NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COUNCIL
NEJAC Member Biographical Summaries
July 2020
CHAIR
Moore, Richard
Los Jardines Institute
Mr. Moore served as the Executive Director of Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic
Justice (SNEEJ), in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from 1993 to 2010. He came to Southwest Network
after 12 years with the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) where he was the lead organizer and
primary trainer of SWOP's organizing model. As a widely respected national leader in the area of
environmental justice, Mr. Moore has served on numerous government and nongovernmental
committees and panels, including chair of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
(NEJAC), member of the National Council of Churches EcoJustice Task Force, and member of the
Congressional Black Caucus National Environmental Policy Commission. In 2010, Mr. Moore
transitioned from Director of SNEEJ to Senior Advisor. He currently is the Program Director for Los
Jardines Institute in Albuquerque New Mexico. Los Jardines is a member of the Environmental Justice
& Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform. Through this alliance, Los Jardines advocates for
stronger, safer, and just chemical policies. Mr. Moore is a recipient of the 2005 Ford Foundation
Leadership for a Changing World.
VICE CHAIR
Orduno, Sylvia
Michigan Welfare Rights Organization
Sylvia Orduno has been a community organizer with MWRO for over 23 years and is a strong advocate
for the rights of poor and low-income residents. She has served on several governmental, academic and
philanthropic advisory boards and committees promoting policies and legislation for low-income, water,
energy and housing affordability and environmental justice protections.
She has co-convened several state and national forums including the U.S. Social Forum in 2010 that
brought over 18,000 activists from more than 40 states and several nations to Detroit for a week-long
series of panels, presentations, and strategy sessions; followed by two international social movement
gatherings on water and housing. Additionally, Ms. Orduno is a coordinator with the People's Water
Board (PWB), a coalition of three dozen Michigan social justice groups actively working on water
affordability and the commons; is a co-coordinator of the National Coalition on the Human Rights to
Water and Sanitation; works actively with the National Coalition on Legislation for Affordable Water;
and is a member of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition and the Water Is Life Coalition
joining Michigan and Ontario, Canada grassroots communities on Great Lakes issues. She also splits her
time working at a non-profit agency for blind and visually impaired people connecting disability rights
with economic and EJ issues.

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VICE CHAIR
Tilchin, Michael
Jacobs Engineering
Mike Tilchin is a Vice President at Jacobs Engineering, which recently acquired CH2M, where Mike has
worked since 1983. Mike serves as Jacobs' Client Executive for the company's EPA Portfolio. Mike has 36
years' experience in environmental science and engineering, project and program management. His work
for EPA includes support for Superfund, water security, water infrastructure finance, and for the Office of
Sustainable Communities. Under Mike's leadership, his company has had a major role in the clean up
several hundred Superfund sites in multiple EPA Regions. Mike was appointed by EPA to serve on the
National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT) Superfund Subcommittee
in 2002- 2004, developing policy recommendations for the Superfund program. He has been active in
EPA's national and regional environmental justice and equitable development forums for several years.
Mike also serves on the Board of Directors of the CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company at the
Department of Energy site in Hanford, Washington.
Mike is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and serves on ASCE's
Committee on America's Infrastructure. For ASCE's 2017 Report Card on America's Infrastructure.
Mike was a lead author on the assessment of the nation's Hazardous Waste Infrastructure. He is also an
active member of the American Council of Engineering Companies' Superfund Work Group.
Mike served on the Board of Directors of the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) from 2005 through 2017
and was Board Chair from 2010 -2013. The AWS is an environmental group dedicated to cleaning up the
Anacostia River and improving the quality of life for communities in the watershed through stewardship,
advocacy, recreation, and education programs. Mike received a B.S. in geology from the University of
Michigan, and an M.S. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from North Carolina State University. He
is a professional engineer licensed in the State of Virginia, certified as a LEED Green Associate, and is an
Adjunct Professor in the Department of Natural Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island.
OTHER MEMBERS
Baptiste, April
Colgate University
April Karen Baptiste is currently an associate professor of Environmental Studies and Africana and Latin
American Studies at Colgate University. Her research interests lies at the nexus of environmental
psychology and environmental justice. Her projects have explored the worldviews to environmental
problems in the Caribbean with a focus on marginalized populations like fishers'. Her current research
project examines the characteristics of environmental movements across the Caribbean region, seeking
to understand whether environmentalism can be view through the lens of decolonization. Ms. Baptiste
received her PhD from State University of New York, College of Environmental Forestry in
Environmental policy, a Master of Science in Science for the Management of Tropical Environments
from the University of the West Indies St. Augustine, Trinidad and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
and Management from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad.
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Britt, Joy
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
Joy Britt was born and raised in Guam. Being raised on an island located on the ring of fire, she is no stranger to
the effects of nature's most destructive forces, including earthquakes and typhoons and the effects of
environmental impacts to human health. Three years of her adolescence was spent without running water or power
due to severe storms and latent repairs to the island's infrastructure. She lived in third world country conditions
but witnessed others much worse off. Such early experiences observing the need for access to healthcare led to her
obtaining her MPH and her current line of work.
Joy is the Senior Program Manager of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium's Contamination Support
Program. She is accountable for all aspects of project planning, grant writing, funding, and implementation of
various projects, including, the Brownfields Tribal Response Program (TRP), the national contract with Kansas
State University for Tribal Technical Assistance to Brownfields, and the Rural Alaska Monitoring Program.
