For Immediate Release: April 4, 2024Contact: Daniel Herrera, dherrera@rabengroup.comGreen Leadership Trust Announces 2024 Cecil Corbin-Mark Vanguard FellowsWashington, DC — The Green Leadership Trust (GLT), a cross-sector network of Black, Indigenous and people of color who serve as board members for environmental organizations and foundations, proudly announces its 2024 Cecil Corbin-Mark Vanguard Fellows. Established in 2021 in honor of the late GLT member and environmental justice giant Cecil Corbin-Mark, the Cecil Corbin-Mark Vanguard Fellowship is a peer-to-peer learning program that is an immersive introduction to the challenges and opportunities of board service. Topics that will be covered during the fellowship include: myths and realities of board service, centering equity on boards, addressing conflict, maintaining work life balance, assessing board culture, and understanding fiduciary responsibilities.“We are thrilled to announce our third annual cohort of CCM Vanguard Fellows,” stated GLT Executive Director Emira Woods. “This year’s class upholds the tradition of brilliance, tenacity, and boldness of the powerhouse community of CCM Vanguard Fellows.  We are excited to see all the knowledge sharing in action throughout the six months of Fellowship sessions this year. We are grateful to be able to build on the successes of previous cohorts as we continue honoring the memory of our dear Cecil Corbin-Mark and his legacy of environmental justice.”Fellows will be paired with veteran board members, many of whom are trailblazers within the environmental justice space, to enhance their experience by leveraging their expertise. Upon graduation of the fellowship, fellows will join a cadre of Vanguard alumni, be able to apply a new set of critical governance skills to the boards they sit on and strengthen GLT’s collective work to strengthen the power of the environmental movement nationally. This year’s ten CCM Vanguard Fellows include:Irene Burga is the Climate and Clean Air Program Director for GreenLatinos where she works to amplify Latinx priorities around reducing air and climate pollution at the national level. She has held roles at NRDC and EDF, where she worked on coalition building around advocacy to reduce impacts from oil and gas production, and most recently served as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Air Quality Advisor, where she wrote and implemented LA’s Climate Action Plan (LA’s Green New Deal), focusing on clean ports, air quality monitoring, just transition, and oil drilling abandonment programs. Irene serves on the board of Partnership Project. Jeffrey Caesar is a DMV native with West Indian roots, of Guyana and St. Vincent & the Grenadines; home to some of the world's most threatened and delicate ocean and rainforest ecosystems. A recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s Gilman Award, Mr. Caesar has worked extensively internationally and domestically on every level from grassroots organizing and media work in Washington, D.C., Kathmandu, Cairo, and South Africa. He has also worked in public policy both at the United States Senate and United Nations. Jeffrey serves on the board of Creshendo. Kimberly Gerbert is a climate and clean energy advocate  based in Washington, DC. She currently works at the Partnership Project as a Campaign Manager with Methane Partners Campaign, mobilizing diverse stakeholders to secure strong, federal methane regulations throughout the U.S., and serves as the Co-Chair of the Fundraising Committee on the Eco.Logic Board of Directors. Kimberly is a Florida-native, previously working in Tallahassee as Deputy Director of Chapter Development with ReThink Energy Florida where she managed state-wide coalitions like Florida Climate Voices and Floridians Against Fracking. Jairo A. Gomez is currently a Senior Program and Evaluation Coordinator for the Bolder Advocacy program at Alliance for Justice. Jairo graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in Social Sciences with an Emphasis in Psychology. Before joining the Bolder Advocacy team, he worked in the food insecurity space as a Program and Development Coordinator with St. Francis Center. Jairo has lived in Los Angeles his whole life. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, biking, and learning to salsa dance. He serves on the board of Youth on Root. Jothsna Harris is the founder of Change Narrative, which exists to build capacity in the climate justice movement through the power of our stories. Through a coaching practice, Jothsna works with front-line activists, legislators, artists, organizations, and community groups to craft climate narratives to advocate for solutions. Jothsna led the creative process and co-edited the 2020 book, Eyewitness: Minnesota Voices on Climate Change, is the Producer of the 2022 MN Fringe Festival ‘Venue Pick’ show Changing the Narrative: Climate Stories for Justice, and the recipient of the 2023 Creative Climate Communications Award from the Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership. She serves on the board of The Great Northern.Arielle V. King is an educator and strategist at the nexus of environmental justice, climate optimism, and media. She is committed to making environmentalism inclusive and irresistible for all through her background in civil rights law, environmental racism analysis, and community engagement. She is on the Board of Directors for Our Climate and Positive Tracks, the Advisory Board for the Chesapeake Legal Alliance, and is a proud member of  EcoTok Collective and the Green Leadership Trust.Dennis Mabasa is the Parks Conservancy’s Vice President for Community and Youth Programs. In this role, they lead efforts to identify and break down barriers to park access by those historically excluded or marginalized; engage individuals, youth, families, and community organizations in unique place-based educational, recreational, and service-based experiences; and lift their voices in the planning and design of park spaces and programming. Dennis serves on the boards of the Friends of LA River State Park and Los Angeles River State Park Partners.Eboni Preston is a management professional with a background in non-profit administration, program operations, partnerships, advocacy, and workforce development. She has spent the last decade working with public land management agencies on youth programs, DEI programming and facilitation, community engagement, recruitment, inclusive hiring practices, and volunteer engagement. She currently serves as the Southeast