The Aspen Institute Catto Fellowship Program today announced its second class of Catto Fellows. The Catto Fellowship Program, modeled after the renowned Henry Crown Fellowship Program and other leadership initiatives of the Aspen Institute, is designed to engage the next generation of environmental leaders from all sectors - business, government, journalism, and non-profit - and connect their specialized work and talent to larger energy, environmental, and social concerns.

The Aspen Institute leadership initiatives seek to grasp and resolve the indispensable values underlying leadership and, in the case of the Catto Fellowship, the common values critical for a healthy and sustainable environment. The Catto Fellowship Program brings together 20 seasoned professionals who are diverse in viewpoint, political affiliation, industry, ethnicity, and gender. All are demonstrated leaders of their respective organizations and, through the fellowship, will learn to positively influence society with a more significant and sustainable environmental result. The Fellows will attend four five-day seminars over a period of 24 months.

The Catto Fellowship Program was founded by Ambassador Henry Catto and his wife, the late Jessica Catto.

"Jessica believed intensely in the need to prepare the next generation of environmental leaders," said David Monsma, executive director of the Institute's Energy and Environment Program. "One band of those likely future leaders, the Catto Fellows, drew untold inspiration and lasting resolve from her belief in them."

The 2010 Catto Fellows:

• Joseph Ageyo, News Editor, NTV


• Maria Blair, Deputy Associate Director for Climate Change Adaptation, White House Council on Environmental Quality


• Aimée Christensen, Founder and CEO, Christensen Global Strategies, LLC


• Miquela Craytor, Executive Director, Sustainable South Bronx


• Jacob Duer, Senior Advisor, United Nations Environment Programme


• Lauren Faber, Assistant Secretary for Climate Change, California Environmental Protection Agency


• Ron Gonen, Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO, RecycleBank


• Kellee James, White House Fellow, NOAA, Department of Commerce


• Brett Jenks, President and CEO, Rare Conservation


• Sarah King, Manager, Climate & Sustainability, DuPont


• Adam Lowry, Chief Greenskeeper, Co-founder, Method


• Eyrique Miller, Vice President in Investment Banking, J.P. Morgan


• Melanie Napoleon, Director, Great Lakes Conservation


• Carrie Norton, Vice President, Commercial Solar Solutions, PetersenDean, Inc.


• Collin O'Mara, Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Cabinet of Delaware Governor Jack A. Markell


• Mike Richter, Partner, Environmental Capital Partners LLC


• Kirsten Saenz Tobey, Founder and COO, Revolution Foods


• M. A. Sanjayan, Lead Scientist, The Nature Conservancy


• Jigar Shah, CEO, Carbon War Room


• Carlo Viviani, Director for Energy, Climate Change, and EU2020, Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, Department for European Affairs

The Aspen Institute's Energy and Environment Program has significant experience convening leaders to engage in civil discourse about energy and environmental issues. The program seeks to provide a neutral forum to improve policy making through intentional value-based dialogue. The Catto Fellowship and the Aspen Environment Forum are organized by the Energy and Environment Program under the direction of David Monsma.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

Aspen Institute

Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org or follow on Twitter @AspenInstitute.

More from Aspen Institute