MESM 2021
Bio
Erin Ristig graduated cum laude from Claremont McKenna College in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Analysis and Spanish. During her undergraduate career, she conducted research and received a grant to work with an Ecuadorian village to develop a community-based ecotourism business. This experience sparked her interest in community-driven conservation that provides both economic and environmental benefits. After college, she worked for the Foundation for Sustainable Development in Argentina supporting local NGOs in capacity-building and as a Program Support Associate for Management Sciences for Health, supporting 9 country portfolios for a global USAID project. These experiences kindled her desire to combine international development with her passion for environmental conservation. In 2018 Erin began working for the American Forest Foundation where she led outreach campaigns to family forest landowners and developed a data tracking system to better manage project metrics. Prior to starting at Bren, she interned with Noroeste Sustentable in La Paz, Mexico, working with an artisanal fishing community to develop an alternative livelihood project. This experience inspired her interest in fisheries management and she plans to specialize in Coastal Marine Resources Management with a focus in Environmental Data Science. Erin hopes to contribute to the development of models and tools for improved community-driven management of marine resources.