MELDI - Leadership and Career Development Activities

MELDI will organize conferences and workshops related to the issues of minority leadership and career development at the University of Michigan. The program will also organize a national conference on the status of minorities and on the state of diversity efforts in the environmental field. Information on such activities will be posted on this web page.

MELDI staff will also post information on diversity conferences as well as minority leadership and career development conferences and workshops that are being held elsewhere in the country.

Conferences

2007 FACULTY DIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM ANNOUNCEMENT

The University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE) will host the "Faculty Diversity and Environmental Justice Research Symposium" at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment in June 2007. The conference, organized by the Minority Environmental Leadership Development Initiative (MELDI) and the Leadership Initiative for Minority Female Environmental Faculty (LIMFEF) will focus on faculty diversity in academic environmental programs as well as domestic and international environmental justice research. The conference will bring together researchers who are academics, postdoctoral fellows, students, policymakers, environmental justice practitioners, and grantmakers to participate in plenaries, panels, and poster sessions. All conference participants are encouraged to make presentations about their research.

To View Conference Information Click Here: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/diversityejresearchsymposium/conference_announcement

2006 LEADING THE WAY: Environmental Justice at SNRE Annual Research Symposium

We are embarking on a new phase in the Environmental Justice Program at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment. The faculty and students at SNRE have played significant and historic roles in the development of environmental justice research and scholarship. They have also shaped the development of environmental justice policies and have influenced a host of events in the field. The reorganization of the School's curriculum has resulted in environmental justice being recognized as one of the core thematic areas of study of the School. Three of the eight Centers of Excellence in SNRE are founded and directed by environmental justice faculty. In short, environmental justice is growing and taking on a higher profile in the school. This Annual Environmental Justice Research Symposium marks a new phase in the life of the program. The goal is to make this a gathering in which SNRE students and faculty in the Environmental Justice Program come together to share their research and discuss new developments in the field. Once again, SNRE is taking a bold step forward in the environmental justice arena.

To View Conference Information Click Here: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/environmentaljusticefieldstudies

2005 NATIONAL SUMMIT ON DIVERSITY IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FIELD

The Minority Environmental Leadership Development Initiative plans to hold a National Summit on Diversity in the Environmental Field from August 28-30, 2005 in Ann Arbor. The plan is to bring together students, leaders of environmental nonprofits, faculty in environmental programs, leaders of government environmental agencies, and representatives from other environmental institutions to discuss the state of diversity in the environmental field and strategize about how to enhance it in the future. This conference will be driven by concrete data collected from pipeline studies exploring the demographic characteristics of academic environmental programs, the characteristics of the environmental organizations, and the nature of the work experience in these organizations. The conference will also focus on examining successful techniques of introducing and implementing diversity practices in the workplace. The goal of the conference is to help move the conversation about diversity in the environmental field into the 21st century.

To View Conference Information Click Here: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/meldi

Workshops

MELDI has hosted several workshops on topics related to resume writing, salary negotiations, interviewing and job searching techniques. For more information on these subjects, please see our Mentoring page, under the Leadership Development and Career Resourcessection.

Summary Report of Diversity Studies

MELDI will undertake studies to determine the status of minorities and the state of diversity efforts in the environmental field. When these studies are completed, summary reports will be posted on this web site.

These studies are underway and summaries will appear on this webpage when the studies are completed.

Leadership and Training

The Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship
http://www.leopoldleadership.org/content/application/index.jsp

Inspired by Aldo Leopold's plain-spoken yet science-based approach to conservation, the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program trains environmental scientists to communicate their work effectively to a variety of lay audiences. Each year up to 20 academic environmental scientists are selected to receive intensive experiential training, expert consultation, and peer networking. Leopold Leadership Fellows hone skills to better communicate the science associated with complex environmental issues to the media, policy makers, business leaders and other non-scientists.

Climate Justice Corps
http://www.ejcc.org
The Climate Justice Corps is a ten-week paid training program in which participants will receive training in environmental justice and climate change issues at an environmental justice organization. Climate Justice Corps participants will be paired with an experienced organizer as they learn about the environmental justice implications of global climate change. For more information and application materials visit the above website or email cjcorps@ejcc.org. Telephone: 1-510-444-3401, extension 310.

Earth Island Institute Invites Applications for Brower Youth Awards Program
http://www.earthisland.org/

The Earth Island Institute, a nonprofit organizations working for the conservation, preservation, and restoration of the global environment, invites applications for the Brower Youth Awards program.
The program is designed to recognize the efforts of young environmental and social justice leaders. The cash prize is not a scholarship, but a reward for past work and present leadership. Recipients generally are encouraged to use the prize to assist in their own education or to further their work. Six award recipients are selected each year.
The award includes a $3,000 cash prize; a trip to San Francisco for the awards ceremony; a three-day Wilderness Encounter; local and national media coverage; and ongoing access to mentors, resources, and leadership development opportunities.
Eligible applicants are individuals aged 13-22 who are residents of the United States or Puerto Rico and who have shown leadership and produced results in at least one of the following areas: 1) Conservation -- reducing the negative impacts of the use of natural resources and getting more out of what is used; 2) Preservation -- saving places, plants, animals, cultures, and Earth-friendly traditions that cannot be replaced if they are destroyed; and 3) Restoration -- repairing damaged land and water so that it can function ecologically and support the health of human communities and/or native wildlife populations. Visit the Earth Island Web site for complete program guidelines and application procedures.

