The Team
Founder
I founded the Environmental Leaders of Colors to work towards making the resources, education, and opportunity available to all residents regardless of race, gender, physical ability, country of origin, mental ability, sexual orientation, culture, age, sexual preference, religion, social status, and income, to assist in the fight against the devastating impact of climate change.
Dr. Diana Williams
Founder & Unpaid Acting Executive Director
Dr. Diana Williams
Founder & Unpaid Acting Executive Director
Board of Directors
Frank Perkins
Perkins Broker Group, LLC - Board Chairperson
Frank Perkins
As a Director at Qwest, Frank developed positive relationships with the labor union that significantly enhanced organizational cooperation and outcomes, improving productivity by 30%. He created and expanded new-business opportunities within 3M. He analyzed market feasibility, assembled multi-functional teams, and achieved compounded annual growth of 20%, with profitability exceeding 25%. Frank also brings over twenty years of experience in the global marketplace, developing new businesses and strategically positioning existing businesses to win. He holds a BS degree in Marketing from Norfolk State University and a MBA from Atlanta University.
Randall Hayden
J.P. Morgan Chase - Board Vice Chairperson
Randall Hayden
Michael Watson
Retired CPA - Board Treasurer
Michael Watson
Jordan J. McIntosh
WABC TV - Board Secretary
Jordan J. McIntosh
Justice Sam D. Walker
Retired New York State Supreme Court Justice
Justice Sam D. Walker
Retired New York State Supreme Court Justice
Justice Walker is a past president of the Westchester County Bar Association. He was the first person of color to lead that organization in its 106-year history. He was a member of the Board of Visitors of Pace University School of Law for several years and a former member of the Grievance (Disciplinary) Committee for the 9th Judicial District of the Second Department. Justice Walker completed four terms in the House of Delegates for the New York State Bar Association and served two terms in the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association. He was a past president of the Westchester Black Bar Association and maintained membership in that and several other bar associations. He was also a member of the Board of Directors for Westchester Legal Services (Legal Services of the Hudson Valley) and an original board member for Food Patch (People Allied to Combat Hunger), among other organizations.
Justice Walker constantly seeks ways to help people experiencing poverty and less fortunate navigate the legal system. He is dedicated to assisting young people in avoiding the entrapment of drug use and other crimes. He has addressed these issues with young people in churches, schools, and other organizations. He always emphasizes the importance of education and encourages nonviolent means for resolving disputes. Justice Walker possesses an excellent judicial temperament, which allows him to resolve disputes expeditiously. His greatest strength is his sensitivity to issues affecting those who feel alienated and helpless within our justice system. He can assure them that the issues before the Court will be resolved impartially and efficiently. His goal is to make the Courts more “people sensitive.”
Dr. Keith Norris
Professor of Medicine, UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research
Dr. Keith Norris
Professor of Medicine, UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research
Dr. Keith C. Norris is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist and health policy leader who has been instrumental in shaping national health policy and clinical practice guidelines in the area of kidney disease. He has been one of the most highly funded National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigators in the nation, and one of the most highly cited scientists in the world in the area of chronic kidney disease and health disparities. He has been a powerful advocate for minority institutions and served for 7 years as the president of the Research Centers in Minority Institutions Program Association.
After leaving Cornell in 1976 at the age of 19, he attended Howard University College of Medicine. Upon graduation in 1980, he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. He then completed his residency training and chief residency in internal medicine. From 1983-86, he trained in nephrology at the combined West Los Angeles Veterans Administration-UCLA program. In addition to being board-certified in internal medicine and nephrology, he is an American Society of Hypertension, Specialist in Clinical Hypertension. In 2014 he received his doctorate in religious, spiritual, and metaphysical philosophy. After serving as Executive VP for Research and Health Affairs and Interim President at Charles Drew University he returned to UCLA as a Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute Community Engagement Research Program.
In 1995, he was selected to join the inaugural National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative, where he worked for a decade helping to transform practice guidelines and national health policy for patients with chronic kidney disease. He was also a founding member of the CMS ESRD continuous Performance Measures workgroup. He presently serves as a member of the NKF Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) executive committee, the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) Medical Advisory Board, and the ESRD Network 3 Medical Review Board. He is a member of the NIDDK-United States Renal Data System advisory board. He also serves as an advisor to pharmaceutical and dialysis companies.
His research interests focus on hypertension and chronic kidney disease in disadvantaged populations. Other research areas include the role of Vitamin D and oxidative stress in health disparities, and enhancing community-academic partnerships. He was the 1 of 19 Principal Investigators for the multi-site NIH-funded African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK) and the AASK Cohort Study, the largest comparative drug intervention trial focusing on renal outcomes conducted in African Americans. Dr. Norris was the founding Principal Investigator for the first national translational research network dedicated to reducing health disparities, the NIH-RCMI Translational Research Network.
