Low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately experience the negative effects of climate change due to historic and current societal structures that promote environmental benefits for more affluent populations. These and other underserved communities also have less access to clean air, water, and clean energy alternatives. In this one-hour conversation, we’ll hear how three different organizations are working to remove barriers and promote equitable access to programs that provide environmental and societal benefits.
About our Speakers
Anecita Agustinez has served as the tribal policy advisor to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) since August 2013. She has over 30 years of advocacy experience on behalf of California’s Native American tribes. She provides policy support and recommendations regarding tribal issues to the director and chief deputy director and has been actively engaged with DWR projects and programs, assisting with tribal consultation and development of the DWR Tribal Consultation Policy.
Before joining DWR, Anecita served as the Native American liaison and manager of the Office of Legislative and External Affairs and the Office of Health Access at the Department of Health Care Services. She previously served as the assistant director of the Office of Native American Affairs at the Department of Justice in the Office of the Attorney General. Her experience includes developing and conducting training in the areas of tribal consultation and cultural competency. Anecita studied political science at Stanford University and is a tribal citizen of the Dine (Navajo) nation.
Candace Chu is a second-generation Taiwanese-American passionate about advancing environmental, racial, and socioeconomic justice. She believes in community-led solutions and is committed to an equitable transition towards a clean energy future that includes everyone. Candace is the Transportation Equity Program Manager at GRID Alternatives, the nation’s largest solar non-profit, based in Oakland. Since 2019, she has led GRID’s One-Stop-Shop Pilot Project in improving access to low carbon transportation equity programs for the communities that deserve it the most. She is working with diverse partners statewide to pair community-based outreach with a seamless, user-centered application experience to help BIPOC and low-income communities access electric vehicles, shared mobility, solar, and additional climate resiliency initiatives.
Sarah Sharpe brings more than a decade of experience in environmental justice advocacy and non-profit administration to her work as Senior Advisor - External Affairs to Commissioner Guzman Acevez at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Sarah was most recently the Associate Director for Central California Asthma Collaborative and concurrently served as the Director of Outreach and Communication for the Berkeley/Stanford Children's Health and Air Pollution Study for the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Previously, Sarah was the Environmental Health Program Director for Fresno Metro Ministry for more than 8 years, where she served in a variety of leadership roles.
A third generation Valley resident, Sarah has a background in grassroots organizing for social justice, labor rights, environmental justice, and immigrant's rights in the San Joaquin Valley. Sarah is a past member of the Central Valley Air Quality (CVAQ) Coalition's Steering Committee, the Citizens Advisory Committee for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District representing Fresno County, Californians for Pesticide Reform Steering Committee, and the Central California Environmental Justice Network's Unity Council (CCEJN).
As a former community organizer with the United Farm Workers in Delano, Sarah served as the program coordinator of the Farm Worker Safe Drinking Water Program. Sarah's background also includes work with the Coalition for Clean Air, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 250, and teaching Spanish in high-need schools in Brooklyn, New York through the New York City Teaching Fellows Program. Sarah has a Bachelor's degree from the University of California Santa Barbara in both Communication and Latin American and Iberian Studies and a Master's degree in teaching Spanish from City University of New York, Brooklyn. She currently lives in Fresno with her two sons, Kaiyadaye and Kaleb.
A very special thanks to Carolyn (Carrie) Sisto who organized this event and will moderate the discussion. Carrie recently became an Administrative Law Judge with the California Public Utilities Commission. She is also the team leader for one of AWWEE’s new virtual event planning teams.
This event is FREE for members and non-members.