The Weinberg Influence: Giving SEAS Students a Career Boost
A philanthropic spirit was instilled in longtime University of Michigan donor Marshall M. Weinberg (BA ’50) by his parents. His father, who owned a garment business, wrote a book for Weinberg and his brothers that served as a blueprint for how to live a good life by helping others.
Marshall M. Weinberg (BA ’50)
Weinberg took the advice to heart. The businessman, humanitarian and philanthropist established the Marshall Weinberg Endowed Fellowship Fund at the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) in 2002 to help future sustainability leaders. The fund provides SEAS students with financial support for fellowships, internships and special projects.
During the past 21 years, 194 SEAS students have collectively received more than $862,000 in financial support, which has enabled them to gain valuable sustainability experience and skills they might not otherwise have gotten.
“Marshall is one of the biggest-hearted alumni I know,” says Jonathan Overpeck, the Samuel A. Graham Dean and William B. Stapp Collegiate Professor of Environmental Education. “He has provided meaningful counsel to SEAS deans for years, and he has shared his generous financial support with generations of SEAS students. We all have benefited from his exceptional philanthropic example, and I’m grateful for his long-standing support of our school.”
Weinberg, who lives in New York City, began his career at Herzfeld & Stern, a New York investment firm. His philanthropy focuses on higher education, international justice and reproductive rights. In 2008, Weinberg received the David B. Hermelin Award for Fundraising Volunteer Leadership, the university’s most prestigious award for volunteers. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from U-M in 2014.
Highlighted below are some of the organizations where Weinberg Fellows are placed, as well as some current employers of Weinberg Fellowship recipients.
Weinberg Internship Placements
U.S. Senate
U.S. Embassy in Zambia
World Resources Institute
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Defenders of Wildlife
Centre for Sustainable Healthcare
ForestAction Nepal
SPOUTS International
Friends of the Rouge
City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations
Current Employers of Weinberg Fellowship Recipients
Attorney and Advisor, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Carbon Reduction Research Scientist, Amazon
Foreign Affairs Officer, U.S. Department of State
Lead Ecologist, The Wilderness Society
Senior Policy Coordinator, Greater London Authority
Director of Sustainability, City of Detroit
Biologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Environmental Justice Program Manager, National Wildlife Federation
Assistant Director, Energy & Climate Equity, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Sustainable Production Program Manager, NBCUniversal
SEAS Associate Professor and hydrologist Drew Gronewold is interested in understanding how climate change and changes in different rates of water use impact water supplies and water levels across Earth’s large lakes and freshwater systems.
As U-M’s first director of climate action engagement, Liesl Eichler Clark is leading an initiative aimed at linking the university’s expanding sustainability research, collaborations and engagement with external partners to accelerate climate action in Michigan and beyond.
In early 2023, wildfires were raging in Chile, which isn't unlike what the U.S. has experienced with more frequency in recent years, particularly in the western part of the country. SEAS Associate Professor Paige Fischer says that when it comes to how climate change is impacting wildfires, the U.S. West and Chile have quite a bit in common.
