For more information on the The Wyss Scholars Program, please return to the Wyss Scholars Page.

Anna Bengtson

Environmental Policy; Urban Planning

Having lived her entire life in New England, Anna followed her ski racing roots to Park City, Utah after graduating from Brown University with a B.A. in Geology-Biology in 2009.  There, she worked with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association during the Vancouver Olympics before moving on to a position with a small, private mining company.  Anna spent five years as an Environmental Project Manager with the company planning and implementing Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) remediation and restoration projects to improve the habitat and water quality within the local watershed.  As a part of these projects she operated heavy machinery, performed avian monitoring, developed invasive weed management protocols, and met with local landowners and project stakeholders.  

 

During this time Anna also co-hosted a public radio show called Wild About Utah, which discussed nature and wildlife topics pertinent to the Intermountain West region.  It was here that she really began to develop her interest in western land management and conservation.  Fueled by her experiences working on the downstream end of environmental impacts, Anna became interested in multi-stakeholder, collaborative land use management and planning practices that preserve ecosystem function and value while meeting the needs of communities.  This interest brought Anna to SNRE where she is pursuing an M.S. in Environmental Policy and Planning.

Louisa Eberle

Law

Louisa is a second-year student at the University of Michigan Law School. Originally from Denver, Colorado, she earned a B.A. in Physics from Carleton College in 2012. While volunteering with Carleton’s Engineers Without Borders chapter, Louisa began to develop an interest in natural resource and environmental issues, particularly those related to water and land use decisions. She further explored her interest in land use through work on off-road vehicle regulation for The Wilderness Society’s National Forest Action Center. Louisa returned to Denver in 2014 for a summer internship in the US District Court with the Honorable Christine Arguello, where she gained hands-on experience with legal research and writing and learned about effective advocacy.

 

Louisa has continued to pursue her environmental passion through law school coursework, including the Environmental Law Clinic, in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office. Outside of classes, she is the Managing Executive Editor for the Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law and an Environmental Law Society board member. Louisa is excited to

return to Denver in 2015 as a summer intern for Earthjustice.

Brian Fadie
Environmental Policy and Planning

Brian Fadie is a first-year master’s student at the University of Michigan’s

School of Natural Resources and Environment, pursuing a degree in environmental policy and planning. A native Michigander, Brian became involved in grassroots environmental movements while completing undergraduate work at Michigan State University. This exposure to the policy process led Brian to join the staff of ProgressNow Nevada; a state-based non-profit organization designed to advance progressive policy goals through innovative uses of technology and earned media campaigns. During his three years as technology director and one as executive director, Brian worked to engage the public, media, and decision makers around campaigns ranging from healthcare and education reform to public land protection and clean energy development.

 

After graduation Brian plans to combine the ecological and policy training received at SNRE with his past experiences as an organizer to further conservation priorities in the American West, particularly related to clean energy development and public lands protection.