It is well known that YSE alumni go on to be leaders in their fields. Alumna Dorceta Taylor (M.F.S. ‘85, Ph.D. ‘91) was named a 2020 recipient (link is external) of the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal, the highest honor the Yale Graduate School can bestow upon an alumni for outstanding achievement. Taylor is a leading scholar in environmental justice and racism in the environmental movement, focusing her research on urban agriculture, food access, and food insecurity. Her degrees at Yale include an M.F.S. and M.A. in sociology as well as a joint P.h.D. in environmental sociology between YSE and the Department of Sociology. She is the first Black woman to receive a P.h.D. from YSE. Aside from being a 2020 Wilbur Lucius Cross Medalist, she has also been recognized as one of the 8 Black leaders who have revolutionized the climate movement (link is external) by Green America and one of 6 leaders who carry on MLK’s history and legacy (link is external) by AARP in 2020. A day dedicated to celebrating Taylor and other Wilbur Cross Medalist recipients is scheduled for October 5, 2020. She serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability.
