Today, Evergreen Action announced that prominent climate movement leaders Jade Begay and Evan Weber have joined its Governing Board of Directors.
“Evergreen could not be more excited to welcome these two visionary movement leaders to our governing board,” said Evergreen Action Executive Director Lena Moffitt. “As longtime friends and partners in this work, Jade and Evan have been invaluable collaborators and advisors in the fight to tackle the climate crisis while building a more just economy for us all. We are thrilled to bring their perspectives and strategic know-how in-house as they join our leadership team.”
“A common theme I see in my work with Indigenous communities is that we already have solutions to the challenges that the climate crisis is creating, yet allies in government or philanthropy or bigger organizations struggle to implement our knowledge and expertise,” said Evergreen Governing Board Member Jade Begay. “From my experience, Evergreen is a proactive group that not only listens but engages from the beginning so that they are centering communities who are most impacted by the climate crisis or environmental injustice. I look forward to serving on the board and working together to make sure we're advancing bold climate action plans through a lens of equity and justice.”
“Growing up on O‘ahu in Hawai’i, I’ve seen the beaches I grew up on disappear into the ocean because of climate change,” said Evergreen Governing Board Member Evan Weber. “For me, this has never been some far-off problem. It's an urgent crisis we have to confront right now, and I look forward to working with Evergreen as a member of their board and continuing to fight for bold action at the scale this crisis demands—because the whole world is counting on it."
Jade Begay, Tesuque Pueblo and Dine, works at the intersections of Indigenous rights, climate, and environmental justice to shape national and international policy. Jade has worked with Indigenous-led organizations and Tribes from the Amazon to the Arctic to advance Indigenous-led solutions and self-determination through advocacy campaigns, research, storytelling, and narrative strategies. In 2021, she was appointed by President Biden to serve on the first-ever White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Currently, Jade is a research fellow developing climate data on Native communities in the U.S. and is working alongside frontline groups and organizations to implement climate policy across the U.S.
Evan Weber is a movement builder, political strategist, and public policy expert from Kailua, Hawai’i. Evan has served on Evergreen’s Advisory Board since its founding and is now transitioning to be a member of Evergreen’s Governing Board. Evan co-founded the Sunrise Movement at 25 years old and helped it grow into the largest youth climate justice organization in the country and reshaped global climate politics and policy as the organization’s political director. Now, Evan is the managing director and co-founder of Our Hawai’i and works as a policy fellow at Elemental Excelerator. He is the president of Sunrise Movement’s Board of Directors and also serves on the board of IfNotNow Movement in addition to Evergreen.
Jade and Evan were unanimously elected to a three-year term as Directors of Evergreen’s Governing Board, joining Molly Keenan, KC Golden, Holmes Hummel, Keya Chatterjee, Julian Brave Noisecat, and Harold Mitchell. The Governing Board is responsible for the strategic guidance of the organization and overseeing the Executive Director, and works in close collaboration with Evergreen’s more informal Advisory Board to guide organizational decision-making.