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Earth Ambassadors

Enduring friendships. Useful curricula. Caring mentors. Career connections. The Nicholas School of the Environment delivers them all — just ask these alums.

by Julie Leibach

Three abstract panels suggest human profiles using geometric shapes and natural textures in teal, sand, and black, with a grainy, print-like finish.

For Brooke Rose, describing positive memories from her time as a master’s student at the Nicholas School of the Environment is a tall order. “There’s too many to count,” she says.

As Rose can attest, attending the Nicholas School is more than an academic experience. It’s an opportunity to pursue curiosity and build community.

Graduates from the school’s Master of Environmental Management (MEM) and Master of Forestry (MF) programs also go on to work in environmental fields, fueled by a desire to leave Earth — and our relationship with it — better than they found it.

Here, seven recent alums describe how they got interested in environmental science, why they chose the Nicholas School and what they’re doing now.

Anne-Elisabeth Baker

Master of Environmental Management, 2024

Concentration: Environmental Economics and Policy, with a Community-Based Environmental Management Certificate

Employer: North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

Role: Policy Analyst

Meilin Chan

Master of Environmental Management, 2024

Concentration: Business and Environment

Employer: The Walt Disney Company

Role: Program Manager, Value Chain Emissions

Parker White

Master of Forestry/Master of Business Administration, 2024

Employer: Eastwood Forests, LLC

Role: Forest Operations Manager

Brooke Lynn Elzweig

Master of Environmental Management, 2025

Concentrations: Business and Environment; Coastal and Marine Systems

Employer: Brackish Strategies, LLC

Role: Founder and Principal

Reema Garabadu

Master of Environmental Management, 2023

Concentration: Ecosystem Science and Conservation, with a Community-Based Environmental Management Certificate

Employer: Eno River Association

Role: Conservation Manager

Brooke Rose

Master of Environmental Management, 2025

Concentration: Community ��Ĵ�ýment and Environmental Justice; Terrestrial and Freshwater Environments

Employer: The Wildfire Solutions Coalition

Role: Project Coordinator

Harlan Belcher

Master of Environmental Management/Master of Business Administration (UNC), 2024

Concentration: Energy and the Environment

Employer: NextEra Energy, Inc.

Role: Senior Project Manager, Development