Winners in 2022 | ||
Ilana CohenBoston, MassachusettsOrganizing for Fossil Fuel Divestment |
Lauren U.C. EjiagaNew Orleans, LouisianaSupporting STEM Education in Louisiana |
Amara IfejiBangor, MaineBringing New Voices into |
Raghav KalyanaramanPlano, TexasRestoring the North Texas |
Hamid TorabzadehLong Beach, CaliforniaAdvancing Disaster Preparedness and Environmental Justice |
Annika WeberSeattle, WashingtonPushing for Carbon Neutrality |
Alexandra Collins is a student advocate who lives by her motto “Don’t Be Embarrassed.” She co-founded Students Against Ethylene Oxide (SAEtO), the only student-run nonprofit fighting against cancer-causing ethylene oxide emissions. She is also co-founder of her community’s Students Organized for Anti-Racism group, president of the Hispanic Student Association, and a founding member of her district Cultural Equity Leadership Team. In 2020, she was recognized for her advocacy work with a Brower Youth Award. Alexandra is currently studying computer science at Stanford University where she hopes to continue inspiring and mentoring Latinas in STEM.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mara Henderson moved to Tacoma, Washington, to attend the University of Puget Sound, where she majored in African American Studies and Environmental Policy and Decision Making. As a student, Mara began organizing with the Race and Pedagogy Institute, a South Sound coalition that integrates academic assets and local community knowledge and experience to educate students and teachers to think critically about race, to cultivate terms and practices for societal transformation, and to act to eliminate racism. Mara’s undergraduate thesis Racial Capitalism is Business as Usual: A Case Study of the Tacoma Liquified Natural Gas Project led her to an internship at The Climate Museum and eventually as a research fellow with the Earth Island Institute in 2021. Mara currently works in film/entertainment with the goal of crafting optimistic and revolutionary stories about the future of humanity.
Francisco Martinez is director of Giving Operations at Genentech and a board member at Earth Island Institute. He has extensive experience helping corporations, foundations, nonprofit organizations, families, and individuals strategically structure their giving and maximize their impact. Before joining Genentech, Francisco spent six years at BNP Paribas as vice president of Impact Solutions within their Wealth Management team, leading the sustainable investing and charitable giving line of products for the bank’s U.S. subsidiary. His previous roles have included operations, compliance, strategy, relationship management, and business development at various philanthropic consulting firms, foundations, and fiscal sponsors. He has also served as associate director of Managed Organizations at Arabella Advisors, lead of business operations at Amplifier Strategies, and advisor at Tides. Francisco grew up in San Salvador, El Salvador, and has a dual bachelor’s degree in economics and East Asian studies from Harvard University. He is also a trained vocalist. In addition to his native Spanish, he is fluent in English and Japanese. He lives in San Francisco and his hobbies include fitness, singing, and wine tasting.
Laurie is the events and external relations director at Children & Nature Network. She brings a background of over 25 years of leadership in the nonprofit sector to her role at C&NN. Her passion for building community across a wide variety of networks, people, and places has led to impactful programs benefiting educators, youth, artists, and environmental organizations. Laurie is inspired by C&NN’s commitment to advance equity in nature and finds her work in external relations to be the perfect combination of fostering sustainable change through meaningful connections. She lives in Hilo, Hawaii, where the beauty of the island reminds her daily of the importance of being outside, enjoying the wonder of wildlife, and the healing power of saltwater.