Veronica Eady is responsible for helping to shape and operationalize RLF’s vision and strategic direction by advancing equity and justice strategies and outcomes through the design and implementation of programs, projects, and campaigns. Before joining RLF she served as Senior Deputy Executive Officer of Policy and Equity at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District where she was the primary contact on environmental justice matters and provided leadership of the District’s community engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion program, and policy work. Prior to that role, Veronica served as Assistant Executive Officer for Environmental Justice at the California Air Resources Board, Vice President and Director of Conservation Law Foundation Massachusetts, and was the Associate General Counsel and Director of Environmental Justice at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. She also served as Director of the Environmental Justice and Brownfields Programs for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and Executive Director of Alternatives for Community and Environment. She is the former chair of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s federal advisory committee for environmental justice, the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council. In addition, Veronica has held appointments on several faculties, including Europe-Viadriana University in Germany, Tufts University in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Fordham Law School, and the Stanford Law School. She holds a BA from the University of Southern California and a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Arcela Nuñez is a Chicana/Latina immigrant who came from Mexico and settled in San Marcos, California when she was 12 years old with nothing more than the clothes she wore. She was raised by a single mom who worked tirelessly in sewing factories earning minimum wage to afford necessities for her six daughters. The family faced extraordinary hardship but was wrapped and embraced with generosity by many caring individuals and organizations who helped the family start a new life in the United States.Dr. Nuñez was the first in her family to go to college. After graduating from high school, she went to UCLA and California State University San Marcos to pursue her bachelor’s degree and Masters/Ph.D. degrees in Chicanx Studies, history and political science at the University of Minnesota. She served as Research Director at the National Latino Research Center at Cal State San Marcos for almost 20 years leading groundbreaking community-based research to increase understanding of the growing Latinx population in the United States. She began her teaching and community organizing journey in high school when she first joined the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) and has since dedicated her profession to promoting human rights, preserving precious ancestral knowledge, nurturing community service and civic participation, core values that continue to guide her life and work to this day.

Ashley Havens is a high student at Imperial High School as well as a committed environmental justice advocate. She has interned at Comite Civico del Valle as a member of the Youth Environmental Health Internship, pushing for legislation that promotes equity in Imperial Valley. Ashley plans to pursue a career in environmental science and public policy.

Terry is a community member and advocate in the Imperial Valley. He has worked with various organizations and people through the Imperial Valley to create a better today not just a better tomorrow. Terry is a recent High School graduate and current college student wanting to make a difference in the community.

Yana Garcia was appointed California Secretary for Environmental Protection by Governor Gavin Newsom in August 2022. As Secretary, Yana oversees the state’s efforts to fight climate change, protect air and water quality, regulate pesticides and toxic substances, achieve the state’s recycling and waste reduction goals, and advance environmental justice. As a member of the Governor’s cabinet, she advises the Governor on environmental policy.

Garcia is nationally recognized as a groundbreaking environmental leader who has worked hard to uplift the voices of those from disadvantaged communities.

Since 2021, Garcia has served as Special Assistant Attorney General advising California Attorney General Rob Bonta on the California Department of Justice’s legal and policy matters pertaining to the environment, land law and natural resources including climate, transportation, energy, and housing.

She was Deputy Secretary for Environmental Justice, Tribal Affairs and Border Relations at CalEPA from 2019 to 2021 and had been CalEPA’s Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs from 2017 to 2019. During her tenure at CalEPA, Garcia led three Environmental Justice Task Force Initiatives in the communities of Pomona, Imperial County and Stockton. She also led the program that delivered more than $1 million in Environmental Justice Small Grants to 28 organizations to combat pollution, improve health outcomes and increase public engagement in some of California’s most pollution-burdened communities.

Prior to her state service, Garcia litigated environmental cases on behalf of several client groups across the state and across the country, as an attorney at Earthjustice in the California regional office in San Francisco. Garcia was also a staff attorney at Communities for a Better Environment, serving in Huntington Park and Oakland. Her legal practice areas have focused on environmental justice issues, civil rights, land use, toxics and chemical disclosure, oil and gas extraction, and crude transport. Between 2011 and 2012, Garcia served as a legal research attorney at the San Francisco Superior Court’s Civil Division, Office of the Presiding Judge.

Prior to practicing law, Yana worked on various environmental justice and civil rights projects aimed at achieving equitable access to clean air, clean water, and sustainable food and energy systems in the states of Texas, New Mexico and Massachusetts.

Garcia holds a degree in politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law.

