Program Summary and Application
Deadline to sign up is April 10th, 2023
x
Senior Fellows Program Application – click here
To nurture and utilize the immense talent that is present in the mid-to-late-career professionals, trade- and craftspeople in our region, Sustainable Hudson Valley announces our third annual Senior Fellows Program which set for this summer. The program brings together mature, motivated individuals who are in career transition, such as retiring or launching a major project.
Each Senior Fellow will be supported to develop a strategic analysis and project or product that is aligned with SHV’s work to transform the climate crisis by designing creative, scalable solutions relevant to our region. Fellows may focus in the topic areas of energy, materials management, agriculture and forestry, transportation and land use, water and materials management – and/or the cross-cutting themes of economic development, justice, resilience and education. The project should advance the Fellow’s own career path and inform SHV’s program development as well. The commitment between SHV and the Fellows concludes with a debrief interview to discuss these possibilities.
The 12-week program combines covid-careful group meetings, independent project work and special community programs. Senior Fellows are expected to devote an average of two days per week to their work and participate in a few activities such as team lunches and field trips. Senior Fellows will have access to SHV’s tools including Constant Contact for communications, SurveyMonkey, and Canva for graphic design. A summer intern will be available for data collection and other support. SHV’s senior staff will facilitate the program with support from the Board, previous Fellows and experts in our network.
Some key dates for the program:
April7, 2023: Applications due
April 21, 2023: Selections announced
June 5, 2023: Program begins
Week of June 26, 2023: Field activities TBD
Week of July 31, 2023: Workshop day – present draft material
August 18, 2023: Final day of program, lunch and final presentations.
Feedback from SHV’s Senior Fellows
Cynthia Nikitin
“Being part of the senior fellows program was an honor and a joy. I met amazing people doing incredible work that I probably would have never come across otherwise. But it was the sense of camaraderie, the deep listening and thoughtful ideas we shared with each other about our projects that was so helpful. When smart people come together as peers, and the only agenda is to help and accept help so we all succeed – it’s magic.”
Joe Phelan
“The SHV Senior Fellows program has provided a valuable and diverse network of peers, along with a broad variety of their experiences and insights related to sustainability and environmental action. The camaraderie of this year’s group of Senior Fellows, and the suggestions and feedback that they have shared, freely and critically, but nonjudgmentally, at our regular meetings throughout the year, based upon their personal experiences, have been critically important in the development and success of our own projects as Senior Fellows during this past year. Serving as a member of the first cadre of SHV Senior Fellows this year has been purposeful, meaningful, and enjoyable.”
Andrew Willner
“The Sustainable Hudson Valley Senior Fellowship, despite the constraints of Covid, gave me an opportunity to share ideas, and receive feedback from some of the most knowledgeable and productive people in the Hudson Valley. Each of the Fellows presented, and brought to fruition, concepts that are life changing. Food security and the climate diet, the repair revolution, climate change curriculum for public school students, year-round carbon free green houses, regenerative ports and post carbon transport, and “placemaking” ideas quickly formed connections that enhanced the work of all the Fellows. It was an experience in which I am grateful to have participated.”
Maria Reidelbach
“Joining the Sustainable Hudson Valley Senior Fellowship the summer of 2020 was a fantastic way to meet and collaborate with others whose mission and ethos focus on a healthy environment and an inclusive transition to a climate-changed world. The disciplines of the other highly accomplished fellows varied widely, but surprising intersections provided fertility for vigorous hybrid possibilities. Wise feedback on my own projects was invaluable. Although we met formally for only the summer, we intend to continue to stay in touch with each other, and also hope to know future SHV Fellows.”
Michael McDonough
“If you are looking for a program where you can sharpen your skills, focus your energy, network with peers, explore unexpected avenues of success, build a better pitch deck, integrate with a larger community, broadly accrue knowledge, and connect with wonderful, supportive people, look no further than Sustainable Hudson Valley Senior Fellows Program.”
SUPPORT OUR WORK!
