For the 2010-11 Tom Graff Fellowships, EDF is seeking individuals from diverse backgrounds who have recently earned undergraduate or graduate degrees, or who are talented professionals from other fields seeking their first professional experience in environmental advocacy.
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Environmental Defense Fund is recruiting two new fellows for its Tom Graff Fellowship Program, established last year to expand the diversity of our staff and the broader environmental community.
A unique initiative among major environmental advocacy organizations, these Fellowships at EDF target important projects whose success depends on participation by people of diverse backgrounds. For example, Seyi Fayanju, one of the first two Fellows, has been working with our coastal Louisiana team to show how wetlands restoration can be an abundant source of green jobs for Louisiana’s delta communities.
For the 2010-11 Tom Graff Fellowships, EDF is seeking individuals from diverse backgrounds who have recently earned undergraduate or graduate degrees, or who are talented professionals from other fields seeking their first professional experience in environmental advocacy. Candidates with a demonstrated interest or training in environmental sciences or issues are encouraged to apply. Historically Black colleges and universities, colleges with strong environmental programs, and law
schools are among the targets for recruitment.
“We hope this initiative will create a talent pipeline of diverse, well-trained, and committed professionals to leverage their perspectives, skills and talents to strengthen the environmental field,” said David Yarnold, executive director of EDF.
The two Tom Graff Fellowships are paid positions, at competitive salaries with full benefits, lasting one year for each fellow. The Fellows work on discrete projects of strategic importance to EDF, and during their year at EDF they receive support to develop skills they will find useful in their careers going forward, including writing, media, and public presentation.
This year, the Tom Graff Fellows will be based in Austin, Texas; San Francisco or Sacramento, California; and Washington, D.C. Applicants across the country are invited to apply. Tom Graff, founder of EDF’s California office and longtime environmental activist, died in 2009, and the Fellowships were recently renamed in his honor.
“After one year, the Tom Graff Fellowship Program has exceeded our expectations, thanks to the strong performance of the Fellows and the strategic importance of their projects,” said Yarnold. “A remarkable thing we’ve learned is that EDF and the entire environmental field have much to gain from becoming more inclusive. It is not merely a matter of teaching young people to be environmentalists, but allowing our vision of environmentalism to be transformed by them.”
People seeking more information about the new fellowships, including information on how to apply, should contact Kim Sharp at (512) 691-3414, or [email protected]. For more information about Environmental Defense Fund, interested candidates should go
to www.edf.org.
Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 700,000 members.