Dylan Castillo is a community organizer for the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition. He serves as Planning Commissioner for the City of Calexico. A graduate from Calexico High School rooted in his community, Dylan is empowered by his participation in local Black Lives Matter-Imperial Valley protests calling for justice for George Floyd, the most significant community call to consciousness in the Imperial Valley since the Civil Rights Movement. Dylan found his way into community advocacy roles soon thereafter as a co-founder of Calexico Needs Change, a newly formed mutual aid organization, and joined forces with Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition to advance COVID-19 health equity initiatives. Dylan applied his direct style of community engagement to the successful community actions that halted the construction of President Trump’s proposed second border wall in the City of Calexico, highlighting the need to improve living conditions of unhoused farm workers and successfully helping the community overcome the complicitness of local leaders in Calexico on the subject to this day. Dylan aspires to improve community access to resources and decision making spaces and tools by directly expanding the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition’s capacity to perpetuate the cycle of meaningful community engagement and power building at a local level.

Daniela Flores, MPH, is the Executive Organizer of the Imperial Valley Equity & Justice Coalition (IVEJC), a community power building organization advocating for civic engagement, health equity, and environmental and social justice. She graduated from Calexico High School in 2010 and received her master's in public health from UC Berkeley and dual BS degrees in public health and biology from UC San Diego. She played a critical role in Salud Sin Fronteras or Health Without Borders, a health initiative in Imperial Valley responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with COVID-19 vaccination education, coordination of clinics in partnership with health care providers, distribution of personal protective equipment, and registration of thousands of underserved community members to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. More recently, she has worked on environmental and economic justice campaigns that have focused on community education and advocacy for equity and justice in the developments related to lithium valley. Daniela sits on the Community Steering Committee of the AB 617 Community Air Protection Program for the El Centro-Calexico-Heber corridor.

Dr. James J. A. Blair is Associate Professor in Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY). His work centers on energy, water, and environmental justice, especially related to extractive industries, including mining, fossil fuels, dams, logging, and fishing. Specific case studies include: geothermal lithium extraction at the Salton Sea in California; lithium mining, hydroelectric dams, and industrial logging in Chile; as well as offshore oil and commercial fishing in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). Blair is the author of Salvaging Empire: Sovereignty, Natural Resources, and Environmental Science in the South Atlantic (Cornell University Press, 2023). His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fulbright-IIE, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), and the Mellon Foundation / American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). In addition to his research, Blair has professional experience in environmental justice advocacy, as an Equity Technical Advisor for Comite Civico del Valle, an International Advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Land Agency Coordinator for Sierra Club.

Lorna Avila was born and raised in the Imperial Valley. After graduating from Calexico High School, Lorna attended UCLA where she studied Environmental Science and concentrated in Environmental Systems and Society. During her college career, Lorna founded an environmental justice organization called ROOTS where the goal is to empower students to have conversations about environmental issues harming underserved communities. After graduating from UCLA in 2022, she started working as an Environmental Justice Planner in South Los Angeles where she implemented environmental projects to ensure climate resiliency. Lorna is currently working as Policy Advocate at Comite Civico del Valle where she works on advancing policy to ensure healthy, fulfilling lives for community members of the Imperial Valley.

Executive Director of Comite Civico del Valle, an organization located in Imperial Valley whose mission focuses on addressing environmental health related problems in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys. A community activist advising local, regional, and state programs on environmental health issues affecting Imperial County and Eastern Coachella Valley, Mr. Olmedo is a member of various state and national networks that focus on environmental policy and regulation. His organization has partnered with academic and research institutions to expand environmental research in Imperial County who published studies on Border Asthma and Allergies, Perchlorate Biomonitoring, and Agricultural Burning. He is currently partnering with San Diego State University and the California Department of Public Health on air monitoring and asthma.

Lauri Walker, as the Director of Equity Outreach, has over 25 years of experience dedicated to advancing energy and transportation programs within California. Throughout her career, she has effectively orchestrated numerous initiatives aimed at involving partners and community members in achieving sustainable energy objectives. Her extensive background spans every aspect of community engagement and education.

Lauri's responsibilities encompass the proficient execution, training, supervision, and mobilization of a team comprising equity specialists at the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE), as well as establishing partnerships with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) across California. Their collective mission is to convey the crucial message about sustainable energy and electric vehicle (EV) technologies to the most overburdened communities in the state.

Under Lauri's guidance, CSE equity specialists and CBOs are equipped with educational materials, marketing resources, and outreach tools. They are deployed within the community to disseminate information on energy and transportation programs, ultimately helping community members save on their energy and transportation expenses.

