Our People

Shae Barber is a researcher and environmental advocate with expertise on how gender, environment, and climate change interact with and inform each other. They were born and raised just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, where their proximity to nature helped forge a deep connection to the environment. Shae currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where they are pursuing a PhD in human geography at York University, focusing on human and multispecies relationships with bodies of water. Shae holds a master’s degree in Environmental Studies with a certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Montana and an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Utah, with a double major in Political Science and Communication Studies.

Shae’s professional background spans the nonprofit and higher education sectors, bridging community-based practice and academic research. They served as the inaugural Climate Change Studies Teaching Fellow with the Climate Change Studies program at the University of Montana, designing and teaching a new course on Gender, Environment, and Climate Change. They were a 2025 Baucus Climate Scholar with the Climate Reality Project, where they researched and synthesized climate science and policy information to produce accessible, evidence-based public materials. They worked at Westminster University in Salt Lake City, Utah, first as an Admissions Counselor and then as an Academic Advisor, building skills in student mentorship, program development, and supporting diverse student pathways. Before that, they worked as the Community Initiatives Manager at the Community Foundation of Utah, where they gained experience in community engagement, program development, and cross-sector collaboration.

Shae loves anything outdoors, including birdwatching, hiking, gardening, skiing, and camping. When they’re indoors, they are a watercolor and acrylic artist, an avid reader, and a pet parent to their tiny black cat, Beetle.

Andrea Pulliam Braswell is a seasoned project and program management professional with over a decade of experience driven by a deep commitment to social justice, environmental health, and education. She has led numerous organizational diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) initiatives, guiding the development and execution of impactful action plans. Andrea is part of the program management team for EnergizeNC, North Carolina’s Solar for All program, co-managing strategic efforts with NC DEQ’s State Energy Office staff and coalition partners to design and implement the $156 million EPA-funded initiative, while also supporting other State Energy Office programs. Previously, she was Program Manager for the Petrochemicals, Plastics, and Climate (PPC) program at the Center for Environmental Health, where she co-led and co-designed the initiative from conception through launch. Andrea is also the sole proprietor of AB Consulting, partnering with mission-aligned organizations to provide project management services in support of environmental health and justice. Andrea holds a B.A. in Environmental Sustainability from Meredith College and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute. She is currently pursuing her MBA at Western Governors University. Outside of work, Andrea enjoys road trips, dancing, and crafting with her two young daughters.

Boma has been a champion for safer and more sustainable consumer products for over 20 years, with expertise in environmental health, circularity, climate, and water. She has advanced environmental solutions across several sectors including food, household cleaning, apparel, buildings, electronics, household appliances, and most notably beauty and cosmetics. Boma has a M.S. in Technology & Policy from MIT and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University.

Adrienne Ellsworth is a journalist with over a decade of experience in documentary film production. Her focus now lies in the world of social and criminal justice reform. She currently works for the Montana Innocence Project in an effort to prevent wrongful and unjust convictions. She received her Master of Studies in Law from the University of Southern California and her Bachelor’s Degrees in Journalism and Communication Studies from the University of Montana.

As a passion project, Adrienne coaches a beginner jiu-jitsu class for women, girls, and nonbinary folks. Her students inspire her daily. When not working or training martial arts, Adrienne thrives in the outdoors. She loves hiking, camping, gardening, and anything that gives her fresh air. When the weather is not so savory, she can always be found reading with her gigantic orange tail-less wonder-cat.

Arnedra is also a Political Science professor at West Los Angeles College, where she is passionate about educating and empowering the next generation of leaders. Throughout her career, she has dedicated her work to advocating for health equity, advancing community education, and creating spaces where Black women can thrive. She is known for bringing people together, building meaningful partnerships, and turning advocacy into action.

Amanda Klasing is an associate director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch. Her work focuses on reproductive rights and women’s health, gender-based violence, and economic and social rights. She is a specialist in the rights to water and sanitation.

