I took that worldview straight into my studies of ecology and then into political advocacy. After graduate school, I moved to DC in 2008, where I was certain that then newly-elected President Obama and the Democratic majorities in Congress would immediately take action to address the mounting climate crisis. I started in the office of then-Congressman Tom Udall, and then went on to the Union of Concerned Scientists, where I brought scientists to meet with Members of Congress as they wrote the Waxman-Markey climate bill. It was a truly eye-opening experience, where I learned the hard way that our movement simply wasn’t big or powerful enough yet to secure the bold policies we needed. 

So I have spent the last 12 years working to build up the strength of that movement—forging broad cross-movement coalitions and effective, intersectional campaigns. I learned first-hand how to pair savvy, “inside” engagement with “outside” public pressure. I’ve had the honor of forming deep partnerships with frontline leaders from across the country, working to protect their communities from the burdens of our fossil-fuel-based economy. And I learned that we need to work together and bring even more people into this movement if we’re going to succeed. And, now, as a mother and stepmother, my resolve to make the world a better, safer place, has only strengthened.

Back in 2020, when I first sat down and began reading a copy of the Evergreen Climate Action Plan, I was only a few pages in when I had to literally set the document down to stand up and pace the room. I felt so charged with excitement, seeing that there was this group of people doing exactly the work I felt our movement needed—creating an ambitious, actionable policy roadmap that could slash pollution at the pace needed to avoid outright disaster, while simultaneously creating a thriving, just, and inclusive clean energy future. I saw Evergreen creating best-in-class digital and media products that painted the path policymakers needed to take. Then and now, Evergreen’s mission and role in the movement resonated deeply with me, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.

I’ve been honored to serve Evergreen as a campaigns director and chief of staff, and I have great admiration and gratitude for all that Jamal Raad, Sam Ricketts, and the team have accomplished in the three years since they turned that document into one of the most influential climate organizations in our country. I can’t wait to continue building that organization with them. 

This next stage of climate action is critical, and Evergreen’s ethos of nimbleness and grit positions us to seize this moment. As executive director, I will help Evergreen continue to grow as a force within the climate movement, supercharging our transition to a more equitable, inclusive clean energy economy. I look forward to getting to work.