Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Fellowship Year: 2012

Academic Background: Yale University - MEM/MA 2014- (Environmental Management + Global Affairs)

Current Position: Graduate Teaching Fellow , Yale University

Currently Working On: Sustainable development and extractive industries

Leah is a masters student pursuing dual degrees in environmental management and global affairs. Her work is focused on reducing the environmental impacts of mining and enhancing the industry’s contribution towards global sustainable development. Last summer she worked in Liberia for an international development consulting firm and was responsible for assisting the Liberian Ministry of Lands, Mines, and Energy comply with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for conflict-free diamonds. She also developed recommendations to improve the country's artisanal diamond-mining sector, managed multiple community development projects, and trained miners on improved mining methods. Prior to joining Yale, Leah conducted a multi-year research project on the role of civil society in influencing international trade disputes, studied marine ecology in Denmark, and worked on a rainforest conservation project in Ecuador. In 2006, Leah joined the US Environmental Protection Agency where she managed the investigation and cleanup of hazardous waste sites in Arizona and on tribal lands. Subsequently, she served as a life scientist in EPA’s Wetlands Office where she worked to protect the aquatic resources of California and Arizona from the impacts of urban sprawl. This summer, she wants to learn about the motivations, opportunities, and constraints faced by extractive industries in their quest to fulfill environmental and social objectives by working within the industry. Her goal is to help companies develop and implement realistic and robust environmental and social performance standards and to foster useful partnerships between industry players, civil society, and public agencies.

Expertise: Int'l Conservation & Developmt, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Policy & Law