Established in Memory of Steven Manley (1958 - 1979). While working for his second summer as a firefighter with the California Division of Forestry, Steve Manley and three other firefighters lost their lives on August 15, 1979, battling a brush wildfire near Santa Maria. He was a 21-year old Environmental Studies Major in his third year at UCSB at the time. Steve Manley was an active proponent of the protection, conservation and planned use of the environmental landscape. It was his field of study and way of life. His summer firefighting job was directly related to his desire to learn by doing in the protection of the land. He had a lifelong interest in the outdoors, the sea and physical activity. This lecture series is a celebration of his life.
42nd Annual Steven Manley Memorial Lecture
Talk Title: Confronting Crises: Helping People and Nature Thrive in the Age of Climate Change
Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026 Lecture at 3:30 pm Reception at 4:45 pm
Location: Corwin Pavilion & Terrace, 6085 UCEN Rd, Isla Vista CA 93117
Wade Crowfoot
California Secretary for Natural Resources
Wade Crowfoot was appointed California Secretary for Natural Resources by Governor Gavin Newsom in January 2019. Secretary Crowfoot oversees an agency of 25,000 employees charged with protecting and managing California’s diverse resources. As a member of the Governor’s cabinet, he advises the Governor on natural resources and environmental issues. He most recently served as chief executive officer of the Water Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation, Crowfoot served in Governor Jerry Brown’s Administration as deputy cabinet secretary and senior advisor to the Governor. In that role, he led the administration’s drought response efforts and spearheaded several of the Governor’s priority initiatives to build California’s resilience to climate change. Crowfoot received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996 and earned a master’s degree in public policy from the London School of Economics in 2004, where he graduated with honors.
Talk Description: California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot will discuss how California is leading the world confronting climate change, including transitioning to carbon neutrality in the next 20 years and protecting residents and natural places from climate-driven disasters. He will share CNR’s action framework, highlight key progress across the state, and identify areas that require further science and emerging leadership to achieve an ambitious vision for the future.
Past Steven Manley Memorial Lecturers
| 2025 |
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Professor, Soil Biogeochemistry, Ted & Jan Falasco Chair in Earth Sciences and Geology Department of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Merced |
| 2024 |
Dina Gilio-Whitaker, Lecturer of American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos; Independent educator/advisor on Indigenous environmental issues; Freelance journalist |
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| 2023 |
Ricardo J. Salvador, Director and Senior Scientist of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, D.C.; Board of Agriculture and National Resources of the National Academy of Sciences; International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food |
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| 2022 | No Steven Manley Memorial Lecture this year | |
| 2021 | No Steven Manley Memorial Lecture this year | |
| 2020 | No Steven Manley Memorial Lecture this year | |
| 2019 |
Alexis Bunten Ph.D., (Unangan/Yup'ik), Co-Director, Bioneers' Indigeneity Program |
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| 2018 | Brenda Ekwurzel, Director of Climate Science for the Union of Concerned Scientists | |
| 2017 | Charles Lester, Speaker, Lecturer, and former Director of the California Coastal Commission | |
| 2016 | Charles Fishman, Author & Speaker, NY Times Bestsellers: The Walmart Effect and A Curious Mind" | |
| 2015 | Julia Marton-Lefèvre, former Director General IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Author, Lecturer | |
| 2014 | Olivier De Schutter, Professor, UCLouvain, Brussels and UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food | |
| 2013 | Paul Greenberg, Author & Speaker, NY Times Bestseller: Four Fish: the Future of the Last Wild Food | |
| 2012 | Jay Gulledge, Sr. Scientist & Director for Science & Impacts, Center for Climate & Energy Solutions | |
| 2011 | Daniel P. Schrag, Director, Harvard University Center for the Environment | |
| 2010 | Deb Callahan, President, The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics & the Environment | |
| 2009 | Richard Harris, Science Correspondent, National Public Radio (NPR) | |
| 2008 | James P. Kennett, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Earth Science, UC Santa Barbara | |
| 2007 | John W. Day, Jr., Distinguished Prof. Emeritus, Dept. of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State Univ. | |
| 2006 | Robert Glennon, Morris K. Udall Prof. of Law & Public Policy, Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona | |
| 2005 | Christopher Flaviin, President, Worldwatch Institute | |
| 2004 | Norman C. Ellstrand, Professor, Dept. of Botany & Plant Sciences, UC Riverside | |
| 2003 | Harriet Ritvo, Arthur J. Conner Professor of History, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | |
| 2002 | Tundi Agardy, Director, Sound Seas, Washington, D.C. | |
| 2001 | Cynthia Moss, Director, Amboseli Elephant Research Project, Nairobi, Kenya | |
| 2000 | No Steven Manley Memorial Lecture this year | |
| 1999 | Catherine Koshland, Professor, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley | |
| 1998 | Mike Davis, Lecturer & Author, Los Angeles, California | |
| 1997 | The Right Honourable Kim Campbell, Past Canadian Prime Minister | |
| 1996 | Thomas Dunne, Professor, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UC Santa Barbara | |
| 1995 | William D. Ruckelshaus, Chairman & CEO, Browning--Ferris Industries, Houston, TX | |
| 1994 | Herbert Bormann, Professor Emeritus, Yale School of Forestry, Yale University | |
| 1993 | Bonnie J. McCay, Professor, Human Ecology / Anthropolgy, Rutgers University | |
| 1992 | H. Patricia Hynes, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | |
| 1991 | Dr. Arthur Rosenfeld, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories, UC Berkeley | |
| 1990 | Dr. Sherwood Rowland, Dept. of Chemistry, UC Irvine | |
| 1989 | Ramachandra Guha, Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi, India | |
| 1988 | Russell Peterson, President Emeritus, National Audubon Society | |
| 1987 | Garrett Hardin, Human Ecology, UC Santa Barbara | |
| 1986 | Edith Brown Weiss, Professor Emeritus, Professor Law Center, Georgetown University | |
| 1985 | Dr. David Morris, Executive Dir., Center for Local Self-Reliance, Washington, D.C. James Pissot, President, Utah Audubon Society & Co-Founder, Utah Wilderness Association |
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| 1984 | Thayer Scudder, Dept. of Anthropology, CA Institute of Technology James Anderson, Dept. of Anthropology, UC Berkeley Steven R. Gliessman, Dept. of Ecology, UC Santa Cruz |
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| 1983 | Thomas C. Jorling, Director, Center for Environmental Studies, Williams College Stanley Dundon, Dept. of Philosophy, CSU Sacramento |
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| 1982 | Sally Ann Ranney, Founder & President, American Wilderness Alliance | |
| 1981 | Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, Vice President, World Wildlife Fund |