Garcia’s district is a natural oasis for renewable energy development, including solar, wind, and uniquely geothermal and lithium recovery. He has dedicated his advocacy efforts to secure innovation grants and grow the education, and high-skilled workforce training needed to meet the rising green economy demand while uplifting one of the most underserved areas of the state. Realizing the game-changing opportunity to create a domestic lithium supply chain in the Imperial Valley region, Assemblymember Garcia established the Lithium Valley Commission (AB 1657); bringing stakeholders together for strategic discussion with locals and environmental advocates. In 2022, Garcia successfully passed a Lithium Valley budget investment plan that included an equitable tax framework to ensure the community and Salton Sea directly benefit from lithium revenues.

Before serving the State Assembly, Garcia was elected to the Coachella City Council, and at the age of 29, he became Coachella’s first elected Mayor. A graduate of local public schools, Garcia attended Coachella Valley High School and the University of California, Riverside. He also completed the “Senior Executives in State and Local Government” Public Administration program from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning, and Development.

He is a proud father, husband, and life-long resident of the Coachella Valley.

Brigette Browning is a highly respected labor leader and social justice advocate, based in San Diego, California and is the region’s top labor leader as Executive Secretary-Treasurer at the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council. She represents 130 affiliate unions and more than 200,000 families. Congruently, she has led UNITE HERE Local 30, San Diego region’s hotel and hospitality workers union, since 2007. She has dedicated her career to fighting for the rights of workers and marginalized Overall, Brigette Browning is a tireless advocate for workers' rights and social justice, and her leadership has had a profound impact on the labor movement and on the San Diego community. She is a role model for anyone seeking to create positive change in their community, and her legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire future generations of activists and organizers. Brigette was born and raised in San Diego and grew up in Ocean Beach. She currently resides in Chula Vista with her husband, Dan, her son Nathaniel, daughter Violet, and dogs Max and Lola.

José Carmona brings over two decades of policy and advocacy experience working at the local, regional, and state level. Most recently, Mr. Carmona served as California Program Director for the Energy Foundation, where he supported environmental, environmental justice, workforce development, and clean energy industry organizations in the establishment of some of the state’s most recent clean technology and climate initiatives, including the establishment of the state’s 2030 carbon reduction targets and the setting of California’s 100% clean energy goal. Prior to joining the foundation, Jose served as Chief of Staff to the Assembly Majority Leader and Vice-Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, Assemblymember Victor Manuel Perez. In that role, he advanced energy-related legislation, including a three-year extension of the Self- Generation Incentive Program; expedited permitting and siting of projects within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan; and secured funding for renewable energy workforce training in low-income and high unemployment areas of California. Before this role, José was the Advocacy Director for the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, the Clean Power Campaign, and V. John White & Associates, where he tracked, analyzed, and lobbied for clean energy and climate legislation on behalf of renewable energy affiliates and environmental nonprofit organizations.

Jose has extensive legislative advocacy experience in the California State Senate and Assembly where he advocated for the passage of California’s landmark climate change law, AB 32, the Renewable Portfolio Standard, and the California Solar Initiative, in addition to regulatory implementation work at the California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, California Independent System Operator, and the California Public Utilities Commission. Jose also served as the lead energy advocate for the AB 32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee from 2006–2008.

Jose holds a B.A. in Social and Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-Law from California State University, Chico.

Sabrina Barber is a distinguished utility executive with over 25 years of unwavering commitment to the energy industry. Her career has encompassed diverse roles in geothermal, natural gas, and electricity utilities, all united by a common thread: advocating for sustainability, environmental stewardship, and equitable access to resources.

Throughout her career, Sabrina has been a driving force behind numerous public benefits programs that promote the efficient use of natural resources and advance the cause of good stewardship. Her leadership has not only improved the efficiency and sustainability of these utilities but has also contributed significantly to environmental conservation and equitable access to clean energy.

As an accomplished expert in her field, Sabrina has consistently championed the intersection of environmental responsibility, sustainability, and equity. She has a track record of transforming utilities into forces for positive change, fostering a more sustainable and equitable future for all. Her extensive knowledge and dedication to these vital principles make her a distinguished speaker for our environmental, sustainability, and equity conference.

Kevin’s education includes an AS in Respiratory Care, BS in Geology, extended course work in social work, mathematics, business and management training. As Co-Executive Director, Kevin is focused on reducing the burden of chronic respiratory disease and environmental health impacts valley wide. Kevin serves on numerous boards and committees associated with grassroots community capacity building and local, state and regional policy development.

