Twelve college students and recent graduates from around the country joined us this summer for the 19th annual Randal Fellowship, an eight-week immersion program in The Piedmont Environmental Council’s work and exploration of conservation-related careers. With PEC staff as their instructors and advisors, our 2025 Randal Fellows learned about the role of nonprofit and local engagement in addressing complex and interdisciplinary environmental issues facing communities today.
In this hybrid program, Randal Fellows joined us from their homes across the U.S. for a series of virtual seminars and group activities on topics ranging from local land use policy to nonprofit communications, before coming together in Warrenton for three weeks of in-person seminars, field trips and group work. During their final three weeks, they pursued independent study to develop practicum projects on water quality, transportation design and walkability, GIS mapping and other topics.
The Randal Fellowship is named after the late Judy Randal, who supported the development of the program to provide direct conservation experiences for undergraduate and graduate students. She was a strong believer in education and the importance of sharing the success of PEC in conservation, environmental policy and civic engagement.
“I’ve already spent a lot of time in the environmental and conservation field, but now I know a bit more about what parts of conservation I might want to run with in the future. I really appreciated getting to see all aspects of a nonprofit, because there are also parts of financing, fundraising and communications, and all of these things that are important to the functioning of a nonprofit.”
— Kawther Said, Loudoun County, VA
Stanford University, Class of 2025
“It [the Randal Fellowship] gave me a very unique opportunity to learn about land conservation, environmental policies, and the work of a nonprofit because this was all something that was new to me but was very complementary to my studies that focus on engineering and environment and sustainability. So I found it really valuable to learn more about the policy and nonprofit sides of environmental movements.”
— Luke Rossi, Natick, MA
Brown University, Class of 2026
“It just meant so much to me that PEC was willing to give me this exposure and this experience with domains that I didn’t know much about. I think the Randal Fellowship really helps life and work systems feel less rigid and it opens up the possibilities for people who otherwise might not consider this an option.”
— Odalys Benitez, Los Angeles, CA
Olin College of Engineering, Class of 2022
Randal Fellows toured our Roundabout Meadows property with PEC’s Gilberts Corner lands manager Dana Melby (second from left in back), who shared our efforts to manage the pasture lands for cattle grazing while restoring native habitat and improving water quality at Howsers Branch. Photo by Douglas Stewart
A “Mock Board of Supervisors Meeting” enabled Fellows to get inside the workings of local government. Playing different roles — as developers, county planners, advocacy groups and local residents — the Fellows learned how communities make decisions about development and how policies and regulations like comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances work. Photo by Douglas Stewart
This article appeared in the 2025 fall edition of The Piedmont Environmental Council’s member newsletter, The Piedmont View. If you’d like to become a PEC member or renew your membership, please visit pecva.org/join.