Joy also participants in research and data dissemination of food security projects within the Bering Straits and
consults on scientific and technical issues that arise through community concerns and as a contributor to the Local
Environmental Observer Network and the Tribal Brownfields Forum. She provides collaborative technical
assistance to 29 Tribal Response Programs throughout Alaska, all Alaska Tribes, and requesting statewide entities.
de Aztlan, Cemelli
El Paso Equal Voice Network
Cemelli de Aztlan, born and raised in El Paso has been engaged in community organizing, advocacy and
non-profit work throughout her career. Currently serving as the Network Weaver for the El Paso Equal
Voice Network (EVN), a coalition of grassroots organizations rooted injustice and movement building.
The El Paso EVN is structured by committees working on movement building priorities with an
intersectionality framework, to include immigrant rights, labor rights, public education, civic
engagement and environmental racism.
In addressing environmental issues on the border, one must address NAFTA. To some, NAFTA just
signifies a trade deal, but rarely do people think about the direct effects of the trade industry on
communities and families living on the southern border. The trans-national corporations have exploited
the lax labor laws and barely-enforceable environmental standards on the free-trade zones of the border
of Ciudad Juarez, MX and El Paso, TX, U.S. The all-too-often unchecked maquiladora industries'
actions continue to encroach upon the lives of some of those living on the border. EVN has served as the
lead coalition in El Paso addressing the labor rights and environmental concerns during the re-
negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now re-named the USMCA.
EVN, works alongside activated residents, parents and youth while addressing local, state and federal
policies, to defend our most vulnerable populations, to include low-income, Spanish-speaking,
immigrant, women and children. The accomplishments of the EVN are due to the leadership of the
committees who build trust, listen to, and organize within the community.
As an adjunct lecturer at the University of Texas at El Paso in the Gender and Religious Studies
Department since 2014, Cemelli has created courses such as: 'Colonization & Femicide', 'Gender &
Religion' and 'Indigenous Spirituality' utilizing a decolonizing pedagogy and bridging community
issues into the classroom.
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Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts in English & Religion from Concordia University at Austin, and
her master's in divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies
from Harvard University.
Doyle, John
Little Bighorn College
John Doyle was born, raised and continues to live in Crow Agency, in the heart of the Crow Reservation.
He is an enrolled Tribal member and has dedicated his life to addressing environmental and social justice
concerns for his people, beginning with serving as a County Commissioner for 24 years, the Director of the
Tribal Water and Wastewater Authority for 15 years and continuing after his retirement to serve through co-
founding and co-leading multiple community organizations dedicated to improving Tribal environmental
health, youth environmental literacy and community development.
John Doyle is currently employed with Little Big Horn College and Montana State University conducting
collaborative environmental health research with the Crow Tribal community, under the guidance of the
Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee. John Doyle has devoted his life to helping his people,
the Crow Tribe, and in the past ten years has become active in Tribal environmental health on a national
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Edwards, Jabari O.
.15 GBL, LLC
Jabari O. Edwards, Sr. is a native of Columbus, Ms. He is the owner of J5 GBL, LLC, a project
management firm, majority owner of The Bridge Group, LLC, an insurance brokerage firm, BH Properties,
and North Atlantic Security Company. Having established personal and professional relationships
throughout the United States, Jabari's focus is growing his organizational brand on a national and global
level.
Jabari began his entrepreneurial career in January 2000, with the opening of an insurance agency. He was
co-owner of H&E Construction, a minority owned company that focused on residential and small
commercial projects. He has a proven track record of managing people and the timely delivery of projects.
Upon the formation of The Bridge Group (larger clients include MGM Mirage, United States Secretary of
State Global Embassy Arts, Southern Company) in 2007 (purchased from Wells Fargo), Jabari worked to
build a relationship with Aon (the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firm in the world), and from
there worked with management a team in Chicago to build Cornerstone Innovative Solutions (a division that
partners and mentors minority firms). In 2010, Jabari worked with the CEO's of Wells Fargo global
brokerage Dave Zuercher and Neal Aton, along with Anne Doss (head of banking relationships) to create a
business model for Wells Fargo diversity initiative. In 2012, Jabari worked with Willis executives Kim
Waller and Phil Styles to create Willis' business model, Willis Open. Jabari has testified in State of
Mississippi hearings about ways to improve minority participation on state funded contracts.
In 2010, Jabari saw the need for a minority firm with scalability in the construction sector, and therefore he
started J5 GBL. J5 has served as construction/project managers on many complex projects for many global
companies around the country. J5 serves as the ground and building maintenance contract for Southern
Company on their Kemper county MS Project, served civil contractor for Kior (bio fuel plant located in
Columbus, MS). J5, in a contract assignment, serving as the project management firm, has been the first
minority contractor in the history of Columbus MS. Ironically Jabari's father, Joe Edwards was the first
African American elected official in the history of the city. Jabari's mission is to build a project
management firm which combines unparalleled expertise with a commitment to real diversity. Working for
the Greenfield Environmental Trust, J5 is now known around the country as one of the premier
environmental management and environmental Justice firms in the South-East Region of the United States.
Jabari also served as a director on various boards, including Mississippi Health Trust Fund (appointed by
Governor Haley Barbour this board managed and set the budget of the billions in funds received from the
tobacco lawsuit), Vice-Chairman of Columbus Housing Authority and Chairman of the Board of
Commissioners for the Columbus Utility Board, article was written about this program, in a national utility
magazine, and duplicated by other energy providers. Currently Jabari serves on the Board of the Boys and
Girls Club, Small Business Capitol Loan Fund Board (formerly the Minority Loan Fund Board), The North
Mississippi Board for Regions bank, The Mississippi Business Finance Corporation/ Mississippi
Development Bank (appointed by Governor Phil Bryant), and The United States EPA's The National
Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) (Appointed by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt in
December 2017).