Kevin has served as developer, coordinator, administrator and director for multiple programs in both hospital and community-based settings serving poor and underserved communities in the San Joaquin Valley. He has worked extensively on different aspects of health care access and redesign around primary care, disease management, childhood and adult immunizations and behavioral health for over 35-years and is a well- known advocate for social and environmental justice.

Dayane serves as the Program Administrator for Dr. Jill Johnston's Environmental Justice Research Lab which focuses on low-income communities of color, develops novel methods to assess exposures and measure health outcomes among populations impacted by industrial pollution and burdened by multiple social and economic stressors. Prior to her appointment as a program administrator, she worked as a research coordinator on the USC AIRE Study based in Imperial valley as well as a variety of research projects centered on children’s health and environmental exposures and gained extensive knowledge on community-based participatory research.

Jose Flores has been at Comite Civico del Valle for the past three years. He was tasked with spearheading community education and advocacy with the 2020 U.S. Census. Jose is currently the Project Manager for the “First Forty EV Charger Campaign” which plans to install a network of fast chargers in Imperial County to bridge the current EV infrastructure equity gap. He holds a B.A. and an M.A.

U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D., grew up in the community of Coachella, California, where both of his parents were farmworkers.

Dr. Ruiz achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a physician through public education. After graduating from Coachella Valley High School, Dr. Ruiz graduated magna cum laude from UCLA. He went on to Harvard University, where he earned his Medical Degree, as well as a Masters of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government and a Masters of Public Health from the School of Public Health, becoming the first Latino to earn three graduate degrees from Harvard University. He completed his Residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and a Fellowship in International Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. During his training, Dr. Ruiz served as a consultant to the Ministries of Health of both Serbia and El Salvador.

Dr. Ruiz returned home after completing his medical training and began working as an Emergency Room doctor at Eisenhower Medical Center. Recognizing the physician shortage crisis in the Coachella Valley, Dr. Ruiz started a pre-medical mentorship program for young aspiring doctors, which has grown to include over 100 local students.

The program became part of the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, where Dr. Ruiz served as a Senior Associate Dean. Through the group Volunteers in Medicine, he helped to open a free clinic to help underserved communities in the Coachella Valley.

In 2010, Dr. Ruiz started the Coachella Valley Healthcare Initiative, which brought together stakeholders from across the region to address the local healthcare crisis. He has also worked internationally in the medical community. In 2010, Dr. Ruiz flew to Haiti immediately following the 2010 earthquake and served as the Medical Director for the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. The U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne awarded him the Commanders Award for Public Service for his work.

Dr. Ruiz continued his work as an Emergency Room Doctor until he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012. He represents California’s 25th District, which includes Imperial County, the Eastern Coachella Valley, and the cities of Banning, Beaumont, Blythe, Hemet, Needles, and San Jacinto.

Dr. Ruiz resides in Indio, California and serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Toni Symonds is a consultant with 37 years of public policy experience working with local, state, and federal governments on community development projects, initiatives, and legislation. Her areas of focus include economic development, workforce training, infrastructure, business development, affordable housing, international trade, private investment in historically underserved communities, and an inclusive transition to a net zero emission economy. In addition, she is an experienced government negotiator and a skilled facilitator of stakeholder-driven groups. When addressing complex community development issues, she emphasizes respect for stakeholder voices, the need for time to develop trust, and the inclusion of terms and conditions to ensure agreements are implemented with integrity. In November 2022, she retired from the position of Chief Consultant to the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy. She holds a BA from Macalester College.Toni Symonds is a consultant with 37 years of public policy experience working with local, state, and federal governments on community development projects, initiatives, and legislation. Her areas of focus include economic development, workforce training, infrastructure, business development, affordable housing, international trade, private investment in historically underserved communities, and an inclusive transition to a net zero emission economy. In addition, she is an experienced government negotiator and a skilled facilitator of stakeholder-driven groups. When addressing complex community development issues, she emphasizes respect for stakeholder voices, the need for time to develop trust, and the inclusion of terms and conditions to ensure agreements are implemented with integrity. In November 2022, she retired from the position of Chief Consultant to the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy. She holds a BA from Macalester College.

Jordan Sisson is an attorney at the Law Office of Gideon Kracov in Los Angeles, and has his own practice in the Inland Empire. Mr. Sisson’s practice focuses on land use and environmental matters and compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Clean Water Act. He provides counsel to clients on local planning/zoning regulations, administrative appeals, and litigates projects throughout the state. Mr. Sisson has worked on a variety of residential, commercial, mixed-use, airport, and other projects throughout California.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mr. Sisson volunteers his time with community-focused organizations and recently completed a seven-year tenure on the Land Use Subcommittee of the Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council. In his free time, he enjoys making furniture and spending time with his wife and their Boston Terrier.

