Dr. Dorceta Taylor, Program Director and Principal Investigator
Dr. Dorceta Taylor is a distinguished professor at Yale University’s School of the Environment. She oversees the programming and strategic development for the Yale Conservation Scholars - Early Leadership Initiative and the Environmental Fellows program. She authored the most comprehensive report on diversity in the mainstream environmental movement, “Diversity in the Environmental Institutions: Mainstream NGOs, Foundations & Government Agencies,” commissioned by Green 2.0, which called for programs like YCS-ELI to diversify the conservation workforce. She is also the author of three books focused on environmental history and environmental justice.
Kayla Morin, Program Manager
(she/her/hers)
Kayla Morin completed her master’s degree in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the University of Connecticut. She specialized in anadromous fish, science communication, and museum studies. She oversees various aspects of the program, including recruitment, summer curriculum development, and partnership-building with external environmental and conservation organizations. She also assists with other programming in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative, including food access research and the New Horizons in Conservation Conference. Kayla can usually be found outside with her dog, Percy, or on the couch with a good book.
Ivy Ortiz, Program Manager
(they/them/theirs)
Ivy Ortiz graduated from the University of Michigan, School for Environment and Sustainability, with a master’s degree in Environmental Justice. Aside from administrative and mentoring roles, their expertise lies in using quantitative research methods within R, Geographic Information Systems, and Remote Sensing applications. When they aren’t busy programming, they enjoy cross-country running, gardening, cooking, and playing with their adopted, sassy cat Wanda.
For inquiries regarding the Yale Conservation Scholars - Early Leadership Initiative at Yale University, please email: ycs-eli@yale.edu.