He is married to the former Jewel Sherrod, and they have three children: Tori, Jabari Jr., and Joe. They are
active members of Vibrant Church in Columbus, MS. He is active in his community, a Diamond Lifetime
Member of the NAACP. He and Jewel started their non-profit Bubba's Hope to further their commitment to
honor Jabari's father, Joe, by serving and help the less fortunate around the country.
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Finley-Deville, Lisa
Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) Nation Tomorrow
Lisa is an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation also known as Three Affiliated
Tribes. Lisa has lived her whole life in Mandaree, ND with her husband Walter Sr., five children and
two grandbabies.
Lisa has won many awards such as the 2015 Gillette/Baker Achievement Award to receiving the 2015
North Dakota Human Rights Arc of Justice Award. Currently Lisa serves on the Vision West ND
Project Consortium. Lisa assisted in creating grassroots group and president to Fort Berthold Protectors
of Water and Earth Rights (POWER), a board member of the Dakota Resource Council (DRC) and of
the Western Organization of Resource Council (WORC) and, DRC Oil and Gas Task Force. Lisa is
mentor/advisor to the Modern-Day Warriors Youth Group.
Lisa conducted the Mandaree Needs Assessment in 2012 after saving the Mandaree Post Office of
permanent closure and seeing surrounding communities prosper economically from Oil boom. Lisa has
given presentations on "Living with Oil and Gas" to DUKE University, the Minnesota State University
Science Department's, and Nueta, Hidatsa & Sahnish College Leadership class and at the Annual
Anthropology Conference in Pennsylvania. Lisa has testified on pipeline spills and its environmental
destruction to the North Dakota and South Dakota Public Utilities Commission's. Lisa testified on
behalf of the White Earth band of Ojibwe per Winona Laduke request on the pipeline spills and
environmental destruction with brief on Living with Oil and Gas in Minnesota. Lisa testified in
Washington D.C. that Native American student's need the $8,000 federal government allocated which
students receive $5,800 and with federal lawmakers to lobby for tribal colleges need. Lisa Also testified
in Washington D.C. on the Methane Rule, Pollution Standards. Also Lisa has written many letters for
Public Hearings on Oil and Gas Development. Lisa work will be published in an education journal with
Dr. Mikulak, UND.
Lisa discovered her passion for helping the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation communities and its
enrolled members in 1999 with housing by taken part in creating in Native American Country
homeownership programs. In the winter of 2010 Lisa realized the impact the oil and gas development
has taken on Mandaree and the other Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara communities. Lisa says "The
Bakken oil and gas development has brought much environmental and health impacts and has changed
our way of life. We must protect our water, land, air that is life but also to educate. Also not to do away
with oil and gas but hold industry accountable for cleanup by creating laws/codes (environmental
justice) and enforcement, policy and procedures." In 2011 and to better understand the pursuing of her
advocacy Lisa enrolled in the Ft. Berthold Community College B.S. Degree Program in Environmental
Science which she received May 2015. Currently Lisa is enrolled in the Nueta, Hidatsa, and Sanish
College (also known as Fort Berthold Community College) Native American Program.
Fritz, Jan
University of Cincinnati, University of Johannesburg and University of South Florida
Jan Marie Fritz, Ph.D., C.C.S., is a Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Cincinnati
(USA); a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) and a
Distinguished Visiting Professor with the Honors College at the University of South Florida (USA). She
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is member of the Executive Committee of the International Sociological Association (ISA), an ISA
representative to the United Nations and president of the ISA's division on Clinical Sociology. She is a
member of the Mayor's Gender Equality Task Force in Cincinnati, Ohio, editor of Springer's Clinical
Sociology book series, a docent at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio and a special
education mediator for the state of Kentucky. She has been a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar at the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences, a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in Washington, D.C., and a Fulbright
Distinguished Scholar in Human Rights and International Studies at the Danish Institute for Human
Rights. She has been given Fulbright travel awards to Sweden, the United Kingdom and Poland. Her
work has won a number of awards including the Ohio Mediation Association's Better World Award and
the American Sociological Association's Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology. Her
publications include: Moving Toward a Just Peace: The Mediation Continuum; Community
Intervention; "Cities for CEDAW: Notes on Effective Intervention," "Social Justice for Women and
Girls: Global Pacts, Unmet Goals, Environmental Issues," and "Searching for Environmental Justice:
National Stories, Global Possibilities."
Ghanta, Venu
Duke Energy
Venu Ghanta is the Vice President of Federal Regulatory Affairs and Environmental Policy at Duke
Energy Corporation. Venu leads the company's environmental policy development and
engagement strategy with EPA, other key federal agencies, and national environmental organizations.
He also provides strategic analysis to senior leadership on the opportunities and risks related to the
federal regulation of the utility industry. Venu currently serves as co-chair of Edison
Electric Institute's Air Quality Subcommittee.
Prior to coming to Duke, Venu worked in EPA's Office of Air And Radiation (OAR), where he spent
nine years designing and implementing regulations. Venu served as technical lead in developing the
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, earning an EPA Gold Medal for Exceptional Service. He also was
a key member of the Renewable Fuel Standard team, earning the agency's Science Achievement
Award. From 2010-2012, Venu served as a Special Assistant to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, where
he was responsible for obtaining the Administrator's concurrence on all regulations issued by EPA's air
office.
Venu served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Namibia and Nepal. He received a B.S. in Chemical
Engineering from the University of Michigan, an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of
California at Berkeley, and an M.S. in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins
University.