Michelle Wong is the Health Communications Director of Tracking California, leading the program's health education, communication, and community engagement activities for about 15 years. She has worked on a number of community-engaged research projects, including as a co-investigator for the Imperial Community Air Monitoring Project, where she designed and implemented activities to engage community members to develop the IVAN Air Monitoring Network in partnership with CCV and academic partners. Her current work includes community-engagement activities for several projects, including the Brawley Health ACTION project and CHARM Lake County, which works with Tribal, community, and county partners to develop an action plan to respond to climate-driven events like extreme heat and harmful algal blooms.

Christian Torres is the Special Projects Manager at Comite Civico del Valle. Christian has worked extensively in environmental justice efforts across the Imperial Valley & Salton Sea region. Recently, he has served on the leadership team for the Calexico, El Centro, and Heber AB 617 communities, is a member of the People’s Blueprint Writing Group and provides technical assistance to Community Air Grant recipients implementing air quality monitoring at the community level. He leads CCV’s work in the Lithium Valley program, helping to create an equitable framework for the development of mineral extraction and electrification. This work includes advocacy and managing the Lithium Valley Community Coalition, a coalition of environmental, social justice, and organized labor, workforce and economic development through the High Roads Training Partnership collaborations, and the Community Economic Resilience Fund projects.

Juan Valencia is a project coordinator and community organizer working with Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition since August 2023. He was born in Mexicali, Baja California, and grew up in Calexico, where has lived most of his life. Juan's professional experience has encompassed a varied range of positions, from PhD student at UC Santa Cruz, to criminal defense paralegal in San Diego, to door-to-door handyman around Imperial Valley, but his true passions throughout these roles have always been building community resilience and advocating for the needs of disinvested communities. Juan's work with IV Equity has largely focused on building outreach strategies and crafting language specifically focused on encouraging community engagement across all education levels and cultural and social backgrounds. A big passion and hope for Juan is to establish clearer lines of dialogue that directly address the needs and concerns of Imperial County's native tribe and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Melanie Echeverria joined Comite Civico del Valle to continue her efforts of serving the community with a passion to help impact the lives of community members who need it the most. Her commitment to working for the community and disadvantaged communities is a noble endeavor that strives her passion to make a positive impact on society. Throughout her graduate student career, she has spearheaded numerous roles at Comite Civico del Valle such as an Asthma educator, Asthma Management Academy facilitator, Youth Environmental Health Internship coordinator, and raising awareness as an advocate for environmental justice and environmental health.

David Chang currently serves as Project Coordinator for Tracking California. David works on several projects related to harmful algal blooms and indoor/outdoor air quality monitoring across the state. Previously David provided technical assistance and support to community groups funded through AB 617 in getting community air monitoring networks off the ground. David has expertise in storytelling, health education, outreach, and community engagement. For the Brawley Health ACTION project, David worked with the project team to provide administrative support, compile oral history data, and develop resource guides and safety tips for residents.

Dr. Penelope Quintana is a Professor in the division of Environmental Health at the School of Public Health at San Diego State University. She has a research focus on exposures to children and vulnerable populations at the US-Mexico border. She has assessed children’s exposure to toxicants in house dust and on surfaces, especially toxic tobacco chemicals known as thirdhand smoke. With faculty at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Tijuana, she has studied exposure to toxic traffic pollutants inside vehicles and to pedestrians waiting in lines to cross the US-Mexico border. She supports US-Mexico border community efforts to monitor their air through deployment of low-cost air sensors in the San Ysidro Air Monitoring Network, in partnership with Casa Familiar. She is currently funded by Caltrans to examine baseline air pollution associated with commercial trucks at Otay Mesa Port of Entry. She is part of the CARB-funded community - academic partnership (Comité Cívico del Valle/ SDSU) to determine community air pollution research priorities for the Imperial Valley.

Hector joined JMA as the California Organizer in 2016, was the Lead Workforce Equity Manager, and is now the California Director. He is responsible for implementing and expanding on the California Coalition’s workforce policies and community benefits wins to ensure more equitable and diverse hiring and training pathways into middle class employment opportunities.Prior to JMA, Hector directed employment and training programs across Southern California for nearly a decade and has dedicated his career and personal activism to leveling the playing field for at-risk youth and communities of color to achieve a high quality of life, regardless of the systemic inequities that make that unachievable for far too many. The product of two Salvadoran immigrants and a born and raised Angeleno, Hector is the first of his family to earn an undergraduate degree form CSU Los Angeles and a graduate degree from CSU Northridge. In 2018 Hector was named his Assembly District’s Democrat of the Year and, in his free time, reluctantly herds cats with his wife Nicole.

