Biden makes key nominations on Environmental Justice Council

WASHINGTON – Today, President Biden announced his intention to nominate 12 additional members to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC), which is a federal advisory committee established by President Biden in Executive Order 14008 on January 27, 2021 climate change Crisis at home and abroad. The Council provides advice and recommendations to the White House Interagency Council on Environmental Justice and the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality on ways to address current and historic environmental injustice. The creation of WHEJAC was the first time a presidential advisory body was tasked with making environmental justice recommendations to the federal government.

Members of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

• Ty Baker
• Anita Cunningham
• Lloyd Dean
• Carlos Evans
• Susan Hendershot
• Harleen Marwah
• Igalious Mills
• Jamaji Nwanaji-Enwerem
• Joanna Perodin
• Michael Walton
• Donele Wilkins
• Tanner Yes

Tye Baker to serve on the White House Advisory Council on Environmental Justice

Since 2004, Tye Baker has served in numerous positions on the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma. He currently serves as senior director of the Choctaw National Environmental Protection Service, where he directs wildlife conservation, resource management and environmental sustainability programs on the Choctaw National Reservation. Baker brings to the Council experience working on environmental justice for tribal and indigenous communities.

Anita Cunningham to serve on the White House Advisory Council on Environmental Justice

Anita Cunningham has served as director of two community resilience organizations since 2020: the North Carolina Disaster Response and Resilience Network and the North Carolina Climate Solutions Coalition. Cunningham has dedicated her life to helping communities with concerns about environmental justice prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change. Cunningham brings to the Council experience in working with communities to increase climate resilience.

Lloyd Dean to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Lloyd Dean is a nationally recognized health care leader and retired CEO of CommonSpirit Health, one of the nation’s largest health systems. In this position, he is responsible for the organization’s overall management, governance, strategy and direction. With more than 44 years of experience in health care, Dean has worked at the intersection of climate change and health outcomes, particularly in low-income communities. The Dean brings valuable perspectives on health care and management to the Board.

Carlos Evans to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Carlos Evans is the director of the City of Dallas’ Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability. Evans is a senior executive and environmental lawyer with twenty years of experience ensuring environmental compliance, improving environmental performance and supporting equitable environmental sustainability. He previously worked at the Environmental Protection Agency as deputy regional counsel for the South Central region. Evans brings executive and legal experience in environmental justice to the Board.

Susan Hendershot to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Susan Hendershot is the president of Interfaith Power & Light, an organization that engages faith communities in environmental justice efforts. Previously, Hendershot served in numerous Iowa churches as an ordained minister, most recently as associate minister of Walnut Hills United Methodist Church in Urbandale, Iowa. Hendershot was also a field organizer for Campaign ONE, a nonprofit organization founded by Bono that focuses on alleviating global poverty. Hendershot brings experience in faith leadership and community organizing to the Council.

Harleen Marwah to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Harleen Marwah is a pediatric resident at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Marwah is the founder of Medical Students for a Sustainable Future, a community of medical students working to prevent and eliminate health harm from climate change. Marwah won the Health Care Without Harm 2020 Emerging Physician Leader Award, which recognizes medical students and professionals who have demonstrated a passion for sustainable health care practices and an overall commitment to climate action. Marwah brings to the Council experience in youth engagement and working at the intersection of health care and climate change.

Igalious Mills to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Igalious “Ike” Mills is a third-generation farmer and executive director of International Farmers and Ranchers, an organization that promotes sustainable agricultural practices and renewable energy efforts in underserved communities. Previously, Mills served on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Minority Farmer Advisory Committee and Civil Rights Subcommittee. Mills currently serves as chairman of the Port Arthur NAACP Community Development Committee, an organization critical to the fight against toxic pollution in Port Arthur, Texas. Mills’ experience in agriculture, sustainable agriculture and economic development will provide the Council with valuable perspective.

Jamaji Nwanaji-Enwerem to the White House Advisory Council on Environmental Justice

Jamaji C. Nwanaji-Enweremi is an emergency medicine resident and assistant professor of environmental health at Emory University School of Medicine and Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. His research focuses on the impact of environmental exposures on human aging and health, especially in underserved communities. Nwanaji-Enwerem brings to the Board extensive experience in academic research and knowledge of health equity and environmental justice.

Joanne Pérodin to the White House Advisory Council on Environmental Justice

Joanne Pérodin serves as Senior Director of Climate Equity at The Climate Leadership Engagement Engagement Opportunities (CLEO) Institute, a Florida-based nonprofit organization dedicated to climate education and advocacy to build climate awareness and mobilize climate action for equitable , a resilient future. Previously, she was the director of the climate justice program at Florida Rising, a grassroots organizing group advocating for voting rights and supporting economic and racial justice in Florida. She also worked with the Health Initiatives Foundation Inc., leading climate disaster resilience initiatives in the U.S., West Africa and the Caribbean. Pérodin brings experience in social equity, disaster risk reduction and community building to the Council.

Michael Walton to serve on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Michael Walton is CEO of Energy Transition Finance LLC, a strategic advisory firm focused on accelerating the adoption of clean energy technologies. Previously, Walton served as executive director of Green Spaces, a nonprofit organization that improves economic, social and environmental resilience by focusing on empowering Tennessee’s most vulnerable communities. Walton brings to the Board experience in business, improving community sustainability and advancing energy innovation.

Donele Wilkins to the White House Advisory Council on Environmental Justice

Donele Wilkins is president and CEO of the Green Door Initiative, a nonprofit organization promoting environmental justice in Michigan through environmental workforce training and community organizing. For more than two decades, Wilkins has led local environmental justice movements, including advocating for cleaner air and launching Detroit’s first green jobs training program. Wilkins brings to the Council experience in community-based organizing, planning and workforce development.

Tanner Yess to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Tanner Yess is the founder and co-executive director of Groundwork Ohio River Valley, a nonprofit environmental organization that works to expand climate-resilient natural resources and buildings for low-income communities. Through this work, Yess has created one of the largest green workforce programs in the country. Yess brings expertise in community organizing, youth engagement and workforce development to the Council.