MESM 2026
Pronouns: she/her
Bio
Marley Hatfield's passion for environmental conservation stems from her upbringing on wildlife reserves in Kenya and her experiences living across multiple continents. After earning a BA in Live and Performing Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago in 2019, Marley worked at Enonkishu Conservancy in Kenya, collaborating with Maasai communities to implement sustainable grazing practices and mitigate human-wildlife conflict. She then joined the Alaska Wilderness League, where she supported external communication campaigns to mobilize environmental advocates in service of the nonprofit's mission to protect federally managed land and water in the 49th state. A growing interest in marine conservation led her to earn a Divemaster certification and contribute to marine research and community-led conservation initiatives in Indonesia's Raja Ampat Marine Protected Area.
At the Bren School, Marley intends to specialize in Conservation Planning and Coastal Resource Management to examine the complex interactions between social and ecological systems in biodiverse coastal marine areas, particularly in regions where climate change disproportionately affects marginalized communities. She aims to leverage theoretical and methodological tools to develop effective conservation strategies that balance environmental priorities with the needs of local communities.