Harris, Rita
Sierra Club
Ms. Harris is a long-time social justice activist/advocate. She has worked over the years with a wide variety
of organizations including the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center, Mississippi River Basin Alliance,
Tennessee Clean Water Network, Tennesseans for Fair Taxation, the NAACP, and the League of Women
Voters. She has worked professionally with community groups and church groups on issues related to air
toxics, solid waste, and environmental justice for over 27 years. Appointed by Environmental Protection
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Agency Administrator Carol Browner to serve on the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
(NEJAC) from 1997-2001, she served on the Enforcement Sub-Committee, and the Federal Facilities
Workgroup. Ms. Harris was appointed to participate on EPA's National Environmental Justice Advisory
Council's (NEJAC) School Air Toxics Monitoring Workgroup in 2009-10. She has also participated on the
Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry's (ATSDR)
Serving Communities Workgroup (2010).
Ms. Harris retired in 2017 after 18 years of work as an Environmental Justice Organizer with the Sierra
Club working out of Memphis, TN. She has worked with community groups and interested citizens
concerned about the health impacts of toxic air & water pollution, effective emergency planning for
neighborhoods near large chemical plants, and the cleanup of contaminated properties. Ms. Harris has
challenged industry officials and polluting industries, challenged environmental permits and enforcement
decisions. To assist in raising awareness, she offers Toxic Tours and designs easy-to-read community
education fliers and brochures, such as publishing annual editions of the Shelby County Terrible Ten
Report. In addition, "Communities at Risk", an air pollution video she conceived and produced with the help
of a Memphis filmmaker, is added to the toolbox of items she uses to do outreach to community groups and
individuals who desire to become activists. She believes that average citizens, regardless of their race or
class, must be empowered to speak for themselves and to be included in decision-making that impacts their
lives and their communities. Annually, she coordinates and co-hosts community environmental conferences
where people from low-income neighborhoods, as well as the city at-large, come to network and gain
knowledge on a variety of subjects. Ms. Harris promotes effective citizen participation in all areas of
decision-making, and uses creative organizing techniques, networking, and collaborations to ensure
successful campaigns. She promotes diversity, anti-racism, and cultural competency among environmental
and social justice organizations by facilitating workshops for groups throughout the activist community.
Johnson, Cheryl
People for Community Recovery
As an environmental activist Ms. Johnson has been an effective community organizer across issues of
the environment, health, housing, and safety. In her community, she has conducted workshops on these
issues and has increased resident participation in civic education around policies and procedures of
governmental entities. She has also provided training for environmental assessment and risk prevention.
Ms. Johnson has been involved in EJ issues for over 30 years, working under the leadership of her
mother, the late Hazel Johnson, who was one of the first members of NEJAC and known as "the mother
of the environmental justice movement".
King, Virginia
Marathon Petroleum Company
Virginia M. King is the Director of Sustainability and Stakeholder Engagement for Marathon Petroleum
Company (MPC). MPC is a leading, integrated, downstream energy company headquartered in Findlay,
Ohio. Previously, Ms. King was the Environmental, Safety, and Security Assistant General Counsel,
specializing in environmental justice and the Clean Air Act. She has a Chemical Engineering degree and
Law degree from the University of Toledo. She is a patent attorney and has worked in the petroleum
industry for over 30 years.
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Markowitz, Deborah
University of Vermont
Deb Markowitz is a Visiting Professor of Environmental Policy and Leadership at the University of
Vermont's (UVM) Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. She was also recently
named Director of the Massachusetts Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
Deb has spent most of her career in public service. She was elected Vermont's Secretary of State six
times, serving from 1999-2011. In 2010, Ms. Markowitz ran for Governor of Vermont, narrowly losing
in the primary election. In 2011, Ms. Markowitz was appointed Secretary of the Vermont Agency of
Natural Resources (ANR), where she served until 2017. At ANR, Deb shaped the state's environmental
agenda, focusing on climate change, forest health and integrity, and water quality. She served on the
boards of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the Transportation Climate Initiative, and represented
Vermont on the White House Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, and at the United
Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change in Paris and Marrakech. Deb founded Vermont
Parks Forever, the foundation for the state's parks, as well as the Women's Leadership Initiative, an
organization dedicated to getting more women into public office. For sixteen years she served on the
board of Capstone Community Action Agency, working to advance economic, social, and environmental
justice in Vermont.
Deb is a graduate of the University of Vermont (B.A.,1983), and the Georgetown University Law Center
(J.D. magna cum laude, 1987). She has been recognized for her leadership by being awarded an Aspen
Institute Rodel Fellowship, and the Kennedy School of Governments' Cahn Fellowship for Public
Leadership.
McClain, Mildred
Harambee House
Dr. Mildred McClain co-founded and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Harambee
House/Citizens for Environmental Justice, a community-based organization whose mission is to build
the capacity of communities to solve their problems and to engage in positive growth and development.
The organization was created in 1990, is located in Savannah, GA, and serves communities at the local,
state, regional, national, and international levels.
Dr. McClain has been a human rights activists and teacher for over 40 years. She has served on
numerous committees, commissions, working groups and boards. She created major partnerships with
the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry, the Centers for Disease Control, and many community-based organizations, with the
goals of addressing public health and environmental justice issues and concerns. Under Dr. McClain's
leadership for the past 27 years, the Black Youth Leadership Development Institute has trained over
3000 young people to serve as leaders in their communities. The goal of the work is to develop the
capacity of communities to create lifestyles that promote health, wellness, and environmental
sustainability through community gardens, health fairs, testing children for lead poison, and soil testing
in contaminated communities.
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McGee-Collier, Melissa
Mississippi Department of Environmental Equality
Melissa commenced a career in state government in 1995, joining Mississippi's Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ) as a project engineer with a focus on Title V permitting. In 2010,
Melissa accepted the position of Director for MDEQ's Office of Community Engagement. In this
position Melissa counsels regularly with MDEQ Executive Director and Chief of Staff in promulgation
and implementation of agency EJ policies and procedures. She is responsible for overseeing the
agency's overall Environmental Justice integration into agency processes. In 2014, Melissa was also
appointed to the role of MDEQ Title V Small Business Ombudsman. Now she acts as a liaison and
represents the agency with small businesses, industries, communities, civic groups and state, local, and
federal agencies.
