Gerald Torres, Adrian Leighton, and Marlyse Duguid

Speaker Biographies

Gerald Torres, PhD - Professor of Environmental Justice, Yale School of the Environment

As a pioneer in the field of environmental law, Torres has spent his career examining the intrinsic connections between the environment, agricultural and food systems, and social justice. His research into how race and ethnicity impact environmental policy has informed his teaching and practical experiences and has been influential in the emergence and evolution of the field of environmental justice.

Adrian Leighton, PhD - Natural Resources Division Head, Salish Kootenai College 

Although I have loved being in the woods all of my life, it wasn’t until I took a really good silviculture class in 1994 that I realized that I had a passion for forestry. Since then, my major interest has been understanding the point of intersection between responsible resource management and the ecology of natural systems.

I have been a Forestry adviser and instructor at Salish Kootenai College since 2003, and had the privilege to be the lead instructor in designing the Bachelor of Science program in Forestry at SKC in 2005 (which is still the only Bachelors Degree in Forestry at a Tribal Colldge). In the last few years, I have also been co-adviser of the Forestry and Natural Resources Student Club.

Off Campus, I am currently co-chair of the Intertribal Timber Council Research Sub-Committee and a member of the 4th Indian Forest Management Assessment Team (IFMAT IV), a once every 10 year, Congressionally mandated review of forestry in Indian country.  I have also had the opportunity to prepare the curriculum and conduct week long forestry skills Woods Work courses to tribal woods crews on reservations in Oregon, Nevada, Alaska and Minnesota.

When I am not chasing after my daughter, Sofia, I also like to bake bread and hang out with trees, which are much cooler than you might think.

Marlyse Duguid, PhD - Director of Research, Yale Forests

Dr. Duguid is a plant community ecologist, forester, field botanist, and horticulturist. She joined the faculty of YSE in 2017 as the first Thomas G. Siccama lecturer where she focuses on field-based teaching on topics around plant ecology and natural history. Dr. Duguid’s research program addresses questions with applied conservation relevance. Much of her current work is focused on understanding patterns of plant diversity and composition in temperate understory plant communities, especially in managed landscapes. Current projects examine how acute (e.g., forest harvesting) and chronic (e.g., global change, biological invasions) anthropogenic disturbances affect plant communities and other non-targer organisms. She is also interested in how "success" is evaluated following ecological restoration. A primary consideration of Dr. Duguid’s research is how data can be effectively communicated and applied to on-the-ground conservation actions. Along these lines she partners with local, regional, and national organizations to address conservation and restoration questions.