CLIMATE LEADERS ACADEMY

The Climate Leaders Academy (CLA) formalizes interdisciplinary climate-training and professional development through a cohort model that brings together students from a diverse set of institutions and backgrounds. We directly engage in national and international climate change frameworks, provide financial support, supply formalized mentoring, furnish an established network of ongoing support, and offer transferable graduate-level course credits.

The first cohort was enrolled in Summer 2023 and attended COP28 in Dubai, UAE, where they presented their projects, spoke at press conferences, and engaged in the negotiation proceedings.

The second cohort enrolled in Summer 2024 and will attend COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

2024/2025 Fellows

Fatima Said is a rising third year law student at Howard Law. She got her degree in political science from UC Santa Barbara. Throughout her eduction, she’s focused on environmental advocacy. She’s held positions at different environmental organizations like: UC Santa Barbara’s Environmental Humanities Department, the US EPA, Environmental Defense Fund, and will spend this upcoming Summer at the Environmental Law Institute. She hopes to work in environmental law after graduation.

Fatima Said

Howard University

Sarah is a graduate student at Appalachian State University pursuing a Masters in Political Science with a concentration in Environmental Politics and Policy Analysis. She completed her undergraduate at Appalachian State where she received a Bachelors of Science in Sustainable Development. Sarah is currently working for the Sustainable Transitions Lab at her university on a project focusing on sustainable and equitable housing solutions in mountain towns across the Appalachia region.

Sarah Widderich

Appalachian State University

Joe is a second-year Grad Student finishing up a Master of Science in forest ecology, studying and mapping sugar maple health in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Prior to exploring ecology, Joe worked as a mechanical engineer for six years developing power tools at Milwaukee Tool and navigation devices at Garmin. Wanting to branch into ecology and landscape-level restoration projects, joe went back to school at Michigan Technological University. He is passionate about leaving the world a better place and hopes to blend his engineering background into ecological restoration and policy. Joe enjoys exploring the woods with his two corgis, cooking with his wife, and is currently designing and preparing to build a 30 foot tiny house on wheels.

Joseph Beeson

Michigan Technological University

Kelsey is a graduate student at CU Boulder obtaining her Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering. She studies solid-state lithium ion batteries for electric vehicle applications as well as energy justice concepts to prioritize equitable deployment of sustainable technologies. Kelsey has conducted sustainability research in Ghana and France and she hopes to continue this work on a global scale. She also loves to read and spend time with her friends. Sko Buffs!

Kelsey Uselton

University of Colorado Boulder

Mira Kelly-Fair (she/her) is a PhD student at Boston University (BU) who studies Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS). She is currently working on developing a Multi-scale Integrated Model of Ecosystem Services (MIMES) for Placencia, Belize as it relates to mangrove loss and associated ecosystem services. She views her work through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This work is funded by the NSF Strong Coasts and relates to Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Mira is the president of the BU Earth and Environment Graduate Student Association (GSA) and an active member of Boston University’s out in STEM (oSTEM).

Mira Kelly-Fair

Boston University

Brandon Slaboda is a graduate student at Colorado State University studying political science with a focus on environmental policy. He received his undergraduate degree in environmental studies and international relations from Ursinus College. His research focuses on land use policy and climate security. He loves the outdoors and spends most of his free time running.

Brandon Slaboda

Colorado State University

Quinna Hogan is a seasoned higher education professional specializing in student affairs and leadership development. She is a third-year Ed.D student in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education at Tennessee State University. Her research focus is related explicitly to the interplay between body image, societal perceptions, and leadership attainment within Higher Education, specifically focusing on Black/African American women. By investigating how ‘fat’ body types intersect with leadership development, she seeks to uncover the unique challenges and barriers these women may face in an academic workplace. Her interests include championing initiatives for underrepresented and first-generation students, social justice, and challenging herself to learn about topics outside of her scope of knowledge, such as climate change.

Quinna Hogan

Tennessee State University

Nirmal is pursuing his Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences at Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee. He got his master’s degree in Geography from Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois. He is originally from Nepal where he grew up and completed his undergraduate degree in forestry from the Institute of Forestry at Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Nirmal has more than 8 years of professional work experience in the natural resource management sector (particularly community forestry) in Nepal. He has developed hands-on skills in community forest management, social and economic empowerment, forest-based micro-enterprises development, office management, administration, and collaboration with stakeholders in diverse communities. He has further experience in climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions which were initiated at the local level in Nepal. Nirmal is familiar with, and skilled, in using GIS tools and techniques for geospatial analysis of various geographical phenomena.

He has profound interest in addressing climate change concerns and is still gaining knowledge and experience in the sector. He strongly believes in networking and the close collaboration of stakeholders as a means to solve the global issue of climate change.

