I am very excited to be joining The Climate Center as the Southern California Development Director. Before The Climate Center, I worked as Director of Development, Fundraising, and Strategic Partnerships at Environment America and the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). A couple of years ago, I transitioned full-time into development work, but my interest in environmental protection was sparked during my tenure as a business executive in the fashion industry.
I began my career on the buy side of retail business, focusing on revenue models, distribution, expansion, and increasing margins. In the early to mid-2000s, the environmental impacts of the industry were mostly focused on fast fashion and mass markets. As I moved closer to design and production, I began to see the depth of the dirty secrets the fashion industry was hiding without regard for the designer or where the goods were sold. There were human rights violations at the mill and factory levels, toxins being used on fabrications and as applications, internal models promoting overconsumption and waste while burning excess supply, and growing greenhouse gas emissions from global transportation plans that required excessive packaging and plastics. Was that the legacy I wanted to leave? I felt like a cog in a very toxic wheel and knew that I had to make a decision: was I an ostrich or would I put myself out and try to create a positive, lasting impact on our environment?
Spoiler alert, I am not an ostrich.
When COVID-19 opened up the remote work world, our family was fortunate to be able to move from New York to Los Angeles. The most logical paths for me were to move into corporate sustainability, compliance, or environmental litigation. I had graduated from Columbia Law School and practiced corporate law in New York. But I had already moved my family across the country and was not going to jump onto the easy path now. I was drawn to policy work as a way to get ahead of the problem and raise the bar for the climate movement. I began taking classes in sustainability at UCLA to support a career transition, landing my first non-profit development role raising support for advocacy in four spaces: the environment, public health, democracy, and consumer rights. My goal was always to focus on work addressing the climate crisis and advocate for legislation that can truly move the needle at the speed and scale required to meet the moment.
In my new role at The Climate Center, I am developing our Southern California network, garnering support for environmental advocacy work. I am incredibly inspired by the tireless efforts of advocates who are working on policies to secure a climate-safe future for all!
