About Us

Emma Johnson is Master’s of Environmental Management ’20 student from Washington, D.C. Her areas of study include environmental communication, climate change, and ecosystem science. Emma has worked as an editorial intern for National Wildlife Magazine and was a 2019 Reporting Fellow with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, travelling to Bhutan to report on hydropower in a changing climate. Before coming to Yale, Emma lived in Bhutan for a year helping facilitate a study abroad experience for undergraduates and studying youth perceptions of climate change and the environment. She received her B.S. in Environmental Studies from Davidson College in North Carolina.

Kate Donatelli is a first-year Master of Environmental Management student from New Jersey. While at Yale, plans to study environmental policy with a focus on land use and climate adaptation strategies. Before graduate school, she worked at The Trust for Public Land and for an environmental legal services organization in Pittsburgh. She earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

Katie Bleau is a dual degree student with Vermont Law School and Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies expecting her Juris Doctor and Master’s in Environmental Management this December 2019. Originally from Georgia, Katie studied ecology during undergraduate and consulted on complex transportation infrastructure projects as a practicing ecologist/environmental planner before graduate school. Katie specialized in environmental law during law school and co-authored an amicus brief for a U.S. Supreme Court case addressing issues under the Endangered Species Act. At Yale, Katie is focusing on ecosystem services management, valuation, and policy and exploring the intersection between ecosystem science and environmental law. She has previously interned with Conservation Law Foundation, Southern Environmental Law Center, and Office of the Regional Solicitor for the Department of the Interior. Katie looks forward to soon beginning her career as an environmental attorney.

Margot Cumming is a first year Masters of Environmental Management student specializing in water resource science and management. Margot is interested to study the policy development and implementation related to restoration in freshwater systems. Margot attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison for her undergrad and studied conservation biology and life sciences communications. This path has inspired her to continue working to bridge the gap between scientists and the general public.

Britta is a 2nd year Masters of Environmental Management student at FES where she is focusing her studies on nature-based solutions for climate change. She spends most of her time thinking about how global biodiversity will be impacted by climate change and how it can used as a tool for climate mitigation and adaptation. Britta is also an editor for the Yale Journal of International Affairs and a Research Assistant for the Governance, Environment and Markets Initiative at Yale University. Prior to coming to FES Britta worked for a DC-based climate policy think tank where she supported both its international and domestic projects in the waste, energy and transit sectors. She grew up in Los Angeles, CA.

Humna is a first year MEM student, concentrating in Water Resource Science and Management. She studied Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia and graduated in 2018. Before coming to FES, she worked at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington DC for a year. She is interested in exploring the interconnectedness of freshwater systems with land and ecosystems management practices, and how we can address issues of water quantity/quality through policy changes.

Abigail Chan is a second-year Master of Environmental Management candidate at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, specializing in Ecosystems, Land Conservation, and Management. She is particularly interested in investigating and transforming traditional frameworks of land conservation to include innovative strategies for resilience, community engagement, and diversity & equity opportunities. Prior to Yale, Abigail attended the University of Virginia, where she received her B.S. in Environmental Sciences and a B.A. in Environmental Thought & Practice.

Ben is a second year MEM candidate from New Mexico specializing in Business and the Environment and Climate Change Solutions. He holds a BS in Environmental Management with concentrations in Climate Change Science and Statistics from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He works as a TA for Graduate Environmental Statistics and on carbon and energy projects with the Environmental Stewardship Committee. His passion is leading carbon removal implementation through business and scientific innovation, and worked at the World Resource Institute on carbon removal policy.

Hannah Darrin is a second-year Masters in Environmental Management student at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Hannah is focusing her studies on equitable land conservation and sustainable access to nature and food. Over the summer she worked for the Ute Native American Tribe at the newly formed Ute Land Trust. Their mission is to promote reconnecting with ancestral land in Colorado through conserving areas that the Ute People had been forcibly removed from. Before studying at Yale, Hannah spent five years teaching environmental leadership at the National Outdoor Leadership School and three years working on marine conservation and research in Mozambique. She holds a B.S. in Fisheries Science from the University of Washington - Seattle. Hannah enjoys all time spent outside in the Adirondack park and sailing with her dog Mizzen.

Joyita is a Master’s of Environmental Management ’21 candidate at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Management. She is interested in socio-ecological perspectives on community-based natural resource management, forest conservation, and equitable benefit-sharing in the mining sector. Prior to joining Yale, Joyita was a researcher at The Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi and she continues to be associated with the organization. She has also worked with other research institutes in India including PRS Legislative Research, on issues relating to land management and social justice. She is excited to join YER to share recent developments in academic research with a wider community of practice.

Nour is currently pursuing her Master of Environmental Management degree at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. She is concentrating on climate change science and solutions, with a particular interest in innovation in mitigation solutions and effective environmental communication strategies. Prior to joining FES, Nour worked in Dubai as the digital marketing manager at a healthcare firm. She also worked at an environmental consulting firm in California as a biologist, where she was involved in a wide range of projects ranging from environmental impact assessment, rangeland management and forest carbon stock accounting. Nour holds a double Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Environmental Economics and Policy from U.C. Berkeley.

Sara is a Master of Forestry student at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. At F&ES, her academic focus has concentrated on tropical forest ecology, management, and conservation. Holding a B.A. in Geography and International Studies from the Ohio State University, Sara’s work and research has been situated at the intersection of people and the environment, especially in the friction between tropical forest preservation and agricultural development. Sara’s current research focuses on forest and farm recovery and resiliency after hurricane disturbances in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Previous to starting her Masters, Sara worked in environmental education for the U.S. Forest Service in Puerto Rico and on forest conservation policies for global agricultural supply chains as a stakeholder engagement manager.

Julia is a second-year Master of Environmental Management candidate at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, where she is focusing her studies on water resource science and management. Her interests include water security and groundwater governance in the American West. Before coming to Yale F&ES, Julia worked in environmental education and conservation for four years – as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama and at a non-profit organization in Northern Arizona. She holds a dual degree in Environmental Studies and International Studies from American University in Washington, DC.

Urvi Talaty is a chemical engineer and manager studying environmental management at Yale University. She is the co-founder of Mission SanScar, a social venture that aims to destigmatize menstruation in India. After her internships at UN Environment and one of India’s largest textile firms, she became interested in chemicals management, industrial ecology and the intersection of business and environment. She has won the Harvard Diplomacy Award at Word MUN Seoul in 2015 and the Google Online Marketing Challenge in 2016. She has trained in the Indian classical dance of Bharatanatyam for seven years and bungy-jumped and skydived on the same day! She is passionate about innovation and technology, and believes that she can change the world.

Dewi is a 2021 Master of Environmental Science candidate at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (F&ES). With her prior background in anthropology and film, Dewi is heavily influenced by storytelling and its application to both ethnography and visual media. Her previous research involves understanding the 2015 Nepal earthquake crisis which covers sociopolitical disasters, media anthropology as well as issues around sustainable development. Currently her research interests lie in urban and political ecology as well as the anthropology of development in building disaster resilient housing among socioeconomically vulnerable communities in Indonesia. Dewi is also actively experimenting with other forms of mediums such as film and journalism as she seeks to bridge the widening literacy gap between academia and the public.