Nirmal Thapa

Tennessee State University

2023/2024 Fellows

Kenadi is a rising 3L student at Howard University School of Law pursuing a Juris Doctorate degree where she is proud to be the President of the Womxn’s Law Student Association. Growing up in Arizona, her main passions include water law and climate research. She is currently a Summer Associate at Balch & Bingham in Birmingham, Alabama in their environmental law practice where she worked on and received publication credit for two environmental articles in Bloomberg Law. This summer, she is looking forward to presenting the research from her Title VI and the Environment course paper in the 29th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Society conference at the National University of Malaysia (UKM).

Kenadi Mitchell

Howard University

Anna is a fourth-year Environmental Engineer and Sustainability Science & Society dual major with a minor in Sustainable Biomaterials at Michigan Technological University (MTU). She is interested in community-based sustainability and green infrastructure. Anna served as an intern for the City of Dearborn, MI helping build a resiliency plan and works with her community as a member of the Michigan Environmental Justice Grassroots Caucus and a research mentor for the Environmental Health Research-to-Action (EHRA) program through the University of Michigan- Dearborn. Anna is passionate about research and is helping design a rain garden for the MTU campus to aid stormwater management.

Anna Kavanaugh

Michigan Technological University

Shalom Entner is a PhD student in Biology (Ecology, Behavior, Evolution/Marine Biology) at Boston University in the BU URBAN traineeship. She is studying microplastic pollution and how UV light exposure and high temperatures exacerbate the genotypic and phenotypic expression using the model organism Nematostella vectensis. She is also interested in environmental remediation and the laws in place regulating environmental health and safety.

Shalom B. Entner

Boston University

Kathryn Krieger

Michigan Technological University

Najma is a PhD candidate and research assistant within Vanderbilt University’s Department of Civil Engineering. Her interest in civil engineering stems from her love of sustainable infrastructure design. She graduated from a Dual-Degree Engineering program at Spelman College and the Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Physics and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, respectively. During her undergraduate studies, she built capability within research-based design as demonstrated through contributions to various projects related to mechanical design, systems engineering, as well as physics through experimentation. Additionally, within her current occupation as a Supply Chain Leader and Manager at Procter & Gamble (P&G), she continues to cultivate her ability to innovate within time restrictive environments to make an optimal impact.

Najma Thomas

Vanderbilt University

Mariah is a fourth-year PhD student in the Community Research and Action (CRA) Program at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on meaningful infrastructure development and equitable household energy transitions for rural communities in the United States.

Mariah Caballero

Vanderbilt University

Sasha Gilmore is entering her third year as a Ph.D. Student in the Earth & Environment program at Boston University. Her dissertation research will focus on the connection between marine and terrestrial heatwaves and the potential of mangrove mitigation for the coastal populations that reside in Java, Indonesia. She is interested in engaging with the local communities and studying these natural disasters’ impacts on their subsistence and livelihoods.

Sasha Gilmore

Boston University

Shaun Karakkattu is a third-year Cornelius Vanderbilt scholar at Vanderbilt University majoring in Economics and History. Karakkattu is an Indian-American who was born in Dubai and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. His interests lie in policy work specifically education policy, Kerala’s economic model, and international development. He has worked at the State Department, USAID, Southwest Airlines, and most recently at the United Nations Foundation piloting a new Climate & Malaria hub. Shaun is interested in behavioral economics and curious about how decision-making works, essentially thinking about why people do the things they do and has worked through the Climate Leaders Academy to explore how K-12 students think about making decisions about their future in an ever-changing world.

Shaun Karakkattu

Vanderbilt University

Autumn Hooker is a recent graduate of the Howard University School of Law. She obtained a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she studied Political Science and Environmental Systems & Societies. Currently, she is pursuing a legal career in regulatory compliance and project finance for energy infrastructure. Autumn’s non-professional interests include social justice, yoga, and sustainability.

Autumn Hooker

Howard University

Ben Lyons has a diverse academic and professional background in artificial intelligence, sustainability, ecology, biology, the humanities, and campaign work. From collecting images of flood damage for local political campaigns to assisting energy companies in reducing their Scope 1 GHG emissions, his sustainability experience has been focused on turning hard science into on-the-ground policy. Ben hopes to continue this work in a future sustainability consultant career.

Benjamin Lyons

Colorado State University

DaKennya Goines is a dedicated graduate student at Tennessee State University, specializing in educational technology. She previously earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science focusing on geography. Outside of her academic pursuits, DaKennya actively participates in community initiatives, striving to create positive change and foster inclusivity. Her leadership skills and dedication to public service are evident in her efforts to promote environmental awareness and cultural understanding. She is a current Fellow of EOPA (Elected Officials Protect America) where she continues to make meaningful impacts through her professional skills.

DaKennya Goines

Tennessee State University