Fellow Story

Switzer Fellows speak at 2026 New Horizons in Conservation Conference

April 23, 2026

Fellow(s): Andrea Bogomolni, Demi Espinoza, Lupe Franco, Carolina Prado

Topic(s): Environmental & Social Justice

The New Horizons in Conservation Conference, hosted by the Yale School of Environment’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Sustainability Initiative, is taking place May 7-9, 2026. The conference explores “urgent issues in the environmental sector, with a focus on perspectives in environmental institutions, food insecurity and sovereignty, climate and energy, outdoor experiences, future leadership in the environmental movement, and more.”

Four Switzer Fellows are featured as plenary speakers or panelists in this year’s conference:

Andrea Bogomolni, Program Officer at the Island Foundation will speak on Navigating the Foundation Funding Landscape
Demi Espinoza, Program Officer at Resources Legacy Fund will speak on Youth and New People Entering the Environmental Grantmaking Space: Opportunities and Challenges
Lupe Franco, PhD student at UC Davis, will present “Engaging the Unhoused in Climate Adaptation Planning Through Spatial Empathy” during a panel discussion on Environmental Resources, Inequalities and Vulnerabilities
Dr. Carolina Prado, Assistant Professor at San Francisco State University, will speak on Climate, Hazards and Vulnerable Communities.

Learn more about the conference here.

Meet the Fellows in this Story

Andrea Bogomolni

2011 Fellow

Andrea was previously a research associate at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and a Ph.D candidate in the Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science at the University of Connecticut. Her research on disease and health...

Demi Espinoza

2020 Fellow

Demi Espinoza (she/they) is the daughter of working class Mexican immigrants and the youngest of ten siblings raised in Riverside, California. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at California State University San Bernardino and a...

Lupe Franco

2025 Fellow

Lupe Franco explores how unhoused individuals experience and navigate extreme weather conditions, with a focus on the systemic barriers that exacerbate their vulnerability. Her work sits at the intersection of climate justice, environmental justice, and homelessness.

Carolina Prado

2016 Fellow

Carolina Prado is an advocate on issues of cross-border social environmental justice and governance at the U.S.-México border. As a Ph.D, candidate in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of...