Melissa serves on the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) as state government
representative, Gulf of Mexico Alliance Education and Engagement Priority Issue Team as Co-Lead in
2015 and as Chair 2016, and as a member of the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program
National Steering Committee. Melissa has been awarded the EPA Bronze Award for Superior Service,
Regional Administrators Office 2015 and the EPA Bronze Award, Resource Conservation and
Restoration Division 2015. Melissa is a Certified Public Manager and an active member of the
American Academy of Certified Public Managers and the Mississippi Society of Certified Public
Managers (MSCPM), having served terms as Training Officer, Vice President and President. Melissa is
also certified in Public Participation through the International Association for Public
Participation. Melissa earned a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Public
Policy and Administration both from Mississippi State University.
Nagano, Ayako
Common Vision
Ms. Nagano serves as Managing Attorney for Midori Law Group, P.C. and specializes in serving
Japanese American seniors. Ayako serves as Secretary of the Board for four 501(c)(3) non-
profits: Common Vision, which installs school gardens all across California; Transition Berkeley, a
local Transition Town initiative to bring neighbors together to build a more equitable, sustainable,
resilient future for Berkeley; the Resilience Network, an organization that plans for community
resilience in the age of climate change; and Nippon Kobo, which produces cross-cultural programs by
luminaries in the Japanese American community.
Ayako also serves on the Steering Committees of two organizations: the Green Leadership Trust, a
coalition of non-profit board members of color, promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within
Environmental movement and the Mycelium Youth Network, empowering youth to grow as visionary
leaders and budding environmentalists, connecting them with ancestral teachings, and teaching youth to
trust in the wisdom of the natural world. Ayako is also co-chair of ITRC (International Transformational
Resilience Coalition) in California, working to build widespread levels of psychological and psycho-
social-spiritual resilience for the adversities generated by climate change; serves on the Social Justice
Working Group for Transition US; and organizes the Plastic Reduction Working Group at the Ecology
Center.
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Orr, Jeremy F.
Natural Resources Defense Council
Mr. Orr is an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. As a member of NRDC's Safe Water
Initiative, Mr. Orr focuses on drinking water and source water protection issues, working to ensure that
everyone has access to safe, sufficient, and affordable drinking water.
Immediately prior to joining NRDC, Mr. Orr served as the National State Program Director for Peoples
Climate Movement where he organized communities throughout the country around climate justice
issues. Formerly, Mr. Orr also worked as the Environmental Justice Coordinator for the Transnational
Environmental Law Clinic at Wayne State University Law School. In that role, Mr. Orr also served as
the Coordinator for the historic Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition. Before joining Wayne Law,
Mr. Orr was the Executive Director of the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council where he led
regional efforts to improve environmental and public health through river protection and restoration,
stream monitoring, storm water management, food justice, and environmental justice programming.
Additionally, Mr. Orr spent three years as a Community Organizer with the Gamaliel Foundation where
he organized around numerous social justice issues including the cleanup of a PCB-contaminated
landfill.
Mr. Orr currently serves a Vice-Chair of the Environmental Justice Committee for the American Bar
Association's Civil Rights and Social Justice Section and State Chair of Environmental and Climate
Justice for the Michigan State Conference NAACP. Mr. Orr also sits on boards of directors for multiple
nonprofit. Mr. Orr earned his Bachelor's, Master's, and Juris Doctor from Michigan State University.
Osborne Jelks, Na'Taki
West Atlanta Watershed Alliance and Proctor Creek Stewardship Council
Mrs. Na'Taki Osborne Jelks is an environmental scientist, social change engineer, and educator working for
a healthy, just, and sustainable future. She has been advancing equity and social justice at the local level for
nearly 20 years—using her expertise and passion to address environmental challenges facing underserved
communities in the Atlanta Region. She has made contributions through government, non-profit, and
community-based organizations, as both a professional and community leader, to advance environmental
justice in low-income and communities of color and to elevate marginalized community voices so that those
most affected by changes in the region gain access to the decision-making tables where strategies are being
planned and developed.
Eighteen years ago, she co-founded the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA), a community-based
organization comprised of residents living in the Proctor, Utoy, and Sandy Creek Watersheds, in Northwest
and Southwest Atlanta, who are overburdened with environmental stressors and pollution but are often least
represented at environmental decision-making tables. WAWA was established from community efforts to
halt perceived discriminatory wastewater treatment practices in West Atlanta and has grown to become an
impactful force in community-centered sustainable development. Mrs. Jelks is the organization's board
chairperson. Under Mrs. Jelks' leadership, WAWA has led community-based efforts, for over a decade, to
clean up, protect, and restore Northwest Atlanta's Proctor Creek Watershed. Once a source of pride for
Northwest Atlanta communities, Proctor Creek is one of the most impaired waterways in Metro Atlanta.
Historically, the creek was a place where kids played, people fished, and people were baptized. Today, the
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creek and the neighborhoods through which it flows are affected by 29+ documented pollution sources, and
the watershed is plagued by social, economic, and health disparities. In part because of Mrs. Jelks' and
WAWA's persistent advocacy and community engagement efforts, Proctor Creek is now the focus of
federal attention and investments through the EPA's Urban Waters Federal Partnership. Mrs. Jelks was also
heavily involved in WAWA's establishment of the Proctor Creek Stewardship Council (PCSC), a grassroots
organization that engages Proctor Creek residents in community-driven, collaborative problem solving
processes, along with government, academia, and other stakeholders, to identify innovative, community-
engaged approaches for environmental restoration of the watershed. Since its formation, the PCSC has
dramatically changed the dialogue on meaningful citizen engagement in the revitalization of the Proctor
Creek Watershed. It now leans more toward respect for community leadership, local knowledge, and
community needs than was previously experienced. Jelks is Co-Chair of the PCSC.