Javiera Barandiaran is Associate Professor in Global Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her work explores the intersection of science, environment, and development in Latin America. She has published three books on environmental politics in Chile, exploring the market for science and Rights of Nature there, as well as numerous articles on lithium, fossil fuel decommissioning, energy, astronomy, and environmental conflict. She currently directs the Center for Restorative Environmental Work (CREW).

Bill Robertson is a Heavy Duty technology advisor at the California Air Resources Board with 18 years of experience in vehicle and fuels testing and evaluations and most recently working across Zero Emission and Low NOx regulatory efforts and incentive programs. He also leads engagement with the growing set of states adopting or considering using California regulations to meet their local air quality, climate and public health challenges.

Es licenciada en informática de formación, en 2016 cursó el doctorado en Desarrollo sustentable y Globalización. En su experiencia académica cuenta con diversas estancias de investigación en diferentes instituciones nacionales e internacionales, como la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) y la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), cuenta con experiencia como ponente en congresos de talla internacional realizados Latinoamérica y Europa. Actualmente es profesora investigadora en la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, a la par se desempeña como Directora Ejecutiva del Centro de Energía Renovable y Calidad Ambiental AC, centro ciudadano científico Ambiental especializado en temas de energía y Calidad de Aire en Baja California Sur. Paralelamente pertenece a diversos comités técnicos y de participación a nivel municipal y estatal así como de la sociedad civil organizada.

Manuel Reyes was born and raised in Imperial County. Manuel attended Imperial Valley College where he served at the Associated Student Government. He was vice president and chair of cultural affairs. Manuel was working with his community and helping fix some of the issues that were affecting the students of Imperial Valley College. Manuel graduated from IVC in 2016 and transferred to San Jose state University where he started his career in banking and finance. However, Manuel was always thinking of coming back to his hometown to contribute and help with issues that were affecting his community. Luckily in 2022 he found an opportunity with the Labor Council to organize and make the labor movement grow in Imperial county.

Negeen Darani oversees grantmaking strategy and program evaluation across the foundation, as well as our cross-programmatic Emerging Strategies program. Particular areas of focus include plastics, data science for social good, and Indigenous stewardship of land and water.

Negeen brings over 20 years of experience working in philanthropy, nonprofit strategy, finance/economics and organizational change management. Previously, Negeen was a researcher with Stanford’s Effective Philanthropy Lab and served as a philanthropic advisor to Bay Area-based funders. She served as executive director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, where she led the creation of the first-ever humanitarian academy focused on community-driven crisis management. As part of Morgan Stanley’s public finance group, she worked with municipalities, the State of California, school districts, water utilities and nonprofits on leveraging capital for infrastructure projects.

Negeen received her bachelor’s degree in political economy from the University of California, Berkeley and her master’s in public policy with a concentration in energy and environmental policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Agustin Martinez joined Comite Civico del Valle as a volunteer Canvasser for the Get Out To Vaccine campaign in 2021. His passion for helping and informing has continued till the present day. Agustin has a background working as a farmworker in which he experienced many injustices and flaws in the system that today help tailor his targeted approach when promoting programs centered around environmental justice, immigration rights, pesticide safety, and more importantly informing individuals on life-saving education that influence a safer community for all. Advocacy is a principle which Agustin practices throughout his professional work as well as a personal passion. The role he plays throughout these various campaigns helps fortify his presence as a well-known community advocate and organizer.

Jill Johnston, PhD is an Associate Professor and Director of the Environmental Justice Research Lab in the Division of Environmental Health at University of Southern California. Dr. Johnston engages in collaborations with grassroots organizations to conduct community-engaged action-oriented research at USC to support environmental justice. She works towards strong partnership with local organizations, community health promotores, policymakers and residents to address air pollution, upstream oil and gas extraction and incompatible land use. Previously she worked as a community organizer on issues of environmental and economic justice in South Texas. Dr. Johnston received her PhD in environmental sciences and engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied hazardous waste sites and industrial animal production.

Ruben Rodriguez is an ex-oil and agricultural worker. He is now a community organizer and air monitoring specialist with Central California Environmental Justice Network. He has worked on various projects. One of these projects provided community members with access to real-time air quality data during the wildfire season. Another project allowed Ruben to work directly with front line agricultural workers and provide their homes with indoor air filtration interventions aimed at mitigating wildfire smoke in their homes. He is currently working on the deployment of VOZ (Valley Ozone) Monitors that will help community members that might be exposed to toxic sources of pollution have real-time access helping prevent and/or mitigate exposure during bad air quality days. In his free time he likes to spend time with his daughter and enjoys hiking.

