Veronica Wilson joined Labor Network for Sustainability in 2018 when she organized the network’s first Los Angeles Labor Convergence on Climate Change. She now supports unions across the state that are strengthening the labor-climate movement and advocating for an equitable transition for workers and communities. She has been a union member as a teacher and an ocean lifeguard, and is currently a member of UPTE-CWA 9119.
Dr. Robert Pollin is Distinguished University Professor of Economics and Co-Director of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. His books include A Measure of Fairness: The Economics of Living Wages and Minimum Wages in the United States (co-authored 2008), Greening the Global Economy (2015) and Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal: The Political Economy of Saving the Planet (2020). In May 2017, he co-authored Economic Analysis of the Healthy California Single-Payer Health Care Proposal and in November 2018, he co-authored Economic Analysis of Medicare for All. He has worked as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Energy, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and numerous non-governmental organizations in several countries and in U.S. states and municipalities on various aspects of building high-employment green economies. He was selected by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the “100 Leading Global Thinkers for 2013.”
Bruce Rominger is a fifth generation California farmer. With his brother Rick he grows a variety of different row crops, grains and tree nuts on owned and rented land on the west side of Yolo County. He is well known as a pioneer of sustainable farming practices like planting cover crops and integrating wildlife friendly practices on his farm by planting native plant hedgerows, oak groves and riparian corridors around his field edges and rangeland. Bruce has served on the board of many agricultural organizations including the Yolo County Resource Conservation District, UC Davis Sustainable Ag Systems project, his local irrigation district and is currently the Chairman of the board of the California Tomato Growers Association.
Emilie Winfield is the Regional Coordinator for the North Coast Soil Hub, where she works to increase understanding of how to manage agro-ecosystems for soil health and advance adoption of climate-friendly practices. Emilie works with local resource conservation districts, agricultural producers and other regional partners to provide education opportunities for learning about soil health and carbon farming, bring in resources to support planning and implementation, and overcome barriers to adoption. Emilie has a B.S. in Plant Sciences from UC Santa Cruz and an M.S. in Environmental Policy and Management from UC Davis. Prior to joining the North Coast Soil Hub, Emilie managed organic farms, provided training on sustainable agriculture, and participated in research on plant-microbe interactions, root systems architecture in soil, and the impacts of soil amendments on working lands.
Albert Straus is the founder and CEO of Straus Family Creamery—the first 100% certified organic creamery in the United States. Albert has been a leader in sustainable organic farming practices for many decades. He is a strong advocate for organic, non-GMO dairy production, environmental stewardship, family farms, and the true cost of production. At his dairy–Straus Dairy Farm—the first certified organic dairy west of the Mississippi River—Albert has invested in climate-positive dairy practices, creating a pathway to a carbon-neutral dairy farming model by 2023. He is extending this model to Straus Family Creamery’s suppliers by 2030. Fast Company named Albert one of 2020’s Most Creative People in Business. In 2019, the Marshall creamery became the first in the world to receive TRUE® Zero Waste Certification.
Patricia Hickey is the Managing Director at the Carbon Cycle Institute. Over the course of her career, Patricia has worked for universities, conservation districts, and agricultural land trusts to advance natural resource conservation and the development and adoption of innovative conservation programs. She has served in executive director roles for the Washington State Association of Conservation Districts and the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District, and as the Agricultural Program Director for the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District. While serving as the Stewardship Director for Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Patricia was a Steering Committee member of the Marin Carbon Project. She brings 16 years of experience working directly with the agricultural community on climate adaptation and mitigation.
Elizabeth Strater is the director of strategic campaigns for the United Farm Workers. She has a background in labor organizing and pragmatic public policy.
Dr. Jose Pablo Ortiz Partida is the Senior Water and Climate Scientist for the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He plans, designs, and carries out primary analysis on how changing climate patterns are impacting key sectors and populations, especially with regards to precipitation and water supply changes. Pablo also works on developing strategies for vulnerable sectors and people in California to cope and adapt to the current and projected impacts of climate change, mainly related to water impacts.
Kimberly Warmsley is a Stockton City Council Member in District 6. Kimberly was born and raised in Stockton, California. Her roots were deeply enriched in Stockton’s most diverse and historically marginalized communities. Kimberly attended San Joaquin Delta College where she earned Associate of Arts degrees in Public Safety, Business Administration and Sociology. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology at CSU Stanislaus. As the former Chair of the Stockton Planning Commission, Kimberly has fought hard to ensure that Stockton is at the forefront of strategic planning to promote health and equity for South Stockton. Kimberly has a wealth of social work experience, ranging from medical social work, clinical services, emergency services and policy/civic engagement. As the Senior Project Coordinator for Reinvent South Stockton, she is invested now in ensuring that a collaborative lens is healing the community for decades to come.
Irene grew up in Stockton first moving into the Little Manila neighborhood at the age of seven and now works as a Community Development Director for Little Manila Rising to work on strategies to revitalize and preserve the culture and history of the Little Manila neighborhood and to build healthy/sustainable communities in South Stockton. She holds a BA in Human Biology focused on health in underserved communities from Stanford University and a dual Master in Public Health and City Planning from UC Berkeley. She also went through the Partners Advancing Climate Equity cohort, a capacity-building program for frontline community leaders working across California on climate justice issues.