Bio

Participation
4

I’m the Manager of Campaigns at New Roots Institute, where we empower the next generation with knowledge and training to end factory farming. I build strategic campaign partnerships and lead a team supporting 50+ fellows across 10+ countries as they drive change through institutional food procurement, plant-based and animal welfare legislation, curricular advocacy, and campus education. 

Comments
5

Thank you for all of this essential work! I’m curious how you’re thinking about the role that advances in AI could play in repairing the evidence to impact pipeline: do you find that a significant amount of time is currently spent on manual tasks like evidence review and analysis aligned with identifying legal violations, transcription, creating exposé videos, or similar work? 

This is such a thoughtful and unique post. I love how you weave together your personal story, history, statistics, and the rise of animal agriculture. It adds so much depth and context.

I especially resonated with the line, “Through donating, though, I can associate myself with these dreams of what could have been.” That completely captures how I feel about giving as well, and it’s one of the main reasons I became a career coach (and why I now work with students!) – you can’t do everything yourself, but you can help others pursue the paths you might have taken.

Just checked out the prototype – it's cool! I like the idea of using this as a bridge while more rigorous WFF data is still being developed. Curious how you’re thinking about how this might fit alongside existing certifications or labeling schemes once WFF estimates are available (i.e. more complementary, overlapping, or something else)? And who do you see as the most promising early adopters for a tool like this?

Really appreciated this framing, Matt! I’m curious whether you have a sense of the extent to which this job-first mindset (or other mindsets which are not serving younger candidates) are reinforced by university career advising systems?

Re: institutionalizing wild animal welfare at universities:

  • As you build out these hubs, do you envision WAI playing a coordinating role to keep research agendas aligned across universities and prevent the field from developing in isolated silos?
  • What structural or institutional barriers within universities have you encountered or think you could encounter that could make the fellowship–hub model challenging to implement?
  • Looking ahead, how do you see WAI fellows shaping not only academic research but also high-leverage institutions like USDA Wildlife Services, major conservation NGOs, and policymaking bodies?