Amanda has engaged in research and advocacy on a broad range of human rights issues including: the First Nations water crisis in Canada; the rights of women and girls in affected by Zika in Brazil; the relationship between women’s and girls’ human rights and access to good menstrual hygiene management; the rights to water and sanitation in schools in Haiti; and the impact of climate change on the rights to health, food and water.

Amanda published in peer-reviewed journals on the right to water and on human rights and humanitarian response and is a contributing author of an academic book on health and human rights. She has spoken before United Nations human rights bodies.

Amanda holds a master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago, and a law degree from New York University, where she received the Vanderbilt Medal for outstanding contributions to the Law School.

Charmaine Lang (she/they/sista docta) is a Black queer woman from South Central Los Angeles who now resides in North Carolina. As a certified healing centered coach and full-spectrum doula, Charmaine supports clients in accessing the pleasure and joy they desire–in their workplace, career, and personal life. Her experiences with Vipassana Meditation, generative somatics, and bodywork has played an essential role in her personal transformative work.

Somatic tools have been incredibly healing for Charmaine, and she incorporates them into her coaching and consulting practice, often inviting clients to tap into their bodies for connection and guidance. As an organizational development consultant, Charmaine brings her experiences in non-profit leadership and movement work to help organizations create sustainable people-centered operations and cultures of care.

All of Charmaine’s work is grounded in Black Feminist Praxis and Possibilities. Charmaine has been part of the reproductive, economic, and racial justice movements for over a decade as an organizer, trainer, and facilitator. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Charmaine presents on Black women’s well-being and organizing traditions and uses Black Feminism to explore the intimate lives of Black women.

Her dissertation, “Learning to Take the Excess Baggage Off”: An Ethnographic Study of Black Women Activists’ Self-Care Practices, examined how contemporary Black women activists in Milwaukee, Wisconsin use community support and pausing as care strategies. The dissertation centered self-care and the health of Black women as an integral part of the history and future of social activism and liberation work.

A Forever Echoing Ida Writer, find Charmaine on the dance floor, traveling, or writing about queer and pleasurable things.

Laurel A. Royer, Ph.D. is an environmental and human health scientist and founder of Carinalis Consulting and Research. Carinalis is a firm principled in building bridges and creating spaces that engage industry, academia, and community to address pressing global environmental and health challenges.

Dr. Royer has more than 15 years combined research, scientific, technical advising expertise. She has developed, built, and sharpened an inter- and trans- disciplinary consultancy focused on evaluating the balance between innovation and detrimental impact. Dr. Royer applies fundamentals of the chemical and related sciences to evaluate manufacturing/production and application, disposal, contamination, and exposure issues via the use cycle to support stakeholders in achieving an overall positive impact. To that cause, she supports clients and partners across a myriad of sectors addressing both proactive and reactive responses at the intersection of the built and natural environment.
Dr. Royer is an active and vocal advocate for broadening participation through lens of equity and inclusion in deriving environmental and health solutions that advance sustainable and economic development frameworks. Her work with community-based organizations involves technical advising that supports capacity building, grant execution, research, and implementation strategies.

She holds a Master of Science degree in Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, and Doctoral degree in Environmental Chemistry from Purdue University. She is also an alum of the University of the Virgin Islands.

Mary C. White is a senior epidemiologist with a lifelong interest in protecting people from preventable diseases and harmful exposures. She holds an appointment as an Adjunct Professor in Environmental Health at the Emory Rollins School of Public Health.

In March 2023, she retired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after a long and distinguished career at the agency. As a branch chief in CDC’s cancer division for more than 20 years, Mary led a multidisciplinary research team supporting state-based cancer prevention and control programs. She also held leadership positions at CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Earlier in her career, she led an International Labour Organization project to improve working conditions for women factory workers in Jakarta, Indonesia, and worked on occupational standards for benzene and other carcinogens at OSHA. Mary has written and lectured widely on topics related to the prevention and control of asthma, cancer, and other chronic diseases; the risks associated with exposure to air pollution and hazardous substances; and the interpretation of scientific evidence for public health action.

She earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and her Doctor of Science (ScD) degree in epidemiology and occupational health from the Harvard School of Public Health.