World Forestry Center is proud to announce the most recent evolution of our Fellowship Program. This new model empowers leaders from across multiple sectors to engage with a critical issue impacting our forests and our communities.
The first cohort, which will focus on wildfire, includes 10 individuals from diverse
backgrounds, including public health, energy, carbon, indigenous communities,
social justice, and more.
These Fellows will join us for an immersive two-year program focused on learning
from trusted subject matter experts, informing the development of a new public
exhibit, and designing an individualized community engagement plan.
This program is made possible thanks to support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Meet the Fellows
Jamiah Adams
Vallejo, California
Senior Vice President
of Diversity and Justice,
The Climate Reality Project
“I thought this program seemed
like a great way for me to
build my knowledge of forest
management, while also lending
my creative experience to an
important public institution.”
Jamiah Adams
Vallejo, California
Senior Vice President
of Diversity and Justice,
The Climate Reality Project
“I thought this program seemed
like a great way for me to
build my knowledge of forest
management, while also lending
my creative experience to an
important public institution.”
Dr. Dodie Arnold
Slidell, Louisiana
Chief Executive Officer, Arnold CR
“I am a consultant and activist
in public health, racial justice,
outdoor recreation, and climate
justice spaces. I have always
wanted to work on a project with
a museum and this is the perfect
intersection of my areas of
expertise and interest.”
Leticia Cervantes
Portland, Oregon
Mass Timber Innovation Director,
Hacienda CDC
“I joined the Fellowship to learn
about the environmental impacts
of building with wood and Mass
Timber products and to find new
ways to engage my community
in the forestry culture.”
History
For over 20 years, World Forestry Center’s International Fellowship Program was a one-of-a-kind, professional development opportunity focused on networking and expanding practical knowledge and experience amongst emerging leaders in forestry.
Over that time, we built a robust network of over 148 program alumni from 47 countries. Fellowship alumni were typically chosen from forestry professions and spent six months in Portland, Oregon, during which they visited nearby forests, met local experts, and completed an independent project.
In 2020, COVID-19 restrictions led us to rethink how we could best move forward with a reimagined Fellowship program that better serves our mission to affect social change.
A Lasting Legacy
The International Fellowship Program was generously supported by the Harry A. Merlo Foundation for 30 years.
The establishment of the International Fellowship Program was the dream of longtime World Forestry Center supporter Harry A. Merlo. Merlo, who passed away in 2016, remains a legend within the forest products sector and a well-known philanthropist.
Long before others in the industry, he recognized that forestry is a global sector. Merlo understood the importance of having access to information worldwide and of developing a network of contacts abroad. He dreamed of a place where information about global forestry could be sourced and shared.