Pauli, Benjamin
Kettering University
Dr. Ben Pauli holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Rutgers University and is an Assistant Professor of
Social Science at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. His research interests include political
ideologies, social movements, environmental justice, and water. A resident of Flint since 2015, he has
been involved in a variety of initiatives within the community, including the review and revision of the
city's charter, the founding of a Montessori program within the public school system, the development
of a park abandoned by the city for lack of resources, and the deployment of the Water Box filtration
system at sites across the city. Dr. Pauli is President of the Board of Directors of the Environmental
Transformation Movement of Flint, Flint's only explicitly environmental justice-focused grassroots
group. He has been deeply involved in the response to the Flint water crisis as an activist, researcher, and
member of a multi-university scientific team. His academic book on the crisis, Flint Fights Back:
Environmental Justice and Democracy in the Flint Water Crisis, was published by MIT Press in May
2019. In 2020, Dr. Pauli will be teaching a course on the crisis at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
as part of the 30th anniversary commemoration of the Michigan Conference on Race and the Incidence
of Environmental Hazards organized by professors Bunyan Bryant and Paul Mohai.
Piazza, Millie
Washington State Department of Ecology
Millie Piazza, PhD, MES, is the Environmental Justice Coordinator at the Department of Ecology. In
this role, she works to integrate environmental justice (EJ) priorities into agency programs, elevate
awareness and best practices on Civil Rights compliance, and provide guidance on addressing EJ
challenges in Washington. She began her work at Ecology in 1994, designing and conducting the first
statewide EJ study. Millie currently serves on the Governor's Interagency Council on Health Disparities
and is a member of the University of Washington Superfund Research Program External Advisory
Board.
Randolph, Dennis
City of Grandview, Missouri
Mr. Randolph has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering as well as a Master of Public
Administration. As an engineer he has held responsible positions in city and county government in
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Michigan, Missouri, and Virginia, responsible for transportation, water and wastewater, environmental,
community planning, parks, and public works activities. Mr. Randolph has many years of instructional
experience at the adult level including instructor positions in the U.S. Army, Wayne State University,
Western Michigan University, and currently at the University of Missouri - Kansas City where he
teaches courses in civil and construction engineering. Mr. Randolph has nearly 100 published papers,
many peer reviewed. He serves as a project panel member for the National Academy of Sciences
National Cooperative Highway Research Program. He also is a Peer Reviewer for the American Society
of Civil Engineers, a member of the Board of Directors for the Transportation Professionals Certification
Board, and a Public Works Leadership Fellow for the American Public Works Association. In 2015 he
was recognized as a Top 10 Public Works Official.
Shabazz, Jerome
JASTECH Development Services and Over brook Environmental Education Center
Jerome Shabazz is the founder and Executive Director of JASTECH (Juveniles Active in Science and
Technology) Development Services, Inc. A not-for-profit organization developed in 1998, to promote
environmental justice; encourage sustainable community development and to promote public health in
urban communities. In 2002, JASTECH applied for and received a US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) grant under the Clean Water Act to establish the Overbrook Environmental Education Center
(OEEC), a community-based center dedicated to preserving our built and natural environments.
Under Mr. Shabazz's direction, the OEEC completed a Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBA) and
remediated environmental hazards from a Brownfield site in Western Philadelphia. The OEEC has trained
thousands of students on the Clean Water Act and Toxic Substances Control Act, and other topics that
reduces human exposure to toxic substances at home and school. The OEEC is nationally known for its
Environmental Justice and project-based learning programs.
Prior to working in the non-profit sector, Mr. Shabazz worked for 25years in Water and Gas utilities. He
served as Safety & Training Manager at the Philadelphia Gas Works - LNG Processing Division and was
responsible for 49 CFR §193.2713 training in operations and maintenance; trained personnel and
contractors on safety issues, codes, regulations, departmental standards, corporate policies and procedures.
He also worked in the training, engineering and operations divisions at the Philadelphia Water Department.
Mr. Shabazz is an adjunct professor and educator at both Community College of Philadelphia and Penn
State University. In 2017, he was appointed to the PA Department of Environmental Protection's - Citizen
Advisory Council and Environmental Justice Advisory Board. He is also a board member on Keep
Pennsylvania Beautiful.
Shabazz earned his Master of Science in Environmental Protection & Safety Management from St.
Joseph's University and Bachelor of Arts in Organization Management from Eastern University. He has
received numerous citations and award, most recently from the PA House of Representatives and City
Council of Philadelphia for his commitment to Environmental Justice and Community Development.
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Shirley, Jacqueline
Rural Community Assistance Corporation
Jacqueline Shirley born and raised in Alaska, is a Tribal member of the Native Village of Hooper Bay on
the Bering Sea coast, is currently employed at Rural Community Assistance Corporation. She provides
training and technical assistance to Tribes, nonprofit and local agencies, to improve or develop water,
wastewater and solid waste sustainable systems and programs in rural communities across the western
portion of the U.S. She obtained her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Alaska,
Anchorage. She also served 18 years in the Army National Guard as a Field Medic. She has spent the
past 40 years advocating to improve human and environmental health.
