Yana Sorokin
Associate Director
Yana is an ecosystem ecologist who loves solving problems for the benefit of our beautiful and dynamic watersheds. From forests to farms, Yana considers the complex connections in our watersheds to find collaborative and creative ways for building resilience into our ecosystems and communities. Yana joined the Watershed Center in 2016 as the second full time staff member, and is now the Associate Director. As Associate Director, Yana works across all programs and services, ensuring that our work aligns the best available science with the diverse voices and needs of our community to build meaningful on-the-ground resilience. Yana received her BS in Environmental Science at the University of Minnesota and MS in Ecosystem Ecology and the University of Wyoming. Prior to joining the Watershed Center in 2016, Yana conducted research on climate change impacts in different ecosystems from the tropics to the arctic with a focus on plant ecology. When she is not working Yana, enjoys spending her time outdoors in the beautiful Colorado sunshine with her husband and young daughter. Though her love of sun and mountains brought her to Colorado, her heart also lies in the lakes of Northern Minnesota where grew up paddling and portaging miles of wilderness to the sounds of loons.