Amplifying Diverse Voices in Environmental Conversations
Speakers Bureau
This is a resource for people looking to find keynote speakers, panelists, moderators, or workshop hosts. As an intersectional environmental organization, we’re excited to elevate the voices of women and people of color in environmental discourse. All of our speakers listed here bring unique expertise to the field and we hope you consider our speakers for your next event!
Our Speakers
Rozina Kanchwala
Locations:
Chicago, IL
Washington, DC
San Antonio, TX
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Rozina Kanchwala is an energy and environmental professional with extensive global academic and work experience.
She is a Fulbright scholar; she spent a year in India studying agrarian distress and then completed her Masters degree in Environment and Sustainable Development at University College London where she did field work in Accra, Ghana.
Rozina uses an intersectional lens to approach environmental issues as she intertwines creativity into her work using various outlets to educate on environmental issues and inspire action.
Recently, Rozina wrote and produced a climate-comedy play called “Love in the Time of Climate Change." Rozina has worked in the solar energy industry for several years doing education and advocacy work with a focus on energy justice. She currently is the Founding Executive Director of Eco.Logic and serves as the Director of Energy Justice Partnerships at the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI).
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Climate change/ climate science
Sustainable food systems
Environmental and energy justice
Green jobs and workforce development
Nature and ecology
Nonprofit structures
Environmental art
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Keynote Speaker at Climate Ride speaking about “Storytelling for Climate Justice”
Workshop presented at Duke University’s Blueprints Conference on “Storytelling for Climate Justice”
Panel speaker at University of Michigan Ross Business School Energy Week "Energy Justice: It Takes a Village"
Keynote Speaker for Institute of Ismaili Studies "Climate Change: Impact and Actions"
Panel speaker for Climate Change Working Group's event on "Climate Refugees - The World’s Forgotten Victims”
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Rozina has over 15 years of work experience in the environmental sector. She holds a Master of Science in Environmental & Sustainable Development from University College London (UCL) and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Economics from the University of Illinois.
Alix Gillian Kashdan
Locations:
Washington DC & surrounding area
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Alix Kashdan is a member of Eco.Logic's Board, where she supports communications, marketing, and is the Board program manager for the 2023 Climate Change Crews program. Professionally, she focuses on climate change policy and science communications. She is currently working at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she supports efforts to enhance incorporation of climate change considerations into the firm's client projects and growth strategy.
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Climate Change
Climate Science
Energy & Environmental Justice
Environmental Policy
Environmental Art
Climate Change in the Private Sector
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She has several years' experience working on climate change and environmental issues both domestically and internationally, including at the UN Foundation, IUCN, WRI, UNDP, and EPA. She has a master of environmental management from the Yale School of the Environment and a bachelor's degree from the College of William & Mary.
Nayeli Pelayo
Locations:
Washington DC
Maryland
Virginia
Philadelphia
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Nayeli Pelayo is the Operations Director at NCRC’s Community Development Fund where she oversees the management of the organization’s programs and internal operations.
Nayeli has over 10 years of experience working in advocacy for social justice non-profits with an emphasis in DEI, communications, fundraising, and people management at organizations including the National Immigration Law Center, American Immigration Council, and GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic.
Most recently, she served as a co-executive director at Progress Pop, a non-profit focused on producing pop culture content to increase civic participation with the goal of making the U.S. a more equitable society.
Originally from California, Nayeli is bilingual in Spanish with native fluency and currently lives in the DMV on a small suburban homestead with her husband and son.
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Sustainable Food Systems
Energy or Environmental Justice
Nonprofits and Board involvement
Identity in the workplace
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She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration with a certification in Nonprofit Sector Management from California State University, Northridge, and a bachelor’s in Journalism.
Ranjani Prabhakar
Locations:
Washington DC
Open to travel
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Ranjani Prabhakar is a climate policy leader, city planner and musician, frequently combining her worlds to advocate for community-driven climate solutions and spur action that heals our relationships to each other and the planet.
She is the songwriter and front-woman of the indie band Lil Idli, a pop outfit that uses the power of music to inspire regenerative climate action and get closer to the question, "what do we owe one another on a warming planet?"
On the policy staff at Earthjustice, Ranjani develops and implements federal legislative and regulatory strategies at the intersection of climate and agriculture, and in advancing equitable climate resilience solutions.
She has a track record of building a diverse expanse of partnerships and leading coalitions to advance policy goals and environmental justice priorities.
Prior to joining Earthjustice, Ranjani served on the sustainability team at the City of Chicago Mayor's Office, where she worked on various policy initiatives and programs in the energy and mobility spaces. At the Mayor’s Office, Ranjani helped launch the City’s first community solar initiative, renewable energy challenge program, and micro-mobility pilot program.
As a city planner, Ranjani has spent a number of years working in transportation, economic development, and housing.
Prior to her work at the City of Chicago, Ranjani worked as a transportation planner and engineer, focused on building data-driven tools to reduce traffic congestion and emissions, and integrate sustainable mobility solutions.
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Climate Change / Climate Science
Sustainable Food Systems
Sustainable Transportation
Energy & Environmental Justice
Environmental Policy
Environmental Art
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Keynote Speaker at Duke University’s Blueprint Conference 2023
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She received her Master’s in City Planning and Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and her Bachelors in History, Political Science, and German Studies from Emory University.