Elena Chávez Quezada is Senior Advisor on Social Innovation for Governor Newsom, where she spearheads the State’s partnerships with philanthropy to advance shared priorities. Prior to her role in the Governor’s Office, Chávez Quezada was Chief Impact Officer of End Poverty in California (EPIC), an effort led by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, and spent a decade in philanthropy, most recently as Vice President of Programs at the San Francisco Foundation. She also worked at the Walter and Elise Haas Fund and Tipping Point Community. Before her time in philanthropy, Chávez Quezada worked on policy and programs related to economic opportunity at various nonprofits, including Single Stop USA and the Aspen Institute. Chávez Quezada earned her Bachelor’s and Master of Public Policy degrees from Harvard University, and lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons.

Max Gomberg is an independent consultant working with California-based and national advocates on water affordability and climate equity. Prior to consulting, Mr. Gomberg spent 15 years in state government, where he led development of water conservation, access, affordability, and climate change policies across California. He is the author of several thought pieces and articles on water policy topics and is frequently quoted in media stories about California water.

Jared joined Earthworks in 2022. He works to support frontline communities at risk from existing and proposed mining throughout California. Before joining Earthworks, Jared worked for two years as a program associate at the 11th Hour Project, where he helped develop new grantmaking initiatives to support Indigenous self-determination, protect the right to protest, and address the impacts of mining in the context of the renewable energy transition.

Jared has a background in political ecology and is passionate about movements for environmental and social justice. He previously worked in solidarity with the Karen Indigenous rights movement in Myanmar, conducting research and advocacy for campaigns to defend territory from mining, mega-dams, oil palm, and other extractive projects.

He holds a BS in Earth Systems from Stanford University, and a Master of Environmental Science from the Yale School of the Environment. Outside of work, Jared loves to hike, bike, and listen to old jazz records.

G. Patrick O’Dowd is the Executive Director and General Manager of the Salton Sea Authority, where he oversees that agency’s vital efforts to protect human health and revitalize the environment and economy of the Sea and region. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, O’Dowd earned a bachelor’s degree in Construction from Louisiana State University and has diverse executive-level experience in business and finance, real estate, development, and media.

Prior to joining the Authority, Patrick served as a Board Member of the Coachella Valley Water District, originally elected in November 2014 and reelected in 2018. As a representative thereof he served on the Salton Sea Authority Board and is an Authority Past President. Patrick is also on the Board of Directors of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), where he was elected to serve as Vice Chair for Region 9, representing all of Riverside, Imperial, and San Bernardino Counties. Through ACWA (and by extension, the National Water Resources Association) he is actively engaged in a broad range of matters at the federal and state levels, dealing in water policy and program issues including government funding, agriculture, disadvantaged communities, and protection of California’s and our nation’s important forested headwaters, to name a few.

Patrick also serves Co-Chair of the International Boundary and Water Commission Colorado River Forum, the Advancement Board for Cal State University San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus and provides leadership and direction to a host of other municipal, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations.

A resident of the Coachella Valley for over a quarter century, Patrick lives in Indio with his wife, Kathy O’Dowd – an 8th grade teacher at Palm Desert Charter Middle School, has two adult children and two dogs.

Isamay Pasillas was born and raised in the Imperial Valley. She is a passionate community advocate who, through her roles as a community health worker and Asthma educator, has been able to establish a grassroots approach to teaching individuals about self-advocacy, environmental justice, and community resiliency. Her ethic is based on the principle of helping families and communities learn about environmental justice issues and stay informed. Through versatile campaigns and projects, Isamay has accomplished successful community asthma self-management, trained asthma educators statewide, and informed the community about environmental issues and rights. Her commitment to community outreach begins with the Salton Sea Community Outreach Education & Engagement Program, Asthma Management Academy, Brawley HEALTH Action Environmental Study, and Asthma Mitigation Program, Respira Sano.

Noemí Gallardo is serving her first term on the California Energy Commission. She was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in February 2023 to serve as the CEC’s attorney member. She is the first Latina appointed as a CEC commissioner.

Gallardo joined the CEC in 2019 as its Public Advisor. She later became chief of staff for CEC Chair David Hochschild.

