Our Team
Marlyse Duguid, MF, PhD (she/her)
Thomas J. Siccama Senior Lecturer in Field Ecology, Director of Research—Yale Forests, Faculty Lead—Ecosystem Management & Conservation Specialization
Karam Sheban (he/him)
Doctoral Candidate '27, Master of Forestry '20, Yale University School of the Environment & The New York Botanical Garden, UC Berkeley Exchange Scholar '25
Karam Sheban is a PhD candidate at the Yale School of the Environment and co-director of the Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition. He has over 10 years of experience in agroforestry and forest farming work, beginning as an AmeriCorps volunteer at Rural Action in Southeast Ohio, where he worked with farmers, NGOs, universities, and other agroforestry stakeholders across the Appalachian region. He envisions a thriving forest farming economy in the Northeast where science, policy, and local and regional markets intersect to support diverse farm enterprises and cultural engagement with the bounty of forest diversity in the region.
Walker is the Program Director and also serves as a member of the Leadership Team at Smokey House Center in Danby, VT. He received his BA in botany and environmental studies from Connecticut College before receiving his MF from the Yale School of the Environment. His research and work has focused on multi-use forestry, sustainable development of non-timber forest product industries, implementation of agroforestry systems, and place-based education. He is passionate about fostering a deeper connection between people and place and loves to support youth to develop into the leaders our world so badly needs.
Nat started work with the NFFC as a field research assistant and now manages programming and communications. Before pursuing a master’s degree in forestry at Yale focused on temperate forest-based agroforestry systems, they got their BA in environmental law & policy at the University of Michigan and did work in environmental health law and food justice in New York City. Their current research focuses on American ginseng population genomics in the Northeast. They are interested in the distinction between wild vs cultivated communities and how plants and people move across landscapes.
Marlyse has botanized, gardened, and generally loved plants in the northeastern United States for her entire life. She currently serves as the Director of Research for the Yale Forests and Senior Lecturer in Field Ecology and Research Scientist at Yale School of the Environment. Marlyse has research expertise in plant community ecology, restoration ecology, agriculture, horticulture and forest farming. Marlyse also has decades of experience in applied plant science, both agriculture and horticulture and is a licensed forester. Marlyse is one of the co-founders of the Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition (NFFC) and currently serves as the Director of Research of the NFFC.
Nat Burr (he/they)
Master of Forestry Candidate '26, Yale School of the Environment, the Forest School
Laura is a forester and field botanist whose work and life is rooted in the woods of southern New England. She works as the Research & Extension Forester for the Yale Forests at the Yale School of the Environment. The Yale Forests steward 10,000+ acres of forestland across three New England states for education, research, and demonstration. Laura previously worked as an independent consulting forester and botanist in eastern Connecticut, which found her writing management plans, surveying rare plants, and happily tromping through forests, fields, and swamps. She also taught botany and science writing as an adjunct lecturer at SCSU and UConn and served as an interim conservation director for the Friends of Rye Nature Center in Rye, NY. Laura recieved a Master of Forestry degree from the Yale School of the Environment, and she is a licensed forester in the state of Connecticut.
Ellis is currently located in North Carolina where she received her BA in Environmental Studies from Warren Wilson College, and discovered her love for forest farming while working on the Forestry Crew. She is currently a Gardener at Light-en retreat. She has been working with the NFFC since the summer of 2024 where she is able to combine her passion for people and plants into one realm.