’s Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP), the Yale Conservation Scholars - Early Leadership Initiative (YCS-ELI), and the Environmental Fellows Program (EFP).
$265 – Early career
$375 – Mid to senior career
The registration fee covers the cost of attendance for conference sessions, receptions, and meals.
Scholarships are available to discount registration ticket cost. See below for details.
The New Horizons in Conservation convening invites attendees to showcase their work in our Flash Talk Sessions where each speaker will present their most exciting new findings in a fast-paced, three-minute format. The flash talks will follow five main themes:
Talks will be presented along with slides that are coherent, concise, and to the point followed by a short question answer session. Applications are now closed, and selected speakers will be contacted shortly.
Scholarships are available to discount the cost of registration, and recipients will be expected to volunteer during the conference. Scholarship applications are now closed and all applicants have been contacted with responses. If you were a selected applicant, we will be in touch with volunteering details soon.
We had reserved a block of rooms at the Marriot Courtyard Hotel, which is a 16 minute walk away from the conference location, which has been booked out.
If you are in dire need of a room at the Courtyard Hotel and were unable to book with the hotel block, please email newhorizons@yale.edu so we can direct you to our hotel contact person.
If you are a current (2025) YCS-ELI or EFP participant, invited host-site supervisor or mentor, or invited speaker, please check with the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative (JEDSI) staff about lodging.
Tweed New Haven Airport (4.5 miles from hotel): Smaller airport with good flight options including but not limited to Chicago, DC, and multiple cities of Florida.
Bradley International Airport, Hartford CT (54 miles from hotel): International airport with multiple flight options.
From Bradley International Airport
From New Haven Union Station
For airport shuttle information from other airports, please visit Yale’s website.
Ground transportation beyond the included Bradley shuttle will not be covered by the conference.
John F. Kennedy Airport, New York (78 miles)
LaGuardia Airport, New York (73 miles)
Newark International Airport, New Jersey (95 miles)
New Haven Union Station (less than a mile from the Omni Hotel): Services multiple train lines including the Metro North Commuter rail (which has multiple trains coming in each day from Grand Central Terminal in New York) and Amtrak.
State Street Station (half a mile from the Omni Hotel): Smaller train line with commuter rails to Hartford and Massachusetts, with some trains coming in from Grand Central Terminal.
It really brightens my heart and passion to be around people who really understand the issues and who want to keep talking about what can we do to alleviate the issues of disadvantaged communities.
Tevin Hamilton, YSE 21, Environmental Justice Communities Against Plastics
New Horizons is one of the places where experts of the future are going to come from. So when I sit in the room it gives me chills because I think in another year or two or five, those are the people who are going to be shaping our future.
Karen DeGannes, Senior Manager at Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Yale School of the Environment
195 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511
Yale Peabody Museum
170 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06511
Omni Hew Haven Hotel at Yale
155 Temple St, New Haven, CT 06510
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