Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program 2021

July 12 - July 30, 2021

University of California, Berkeley

3 week program

PLEASE NOTE: This page was created before the program was moved to its new online version, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For up-to-date information on the 2021 Beahrs ELP, please visit https://beahrselp.berkeley.edu/program/2021-online-program.

The Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) at the University of California, Berkeley, offers a unique learning opportunity for mid-career practitioners and decision-makers to broaden their knowledge and perspectives on environmental and natural resource science, policy, management, and leadership. Through exposure to innovative sustainability approaches and dialogue, ELP participants develop the tools and skills necessary to meet environmental goals that also reduce poverty and social conflict. Established in August 2000 with seed funding from UC Berkeley alumni Carolyn and Richard Beahrs, the ELP offers an annual three-week summer certificate course at UC Berkeley, and coordinates the Berkeley ELP Alumni Network with 702 members from over 114 countries. The ELP also supports post-training conservation and sustainable development collaborative projects with alumni, their organizations, and the UC Berkeley community of faculty, staff, and students.

Your Takeaways
  • UC Berkeley certificate in Sustainable Environmental Management.
  • Enhanced capacity to develop and apply solutions that balance environmental, economic, and social equity objectives.
  • Strengthened skills for communicating ideas, managing conflict, facilitating multi-stakeholder processes, and leading social change.
  • Lifetime membership in the global Berkeley ELP Alumni Network, eligibility for small grants and a continuing learning relationship with UC Berkeley.
David Zilberman
Professor, Robinson Chair
Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Berkeley
J. Keith Gilless
Dean Emeritus
Rausser College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley
Dan Kammen
Class of 1935 Distinguished Professor of Energy
UC Berkeley
David Ackerly
Dean
Rausser College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley
David Riemer
Executive-in-Residence
UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business
Dick Beahrs
Founder
Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program
Photo of Mike Cheng smiling at the camera
Mike Cheng
Advisor to the Dean and Executive-In-Residence
Rausser College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley
Susan Carpenter
Mediator
Susan Carpenter and Associates
David Vogel
Solomon P. Lee Professor Emeritus, Haas School of Business
University of California, Berkeley
Prerequisites
The Beahrs ELP seeks participants who are proficient in English to allow full participation in course discussions, have a resume that demonstrates strong professional experience and leadership potential, and have an affiliation with an institution concerned with environmental management/sustainable development.
What's Included:
The course fee is US$8,000. Participants are also responsible for their own travel arrangements and for covering approximately US$400 in additional meals and incidentals. Please also budget for a visa application fee (about $140), airport transportation ($40 average each way), and travel insurance if desired.

The $8000 fee covers the costs of instruction, housing, most meals, course materials, field trips, certificate, and health insurance if needed.

Please see our Cost page for more information.
Who should attend
Over the nineteen years of the program (2001-2019), the Beahrs ELP has graduated 702 leaders from over 114 countries. Participants come from a wide range of environmental and sustainable development agencies and organizations, local to global, who share in common the goal to better understand and support sustainable human-environment interactions.

Please see our Participants and Requirements page to learn more about our participants including a breakdown of ELP alumni by geographic region, type of organization, and discipline/specialty and gender.

You may also browse through our alumni network and find previous participants from your home country/region to better understand the profiles of previous candidates.
Agenda
The ELP offers a series of interdisciplinary workshops with a focus on innovation and collaboration. Workshops are facilitated by UC Berkeley faculty and non-academic experts from the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Training methods include lectures, small group exercises, role-play simulations, debates, participant case studies, panels and presentations, and open space sharing.
Please see our Content and Structure page for more information.

* Due to unforseen circumstances, we will celebrate the 20th anniversary in 2021
Attending ELP was a life-changing experience that I will never forget. I enjoyed learning from classmates and professors through group work, open-minded team discussions, and in-class activities. One of the biggest differences that I saw that existed between programs in China and at UC Berkeley was that sessions at UC Berkeley were extremely well-organized and the professors were always open-mind and encouraging. The passion they have for environment conservation have shown me what is possible through hard work. I believe that with the knowledge and skills that I have gained through the program, I will take my conservation efforts to the next level.
Dorje Jyal, Tibet/China, (ELP 2018), Project Manager, Wildlife Conservation Society
The Beahrs ELP provided the space for the participants to see the big picture in order to make the world a better place. Seeing the big picture is as important as understanding the details and complexities of the problem and is vital for generating creative solutions to our environmental problems. An array of competencies from technical, communication, and leadership skills were offered by the Beahrs ELP to ensure that participants are equipped to face current and future environmental challenges. No doubt the experience aided my growth as an environmental professional.
Divina Lade, Philippines (ELP 2018), Manager, Behavior Training, RARE INC
On seven occasions, I tried to get into the Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program. I wasn’t successful due to several factors, but I never stopped trying. As a conservation, environmental and natural resource management practitioner, I have learned to be optimistic, determined and persistent. By interacting and networking with my colleagues in the program on various crucial topics, I have diversified my perspectives, learned from successes, understood challenges and the effects it has on people, economies, and the planet, developed renewed vigor to pursue my goals of being an Agent of Change. I have refined my perspectives and appreciate the principles and practice of networking and this, I will use to effect change moving forward.
Borwen Sayon, Liberia, (ELP 2018), Deputy Managing Director, Forestry Development Authority