Sprayberry, Karen
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
Mrs. Sprayberry has worked with environmental justice communities for approximately 22 years; she
began working at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) in
the Superfund and Voluntary Cleanup Program/Brownfield program as a public participation
coordinator. She initially began to work with the ReGenesis and its communities in Spartanburg, South
Carolina, shortly after coming to SC DHEC; ReGenesis would later win environmental justice and
redevelopment awards because of the over $250 million revitalization effort conducted within these
communities. She attended many community and public meetings and slowly began to build trust with
that community and its leaders. When it was time for SC DHEC to oversee work specifically within this
community, a foundation of trust and understanding had been instilled so as there was more of a
collaborative, problem-solving method instilled between the various parties as the issues were address.
In 2002, Mrs. Sprayberry went to work for the Environmental Community Liaison for SC DHEC. In this
role, she worked with all the media (land, water, and air programs) on community involvement and
environmental justice concerns. During this time, we also strived to enhance our culture within our
agency on these items. In 2009, SC DHEC was awarded a cooperative agreement from the EPA. Mrs.
Sprayberry oversaw that project called "Leaders in Environmental Action Pilots - LEAP". We were
allowed to provide $25,000 to four environmental communities. These communities built capacity
(leadership and partnerships) while identifying and addressing their environmental and social justice
needs. After that project ended (three years later), SC DHEC held an SC Environmental Leadership
Forum. We partnered with the University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, to develop
our curriculum. The 19 students who were selected came from various walks of like. They were citizens,
students, or represented environmental organizations, non-profit organizations, local governments, and
industry. The participants came together during 4 1 V2 day workshops to learn about 1) Effective
Leadership and Engagement, 2) Understanding Government and our Environment 3) Community
Organization and Development 4) Strategies for Sustaining Your Initiatives. During the Forum,
participants gained knowledge and insight, but they also developed a stronger understanding among one-
another, even if they did not see things eye-to-eye. The EPA-Region 4 Office has since used this as a
model. SC DHEC values public participation and environmental justice and continues to work closely
with our communities across the state using the knowledge gained from experiences and our various
partners along the way to conduct more meaningful involvement for all our stakeholders.
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Mrs. Sprayberry now serves as the Special Advisor to the Director of Environmental Affairs at SC
DHEC, with her specialty being environmental justice and community involvement; she retired in 2015
and now is a part-time employee. As well as working with the Director, she continues to work closely
with the Environmental Justice and Community Involvement Liaisons and other public participation
staff within SC DHEC. She has received both internal and external awards for her work at SC DHEC,
including receiving a House Resolution from the S. C. House of Representatives in 2015. Another award
she is proud of is from 2008, when SC DHEC was awarded the "U. S. EPA Environmental Justice
Achievement Award" due to the public participation and environmental justice work conducted both
internally and externally by her and her peers. In 2011, Mrs. Sprayberry conducted the "Fundamentals of
Public Participation" training during the EPA's Community Involvement and Training Conference. Mrs.
Sprayberry has a B A degree in Political Science from Columbia College.
Talley, Pamela
Lewis Place Historical Preservation Inc.
Pamela Talley is an advanced nurse practitioner with a master's degree in nursing and a national
certification in adult psychiatric mental health nursing. She oversees both clinic and outreach services to
areas that serve the poor and vulnerable, food pantries, libraries, churches, health fairs etc. In 2000, she
co-founded Lewis Place Historical Preservation, a community-based nonprofit organization, with two
other neighbors. The mission of Lewis Place Historical Preservation is to save this historic community
that was placed on the national registry of historic places in 1979. Since 2009, Pamela Talley has served
as the volunteer Executive Director.
In 2007, Pamela Talley was recognized by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a Community
Health Leader for assisting grandparents raising grandchildren, many of whom were facing issues of
eminent domain and were being displaced. She founded an organization, known as "Grandparents As
Parents Support Project". As an awardee, she participated in the group that conducted research on social
determinants of health. In 2011, She successfully led neighbors in an effort to drive St. Louis city
government with assisting uninsured neighbors with rebuilding their homes after the community was hit
by an enhanced fajita scale 1 tornado.
In 2015, Lewis Place Historical Preservation obtained a vacant house from the city of St. louis on one of
the three blocks of Lewis Place and entered a joint venture as a co-developer with an established
developer and construction company. The home was completely renovated and sold to a family at an
affordable rate. Pamela Talley currently serves as co-chair of a steering committee, a collaborative
community group, organized to execute and implement residential development to improve the Lewis
Place and Fountain Park neighborhood.
Trevino-Sauceda, Hermila "Mily"
Arlianza Nacional de Campesinas
Ms. Trevino-Sauceda is the third of ten children, born in Bellingham, Washington, to a migrant
farmworker family. Since the age of eight, she was a farmworker in Idaho and California, and eventually
became a union farmworker and organizer with the UFW in the 1970s and early 1980s. She co-founded
"Mujeres Mexicanas" (Mexican Women), in the Coachella Valley - a campesinas' advocacy group. In
1991, Ms. Trevino-Saucedo returned to school and obtained her Associate of Arts in chicano studies.
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She went on to earn credits for a minor in women studies at Cal State Fullerton in 1997. She then earned
her master's degree in social sciences, with focuses on rural development, women's leadership, and oral
history at Antioch, Ohio.
Ms. Trevino-Sauceda worked for 12 years as the Executive Director of Lideres Campesinas. In addition,
she worked with California Rural Legal Assistance Migrant Project for 10 years; representing
farmworkers as a community worker/advocate. In 2011, she co-founded and is the current President of
Alianza Nacional de Campesinas - a national farmworker women's alliance. As a consultant, she
provides technical assistance to Pequenos Agricultores de California - a group of Latino organic small
farmers and ranchers in San Benito County. She also provides technical assistance to the National
Hmong American Farmers, ensuring their small farmers are trained in business regulations and labor
laws, including prevention of pesticides poisoning. She sits on numerous state and national boards and
task forces representing Latinas, farmworker community & immigrant women in general on health,
violence against women, labor, education, environmental and gender issues.