Surbhi Sarang
Locations:
Boulder, CO
Open to travel
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Surbhi Sarang is a staff attorney with Public Justice’s Food Project. Before joining Public Justice, Surbhi worked on food and agricultural policy as an Associate Attorney at Earthjustice with the Sustainable Food & Farming program.
Previously, she fought for stronger climate and clean air protections at the Environmental Defense Fund and worked alongside communities in NYC on environmental justice campaigns as a fellow at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.
Surbhi is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Oberlin College.
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Climate Change / Climate Science
Sustainable Food Systems
Environmental & Energy Justice
Environmental Law
Environmental Policy
Identity in the workplace
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Co-facilitator, “Toward Resilient and Equitable Food Systems,” The Morton Arboretum, virtual (September 20, 2022 to October 11, 2022)
Speaker/Presenter, Staff and Board DEIJ Discussion Group, American Rivers, virtual (July 25, 2022)
Panelist, "AAPI Environmental Leaders on Cultivating a Justice-Focused Movement," Green 2.0, virtual (May 26, 2022)
Guest Lecturer, Margot Pollans' Food Law and Policy Seminar, New York University School of Law, virtual (April 11, 2022)
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Surbhi holds a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College, where she majored in Math and minored in Hispanic Studies. She also holds a JD from Columbia Law School
Ted Otte
Locations:
Chicago, IL
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Ted Otte is a strategist and operator focused on accelerating climate solutions in the private sector. He currently serves as the head of corporate partnerships and program lead for Drawdown Labs, the private sector engagement program of Project Drawdown. Ted's background in tech, startups, and the creator economy has provided a deep understanding of the opportunities companies and investors have to engage employees and their communities, shift culture and capital, and transform operating models for the climate era.
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Climate Change / Climate Science, Green jobs or workforce development, Role of business in climate mitigation and adaptation, scaling climate solutions in the private sector, engaging employees in climate action
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Represented Project Drawdown during Climate Week NY, regularly speak to climate-concerned employees and C-Suite executives on the topic of private sector climate action.
Kiana Michaan
Locations:
New York City
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Kiana Michaan is a renewable energy professional, clean energy advocate, and climate justice organizer. She works with Black Girl Environmentalist as an NYC Hub lead.
Kiana previously worked at Sologistics where she provided permitting, utility interconnection, and project management for hundreds of solar projects across New York City.
She has also worked on intersectional climate justice storytelling with Our Climate Voices and worked with WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
She was a fellow with the Clean Energy Leadership Institute and served as a member of the advisory panel for the non-profit Diversity in Sustainability.
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Climate Change / Climate Science, Sustainable Food Systems, Energy Systems, Energy Technologies, Energy Finance, Energy Justice, Environmental or Energy Justice, Green jobs or workforce development, Environmental Art
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2023: Parsons/The New School. Provided a guest lecture on Environmental & Energy Justice to students in the Design of Business course.
House of Yes - Earth Love Festival - Environmental Justice Panelist.
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership - Make it In Brooklyn - Panel on Clean Energy Innovations: Diversity and Access. Moderator for a panel highlighting women founders of clean tech companies in Brooklyn.
Black Feminist Lives Summit - upcoming panelist on Environmental Justice.
2022: NYSERDA & Roadtrip Nation
Interviewed clean energy leaders working in offshore wind and building decarbonization for a NYSERDA film project to highlight clean energy career opportunities in New York State.
2021: NYSEIA - Panelist in webinar The Solar Workforce Awakens: Promoting Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in the New York, speaking on the importance and impact of solar MWBES in New York State.
2020-2022 Our Climate Voices - Facilitated various workshops to on climate justice and intersectional storytelling on behalf of OCV.
2019: WE ACT for Environmental Justice - Guest Speaker and Panelist discussing the environmental health impacts of toxic ingredients in personal care & beauty products and racial bias in exposure to toxins.
Azal Zahir
Locations:
Lahore, Pakistan
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Azal Zahir is Founder of AbadTak, a social enterprise for environmental education in Pakistan.
She has worked with various schools, the EU Punjab Access to Justice, Lahore Conservation Society, IEI Pakistan, Adventure Foundation Pakistan and TDF. Enabling her to work with both public and private institutions and with individuals at the grassroots level.
Some notable projects include a IEI x Abadtak Climate Educator Training program created as part of the World Wide Teach, with Bard College and writing a report for the Lahore Conservation Society on the civic society movement for a sustainable city.
As Manager for Cultural Initiatives and Sustainable Development at Beaconhouse (the largest school network in the world), her reach now extends to over 200 schools across the Pakistan.
She specializes in curriculum development, teacher training, mentoring students for applying to green programs, and research.
Azal's philosophy (and practice) for change in human behavior is through healing and understanding ‘self’ in nature. Her belief is that through kindness, empathy and compassion towards oneself, others and nature, the world can begin to heal itself.
Abadtak translates to ‘until eternity’ or ‘until the end’ in the Urdu language. Her goal is to take this healing to the end of time.
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Climate Change / Climate Science, Environmental or Energy Justice, Nonprofit Structures, Serving on a board, Starting a nonprofit, etc.
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She completed her Masters in Environmental Education from New York University in 2016. She has been in the teaching profession for the last 6 years, an environmental journalist and researcher.
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