Leadership & Staff | Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Switzer Fellows are an integral part of the leadership of the foundation. The foundation operates with a small staff, an advisory committee of Switzer Fellows, and a dedicated Board of Trustees of Switzer family members, Switzer Fellows, and environmental professionals. Learn more about the staff, committee, and trustees by visiting their profiles below.

Trustees

Michael Billingsley

Senior Director, Nuveen Green Capital

Dawn Chavez

2003 Fellow

Executive Director, Environmental Leadership Program

Ekow Edzie

2018 Fellow

Foreign Service Officer, U.S. State Department

Maria Martinez

2018 Fellow

Director, U.S. Policy & Advocacy, Breakthrough Energy

Roger Perez

2015 Fellow

Program Officer, GitLab Foundation

Donna Vorhees

1992 Fellow

Director of Energy Research, Health Effects Institute

Staff

Maya Higgins

Program Manager, Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Laine Kuehn

Administrative Coordinator, Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Cora Preston

Network Manager, Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Sarah Reed

2006 Fellow

Executive Director, Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Fellow Advisory Committe

The Fellows Advisory Committee (FAC) is a group of fellows who advise Switzer Foundation staff and Board on selected policy and programmatic issues. The FAC is also a means for Switzer Fellows to contribute their wisdom and experience back to the foundation to ensure that our programs and efforts are relevant for new fellows and fellowship alumni. Through the FAC, fellows can learn more about the operations of the foundation and be considered for future service as a trustee, as was hoped for by the founders.

Daisy Benitez

2017 Fellow

Senior Consultant, EY

Genie Bey

2017 Fellow

Program Specialist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate Program Office

Demi Espinoza

2020 Fellow

Senior Program Associate, Erol Foundation

Nathan McClintock

2008 Fellow

Associate Professor, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)

Dr. Kimberley Miner

2016 Fellow

Earth Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, California Institute of Technology

Keith Parker

2016 Fellow

Senior Biologist, Yurok Tribe of California

Bruni Pizarro

2017 Fellow

Director of Brand Strategy & Partner, For La Diáspora

Karen Diaz Ruvalcaba

2018 Fellow

Project Manager, The San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC)

Ruth Steiner

1993 Fellow

Professor & Director, Center for Health and the Built Environment, University of Florida

Elisabeth Stoddard

2013 Fellow

Associate Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Being a Switzer Fellow was transformational. It allowed for more creative freedom, exposure to a mentor with a completely different life journey, and a much-needed shot of moral support during the hard days of graduate school. I hope that being on the FAC allowed me to enable others have similar experiences.

Lara Hansen, Prior FAC Member