Throughout her activism, Ms. Trevino-Sauceda has received numerous recognitions & awards, including
"100 Heroines of the World" in 1998; the Alston/Bannerman Fellow in 2002; and the Ford Foundation
and NYU "Leadership for a Changing World" award in 2004. She was recognized twice in 2006, by
People Magazine. In 2009, she was honored by Lideres Campesinas in California for her 30+ years of
distinguished leadership, and in 2011 was recognized by the US EEOC.
Whitehead, Sandra F.
George Washington University
Sandra is the Interim Program Director for the Sustainable Urban Planning Program, effective July 1, 2019.
Prior to joining GW full-time, she worked as the Director of Partnership Development at the National
Environmental Health Association where she created tools and trainings for environmental health
professionals.
Dr. Whitehead also worked at the National Association of County and City Health Officials and the Florida
Department of Health. While working at the Florida Department of Health she provided capacity building
assistance to the 67 local health departments.
Sandra has been teaching for GW since 2015. She teaches PSUS 6204: Land Use Law and PSUS 6230:
Studio in Sustainable Urban Planning. She has also taught at the University of Florida and Florida State
University.
Wilson, Sacoby
Maryland Institute of Applied Environmental Health
Dr. Sacoby Wilson is an Associate Professor with the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health
and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland-
College Park. Dr. Wilson has over 15 years of experience as environmental health scientist in the areas of
exposure science, environmental justice, environmental health disparities, community-based participatory
research, water quality analysis, air pollution studies, built environment, industrial animal production,
climate change, community resiliency, and sustainability. He works primarily in partnership with
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community-based organizations to study and address environmental justice and health issues and translate
research to action.
Dr. Wilson is Director of the Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health (CEEJH)
Initiative. CEEJH is focused on providing technical assistance to communities fighting against
environmental injustice and environmental health disparities in the DMV region and across the
nation. Through CEEJH, Dr. Wilson is engaging communities in the Washington, DC region on
environmental health issues including exposure and health risks for individuals who fish and recreate on the
Anacostia River; use of best management practices to reduce stormwater inputs in the Chesapeake Bay; air
pollution and health impacts due to industrial and commuter traffic in Bladensburg, MD; built environment,
environmental injustice, and vectors in West Baltimore; cumulative impacts of environmental hazards on air
quality in Brandywine, MD; goods movement, industrial pollution, and environmental injustice in South
Baltimore, MD; environmental justice and health issues in Buzzard Point area of Washington, DC;
industrial chicken farming on Maryland's Eastern Shore; health impact of assessment in the Sheriff Road
community; and other topics. In addition, he is working with schools in the region on pipeline development
efforts in the STEM+H disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Health).
He has worked on environmental justice issues including environmental racism with community-based
organizations through long-term community-university environmental health and justice partnerships in
South Carolina and North Carolina including the Low Country Alliance for Model Communities (LAMC),
in North Charleston, South Carolina; the West End Revitalization Association (WERA) in Mebane, NC; and
the Graniteville Community Coalition (GCC) in Graniteville, SC. He has provided technical assistance to
REACH in Duplin County, NC; RENA in Orange County, NC; and the NC Environmental Justice Network.
Dr. Wilson has been very active professionally as an environmental justice advocate. He is Founder of 17
for Peace and Justice and a Co-Founder of the DC/Maryland/Virginia (DMV) Environmental Justice
Coalition. He is a member of the USEPA's National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC), on
the Board of the Patuxent Riverkeeper, a past Chair of the APHA Environment Section, on the Board
of Community-Campus Partnerships for Health from 2010-2018, a former member of the Board of
Scientific Counselors for the CDC NCEH/ATSDR, and former Chair of the Alpha Goes Green Initiative,
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He is also a senior fellow in the Environmental Leadership Program.
Dr. Wilson has received many awards for his contributions and achievements as an environmental justice
researcher and advocate. He recently the 2018 Taking Nature Black Environmental Champion Award. He
also received the APHA Environment Section Damu Smith Environmental Justice Award in 2015. From
the University of Maryland School of Public Health, he received the George F. Kramer Practitioner of the
Year Award (2014-2015) and the Muriel R. Sloan Communitarian Award (2012-2013). He also received the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award from the University of South Carolina in
2011. He received a USEPA Environmental Justice Achievement Award given to Low Country Alliance
for Model Communities, North Charleston, SC and Mitigation Agreement Committee. Additionally, Dr.
Wilson received the Steve Wing International Environmental Justice Award in 2008.
Dr. Wilson, a two-time EPA STAR fellow, EPA MAI fellow, Udall Scholar, NASA Space Scholar, and
Thurgood Marshall Scholar, received his BS degree in Biology/Ecotoxicology with a minor in
Environmental Science from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University in 1998. He received
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training in environmental health in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Wilson received his MS degree in 2000 from UNC-Chapel
Hill and his PhD from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2005.
Wright, Kelly C.
Shoshone Bannock Tribes
Mr. Wright currently serves as an alternate on the following EPA committees: Regional Tribal
Operation Committee for Region 10; National Tribal Caucus; Tribal Science Council, and the National
Tribal Toxic Committee. In this position, his work experience (30 years) includes both federal, State,
Tribal and private. Mr. Wright obtained a bachelor's degree in microbiology and a Master's Degree in
environmental science with an emphasis on waste management. Being able to conduct environmental
site assessment, he has been able to identify a variety of recognized environmental conditions which put
a different perspective on things. Mr. Wright is also a team member of the newly formed Natural
Resource Damage Assessment Team for the Southeast Idaho Phosphate Mining where there are 17 mine
sites.
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