Before joining the Energy Commission, she was senior manager of public policy at Sunrun Inc. Her professional experiences include serving as a program fellow at the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, a consultant at Gallardo Law and Policy Consulting, an energy and telecommunications legal fellow at the Greenlining Institute, and a principal investigator at the Public Law Research Institute at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Gallardo is also a state-certified interpreter in Spanish who established and ran a translation and interpretation services business in her native Ventura County.

She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a proud mother of two. She is a first-generation college graduate who earned a Juris Doctor degree from UC Hastings, a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pepperdine University.

State of California 34 years. (Retired). Worked at HRD,EDD,ALRB, DSS/CCL. Former Trustee/ School Board President CUHSD/ El Centro, Ca. State employment assignments included state programs analyst and auditor in San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange Counties. Conducted Child Care Licensing for Family Child Care and State Licensed Pre-Schools. Has been a Youth Leader, Job Corps Recruiter. United States Marine Corps veteran where served from 1969-1972. Honorably Discharged as Sgt. E-5. Health and human services have always been a focus of community based activities. President of Our Roots Multi-Cultural Center. Attended Booker T Washington Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Junior High, Central Union High School, Class 0f 1967, Imperial Valley College and San Diego State Imperial Valley Campus. Past member of the California School Boards Association, California Latino School Board Association, Mexican American Political Association, California State Employees Association, and California Chicano Advocates for Equality. Vice- President of the Brawley Get-Together Senior Citizen Club , past president of the Imperial Valley United Senior Clubs. Former chair of Imperial County Area Agency on Aging Council. Former member of City of Brawley Parks & Recreation Commission. Former member of the United States section of the Colorado River International Boundary and Water Commission’s Citizens Forum. Former member of the Imperial Irrigation District Energy Consumers Advisory Committee (2013-2016). Volunteer with Comite Civico Del Valle & Imperial County Environmental Justice Task Force. Former member of Community Stakeholder Advisory Group for PCORI Imperial County Asthma CER Project. AB 617 Committee, Imperial County Community Air Monitoring Project Steering Committee{CAMP/CERP). Former Senior Assembly Member for California Senior Legislature. Current community engagement with Lithium Valley Community Coalition, PEIR Lithium Valley, Salton Sea Restoration efforts, California Jobs First. Coalicion Binaciona de Fronteras Unidas and CBJA (Coalicion Bi-Nacional DE Justicia Ambiental).

Matthew Valerio has 21 years’ experience in environmental planning specializing in programs, coastal projects, port projects, redevelopment, and renewable energy and transmission projects. With extensive project management experience, his expertise involves environmental document preparation (CEQA and NEPA), program development, California Coastal Act permitting, and planning. Mr. Valerio also specializes in facilitating clients with innovative projects and plans navigate processes, helping clients and agency approvers discern the unique approval process for novel projects and policy consistency or revisions. Mr. Valerio has extensive experience working with teams and independently to provide high-quality documents that withstand public scrutiny and potential litigation. Mr. Valerio has coordinated and managed planning projects, including Climate Action Plans, Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative, Sustainability Planning, and Improvements Programs as well as the environmental reviews of planning documents. Mr. Valerio is an active member of the Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) and presents on panels at professional conferences.

Vivian Perez, MPA, Executive Director of Raizes who focus is to empower communities through education, advocacy, and striving to secure equal access to healthcare, a safe environment, equal rights, and opportunities. Vivian is an appointee to the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control, Region 7. She was a Commissioner for the Imperial Valley Housing Authority appointed by the City of Holtville from 1997 to 2013. Perez earned a Master of Public Administration degree from San Diego State University. Is a Faculty Member at the University of Phoenix since 2010 and Faculty Chair at Joshua Career Institute.

Ms. Perez has over 35 years of experience within the nonprofit sector and throughout her career has licensed federally qualified health clinics, led the development of programs and projects. She has coordinated, and implemented resources, programs, training, services, project initiatives, and community outreach concurrently within multiple counties to serve the needs of our constituents within underserved communities.

Binational Health Week was established in 2001, and Vivian was the first coordinator in Imperial Valley and was instrumental in planning this event.

The American Lung Association recruited Vivian. She provided coordination & oversight of the Clean Air Initiative Bi-National US/MX project to improve the air quality and health of citizens in Imperial County and the Mexicali border region through education, research, and advocacy. Was successful in building, maintaining relationships and partnerships with entities such as SDSU, Universidad Autonama de Baja California, US & MX government, local businesses, community members, lCOE, school districts, Mexican Consulate, and service organizations.

Ms. Perez developed and implemented the first school flag program in Imperial County using color flags based on the U.S. EPA's Air Quality Index. The first participant was the Heber Elementary School District.