Regional Director and National Park Service Diversity Lead for the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit committed to protecting and preserving our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for present and future generations. Eboni serves on the board of the Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. Dr. Frances Roberts-Gregory is a feminist political ecologist and environmental anthropologist, researching the role of U.S. Afro-diasporic communities and women of color in UNFCCC climate negotiations and feminist climate policy. She currently serves as a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard University Center for the Environment and the Salata Institute for Climate & Sustainability. Frances also serves on the boards of the Hive Fund for Climate & Gender Justice, HBCU Green Fund, and Feminist Agenda for a Green New Deal. Melanie Santiago-Mosier is an attorney whose work focuses on the field of energy equity and justice, building on a career that has centered on clean energy policy and regulation. She serves on a number of volunteer boards and advisory committees, including the board of directors for the Institute for Conservation Leadership and as secretary of the board of directors of the Climate Access Fund. In her day job, she serves as the Global Equitable Energy Transition Advisor for The Nature Conservancy, where she is working hard to help embed principles of equity and justice in the organization's work. Mentors for this year’s cohort include: Allison Chin (Board President, Sierra Club), Pallavi Phartiyal (Board Chair, American Rivers and Oil Change International), Ayako Nagano (Clean Water Action), Brian Gomez, (previously at SustainUs), Charles Orgbon III (Captain Planet Foundation), Paco Ollervides (Ohio Environmental Council), and Taylor Jang (Bay Area Ridge Trail Council).###About the Green Leadership TrustLaunched in 2013, the Green Leadership Trust works to build an environmental and conservation movement that wins. We are unique in a number of ways because we are the first cross-organizational effort focused on building power and diversity in any advocacy sector. We are guided first and foremost by our responsibility as fiduciaries of the organizations we represent. For more information, visit GreenLeadershipTrust.org. 

The Green Leadership Trust community mourns as we celebrate the legacy of a giant in the field of environmental justice, Bunyan Bryant.As environmentalists of color serving on Boards of Directors, we know that we stand on the shoulders of giants. Bunyan Bryant was a pioneer, often called the father of environmental justice. Dr. Bryant was an esteemed professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) for four decades. He mentored and guided thousands of social and racial justice advocates well beyond the campus of the university. He died peacefully at home in Ann Arbor on March 28, 2024, after a short battle with cancer. He was 89.Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, GLT Outgoing Co-Chair, shared “Dr. Bryant’s work was critical in establishing the validity of the activism of so many frontline and fenceline communities.  His research and work were critical in establishing environmental justice as more than an anecdotal expression of toxic exposures, but a quantifiable and trackable process exposing harm and intention to communities of color, both domestically and internationally - allowing people to shift from being victims to advocates.” Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali, GLT Member, Executive Vice President at National Wildlife Federation, and a mentee of Dr. Bryant, stated: “Dr. Bunyan Bryant, a pioneer in the field of environmental justice and civil rights, became the first African American faculty member of the School of Natural Resources & Environment at the University of Michigan. His work with the Michigan Coalition helped start the Office of Environmental Equity at the EPA. He will be dearly missed.” Dr. Michael Dorsey, GLT Member, Director/Chair of the Rob & Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service at Arizona State University, and a mentee of Dr. Bryant, said: “Dr. Bunyan Bryant was the humblest scholarly giant; a patient advocate for social and environmental justice; a world renown activist sociologist; a true supporter of students and a conscientious collaborator with peer academics and community members alike. He will be sorely missed yet never forgotten.”Before his passing, Bunyan Bryant was asked in an interview if he wished to impart any final words of wisdom to the next generation. He shared the following: "Always be hopeful because that is a source of energy that will enable and inspire your work and your vision for the future. With hope, comes new visions and possibilities of social and environmental justice. Use the scientific and evidence-based knowledge that you have accumulated during your stay with us humbly and in concert with the people you are serving. And take good care of yourself so that you can continue your work well into the future."Bunyan Bryant is an inspiration to all of us struggling to build a more sustainable and just world.  Let's continue his legacy by reading and sharing his memoir with new leaders in this field: “Educator and Activist: My Life and Times in the Quest for Environmental Justice."  

The Green Leadership Trust (GLT) is on a mission to drive change in the environmental sector by diversifying and strengthening boards of directors. In 2023, we successfully placed 15 board members in various environmental organizations, leaving a significant mark on the sector. Now, we're thrilled to announce our ambitious goal for 2024 - to triple that number and create an even more powerful impact.Our dedication to scaling up our board placements program stems from our commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the environmental sector. We believe that the sector should reflect the communities it serves, and our initiative is designed to make that vision a reality.Join Us in Our Mission:Are you an environmental organization looking to diversify and strengthen your board of directors? We invite you to be part of our scaling initiative and make a lasting impact in the environmental sector.Ready to embark on this journey with us? Contact us today to discuss your board placement needs - complete this form.Together, we can create a more diverse, inclusive, and impactful environmental movement. Join us in our mission to drive transformative change in 2024 and beyond.