Environmental Leadership Institute, League of Conservation Voter Education Fund
http://www.voteenvironment.org/
Environmental Leadership Institute is sponsored by the League of Conservation Voter Education Fund. It is a five-day program in which teams of participants learn to produce comprehensive campaign plans based on various political scenarios. Participants gain experience in strategic planning, message development, media relations, consensus building, and fundraising. Training sessions are held throughout the year.

Executive Director Leadership Program
http://www.icl.org/programs-workshops.shtml
The Executive Director Leadership Program is sponsored by the Institute for Conservation Leadership. The program trains new and experienced executive directors.

Facilitated Strategy Training and Workshops
http://www.sustainabilityinstitute.org/

Facilitated Strategy Training and Workshops are designed to help a groups improve their strategy or multi-stakeholder groups come to consensus.

GIS & Remote Sensing for Wildlife Managers: An Introduction to the use of Geographic Information Systems & Remote Sensing in Conservation and Wildlife Management
http://www.nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/
ConservationGIS/GIS_training/introduction/

This short course will provide wildlife managers with a working knowledge about the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing to the monitoring and management of wildlife and forest vegetation. Exercises in establishing locations with a Global Positioning System (GPS), data input into a GIS, and spatial analysis techniques for GIS will provide hands-on and real world experience during the course.

2007 Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Program
http://www.worldwildlife.org/nissanleaders/

Nissan North America and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are pleased to announce the 2007 Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Program. This program identifies and empowers diverse young leaders on US college and university campuses to become strong and effective advocates for an environmentally sustainable future. This year we will select 16 outstanding undergraduate students with strong leadership skills and a commitment to environmental progress to participate in the program. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in a bachelor's degree program at one of the 27 participating universities (see below). Students must be in their junior year and completing their degrees in either the spring or fall of 2008. Applicants must be 25 years or younger at the time of application and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25. Students in any academic major and of any nationality may apply. Children of Nissan and WWF employees are not eligible. The Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Award consists of three components: a $5,000 cash award, participation in the Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Summit to be held in Washington, DC and Nashville, Tennessee from June 17-23, 2007 and an optional, all expense-paid field expedition to Brazil from July 29-August 12, 2007. The online application is now available. The closing date for applications is March 5, 2007. To learn more and to apply please visit www.worldwildlife.org/nissanleaders. Or send questions to nissanleaders@wwfus.org.

Science and Science Policy: Constructing an Inclusive Paradigm
http://64.171.10.183/confNew/confClient/current/

SACNAS provides unparalleled conference activities for students, educators, administrators and researchers in science. This year's conference theme, Science and Science Policy: Constructing and Inclusive Paradigm, explores the link between current science policy issues and those communities most affected by them. It is vital that the Chicano/Latino and Native American scientific communities have a substantive voice in the creation of science policy which dictates the funding and direction of scientific research and inquiry. Continuing a third year tradition of working to increase Native American and Chicano/Latino presence in the scientific community, SACNAS offers a forum for investigation of questions related to the theme and the development of a new generation of leaders who will be instrumental in shaping equitable and inclusive science policy.

The Watson International Scholars of the Environment Program
http://www.watsoninstitute.org/GE/Watson_Scholars/
The Watson International Scholars of the Environment Program is sponsored by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Henry Luce Foundation. We offer an intensive program in sustainable ecosystem management, to provide mastery of critical concepts, relevant tools and Transferable processes necessary for successfully managing ecosystems. The 3.5 month curriculum is designed for environmental leaders from non-governmental organizations, governments and university faculties throughout the developing world. The Watson International Scholars of the Environment are regarded as active participants, not as passive students. Instruction focuses upon relevant case studies of environmental problem-solving -- instances of success and failure from throughout the international arena are carefully diagnosed. The opportunity for participants entails increased levels of effectiveness, informing sound decision-making by enhancing abilities to rapidly integrate data from across disciplines. Our investment in these leaders is strategic: We admit men and women capable of creating lasting, and immediately favorable impacts on the sustainable development of their home institutions, eco-regions and nations. Accordingly, participants are expected to be at a mid-point within their careers in environmental science, policy and technology fields. We are most interested in attracting individuals who want to forge new linkages among ideas and issues, to develop networks among leaders facing similar issues and to explore alliances with relevant colleagues and institutions for improved personal and institutional effectiveness.

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