EPIC colleague and valuable team member from Haiti, Anderson Jean was awarded the prestigious Stanford University Bright Award in a ceremony on the Stanford campus, California in  June 2023. Sponsored by the Stanford University Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program, the Bright Award is given annually to an “individual who has made significant contributions in the environmental preservation and sustainability area.”

The awardee this year was chosen from a list of leading candidates from the Caribbean and Latin America region and EPIC Director Tabitha Stadler was part of the nominating committee, which helped the judges to receive as many nominations as possible. “We are thrilled to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of this generous gift from Ray and the Bright family that has provided much-needed support to environmental heroes from around the world as well as an international platform to showcase their critical, earth-saving work,” said Jenny Martinez, the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of Stanford Law School.

The event was held on the Stanford campus and was well-attended by faculty, students, past winners, and leaders in the field of environmental conservation including EPIC Co-founder and Black-capped Petrel Program Director Adam Brown. During the formal ceremony, Anderson was lauded in a speech by Barton Thompson, professor and founder of Stanford’s Environmental and Natural Resources Program,  and then given the award. Anderson followed with a passionate speech of his own which highlighted the challenges and awards of conservation in Haiti. The event ended with a round table conversation of leading conservationists including  Anderson. A wonderful video highlighting past and present Bright Award winners was shown as a part of the evening's closing events and a link to that can be found here.

We at EPIC are so proud to work alongside Anderson and witness his leadership and immense impact on conservation in Haiti. Learn more about that work here.