Xóchitl Cortez is a passionate and visionary leader. Raised in East Oakland and a cancer survivor, she has firsthand experience with the severe environmental pollution that afflicts low-income communities of color. Cortez holds a BA in American Studies focusing on Public Health from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Mills College. With her extensive community development and health advocacy background, she brings a unique and powerful perspective to the fight for environmental and social justice.

Cortez is the founder and executive director of Frontline Catalysts, an organization committed to advancing environmental justice, social equity, and community empowerment. Her work empowers young activists to lead the charge in sustainable development and transformative climate justice inviting them to address local environmental challenges and advocate for policy. This approach educates and instills a sense of agency. The organization’s effectiveness stems from its deep connections to the communities it serves, ensuring authenticity and trust in its initiatives.

Natalie Espinoza applies her knowledge of the interconnectedness of people and their environments to advancing environmental justice and sustainability in underserved communities. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and holds a degree in Environmental Science and Policy from CSU, Long Beach, with minors in Geography and Anthropology. Her commitment to environmental justice is intertwined with her dedication to ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities.

Espinoza has over a decade of experience in energy- efficiency program education and engagement. She facilitates the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee for The Energy Coalition (TEC) and recently contributed to the EPIC Grant-funded Bassett Avocado Heights Advanced Energy Community project, serving an environmental justice community in the San Gabriel Valley. Espinoza also leads community engagement with Community-Based Organizations for TEC and implements the Los Angeles County-administered Healthy Stores Refrigeration Program to address food deserts.

Río Oxas was born in Yaanga Village, also named Echo Park, Los Angeles. Oxas’ mother is from Kuxkatan (Tonacatepeque, El Salvador) and their father from Tiquisate, Guatemala. They are Two-Spirit and their lineages are Nawat-Pipil and Mayan, among others. Oxas’ primary focus is remembering ancestral knowledge as a tool to address emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual imbalances which are often dictated by inequalities and intentional design.

Oxas is a co-visionary and Principal of RAHOK, a family-owned business illuminating the interdependence of race, ancestors, health, outdoors, and knowledge. They host weekly Danza events, bike rides, and bike camping events to support health and spiritual connection. Oxas recently became a caretaker of Xanich (“nest” in Tule Yokut). At this collectively held land in Tulare County, collaborators are co-creating a livable space for generations to come.

Andres Ramirez has over 20 years of experience advocating for Equity in BIPOC communities through community organizing and policy advocacy. His diverse policy expertise and keen understanding of the strengths and needs of BIPOC communities make him an effective advocate. He has led multiple efforts assuring that land use, transportation, housing, and environmental policies are developed and implemented equitably.

Some of the successful campaigns Ramirez has led include the LADOT Community Ambassador program (Vision Zero), Electro Bici (Pacoima e-bike library), and South Central Power Up (South LA e-bike library). He serves as the Executive Director of People for Mobility Justice. He also serves on LA County Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Policy Advisory Council, the Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) advisory council, and the Interagency Equity Advisory Committee for CalTrans/Cal Sta/CTC.

Maria Ruiz uses her background in communication to connect San Joaquin Valley residents to resources supporting a transition to clean vehicles. As an asthmatic, she knows how significant the impact of air pollution can be and she is dedicated to including underserved populations in California’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs). She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from California State University, Fresno.

Ruiz works on the Climate Equity and Environmental Justice team at the nonprofit Central California Asthma Collaborative in the San Joaquin Valley. She helped develop, and now leads, the EV Equity Program which connects residents with EV education and incentive application assistance. She also works with members of the Clean Vehicle Empowerment Collaborative to educate communities about EVs and incentives, preparing bilingual educational workshops and materials to ensure that information is accessible.

Shante Walker has a deep-rooted connection to frontline communities and has dedicated her career to addressing environmental injustices. Walker grew up in South Los Angeles and draws on her experiences with the impacts of pollution and inadequate infrastructure to create site- specific projects. Her environmental justice work involves understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by frontline communities in adopting alternative and renewable fuels, advanced vehicle technologies, and sustainable practices.

Walker’s work at The Niles Foundation includes: spearheading projects in sustainable food and agriculture, clean energy technology, and clean mobility; collaborating with diverse stakeholders to develop equitable environmental solutions; and advocating for policies that prioritize the well-being and environmental rights of frontline communities.

Mayra Sánchez Barba completed her PhD in Geography with a DE in Feminist Theory and Research Methods. Her scholarship has focused on the politics of knowledge in the making of toxic social and environmental disparities, and the ethics of everyday care work. This work draws from feminist theory, critical race theory, geographies of environmental justice, critical disability studies, and environmental humanities. Furthermore, her work employed principles of feminist and critical pedagogy and public scholarship. More recently, she is interested in learning how we collectively cope with loss and is inspired by indigenous knowledge and ecological science that center our interconnectedness to seek ways of living that nourish our ecologies and cultivate more livable worlds.

In her new role at the Feminist Research Institute, Mayra is committed to developing more just and transformative research and policy. To do this, she aims to work collaboratively with researchers and community members to center marginalized standpoints and unsettle dominant stories.

Megan Williams is a Graduate Student Researcher at the Feminist Research Institute. She is in her second year of the Community Development Graduate program at UC Davis. Megan currently works with Jonathan London’s Environmental Justice Lab. Her research interests include environmental justice, the built environment, and artistic expression as protest.

Megan holds a B.S in Environmental Science and Policy with a minor in Spanish Language and Culture from the University of Maryland, College Park. Before moving to Davis, she worked as a constituent services liaison for a local government in Maryland, as president of a local youth political organization, and as an environmental/ climate justice advocate in Maryland.

Sarah Rebolloso McCullough, Ph.D. creates meaningful and respectful dialogue across boundaries that typically divide—between universities and communities, activists and researchers, scientists and humanists, workers and policymakers. An expert in research culture and a seasoned connector, McCullough’s work is focused on promoting equity-based solutions to social problems.

As associate director of the Feminist Research Institute, McCullough is dedicated to creating more equitable systems of knowledge production. She wants to see research culture change to be more humanizing and sustainable–for researchers, those we study with, and the environment. She seeks to create a world where we can bring our full selves to the workplace and produce more accurate and impactful knowledge because of it.