He has extensive experience in patient recruitment and retention and community-partnered research within the South Los Angeles community. With his community partners, he created the nation’s first community faculty track at a medical school as a novel strategy to leverage community expertise to inculcate social determinants into health professional research and education.
Dr. Norris has received numerous honors and awards from students, peers, community, and professional organizations. He has co-authored over 290 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 25 textbook chapters, and over 260 scientific abstracts. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Ethnicity and Disease, a multidisciplinary journal focusing on minority ethnic population differences in health promotion and disease prevention, including research in the areas of epidemiology, genetics, health services, social biology, and medical anthropology. He also serves as an associate editor for the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Rickey Petty
Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science - Board Program Manager
Rickey Petty
Dr. Gloria Clarke
Dental Angels
Dr. Gloria Clarke
Dental Angels
Jaime Richards
Educator Broward County School District
Jaime Richards
Educator Broward County School District
Advisory Committee Members
We are supported by a community of people from diverse background who genuinely care about the cause
Dr. Aaron Mair
Former President of the Sierra Club
Dr. Aaron Mair
Former President of the Sierra Club
Jay Egg
President of Egg Geo
Jay Egg
President of Egg Geo
James H. Bason
President and CEO, TruFund Financial Services, Inc.
James H. Bason
President and CEO, TruFund Financial Services, Inc.
TruFund is headquartered in New York City and has offices in Birmingham Alabama, New Orleans & Baton Rouge Louisiana, and Houston Texas.
He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Oswego, a Banking Diploma in Finance from the American Institute of Banking, and a Master’s Degree in Non-Profit Leadership and Management from Fordham University.
He completed his Formal Bank Credit Training Program at the Bank of New York. He has also completed an Industry Sponsored Leadership Development Program for Community Development Financial Executives at Wharton University.
James serves as a member of the Morgan Stanley New Market Tax Credit Governing Board, A Commissioner on the Greenburgh Housing Authority Board, The New York City Housing Partnership Board, The Mt Hope Community Development Corporation Board and The Board of Directors of Pursuit (formerly New York Business Development Corporation) where he serves as Chair of the Audit Committee.
James is a proud father of three sons and one grandchild. James enjoys sports, particularly golf, reading leadership development books, teaching TruFund’s next-generation leadership development program as well as leading community and faith-based financial literacy and economic development programs.
Maurice Jackson
Retired Abbott Laboratories
Maurice Jackson
Retired Abbott Laboratories
Maurice has worked for multiple pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, Merck & Company (USHH), UCB Pharma, and Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, before joining Abbotts sales leadership team Laboratories (ANPD). His tenure across the pharmaceutical sales industry has spanned nearly three decades of leadership and sales experience across nine states.
While living and working in Oklahoma City, Maurice coordinated and ran a youth mentorship program. He exposed minority elementary and high school-aged students to a broad array of professional careers by hosting guest speakers and serving as an experienced mentor.
Maurice began his studies as an architectural engineer and completed his BS in Marketing from Oklahoma City University. He resides in Missouri with his wife and two children.
Nanette H. Bourne
NHB Planning Group-Principal
Nanette H. Bourne
NHB Planning Group-Principal
Dr. Sandra F. Williams
ArcSource Group
Dr. Sandra F. Williams
ArcSource Group
Dr. Williams is well-recognized as an exceptional clinician and garners some of the highest patient satisfaction ratings. She has held clinical positions in multiple venues, including Cleveland Clinic, Florida. Additionally, Dr. Williams is also actively involved in scholarly pursuits. She has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Annals of Internal Medicine.
In 2013 Dr. Williams deployed to Afghanistan as a medical officer in the United States Navy. There she served as the Department Head of the Intermediate Care Ward of a NATO military combat hospital. After a 22year commitment, in 2021, Dr. Williams retired from the United States Navy Reserves, having attained the rank of CAPTAIN.
Among her other passions is the education of medical trainees. She has previously served as core faculty of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Cleveland Clinic, Florida, where she expended tremendous efforts to impact the training and mentoring of the residents positively. She has mentored several residents through the completion of research projects and preparing abstracts for submission to scientific meetings. In recognition of her efforts, she has been an invited judge for the poster session of the Florida chapter of the American College of Physicians Residents and Medical Student Meetings. She has earned a fellowship to the national organization.
Dr. Williams has received multiple awards and distinctions, including the Navy Commendation Medal, the Humanitarian Award of the Women’s Professional Staff Association of the Cleveland Clinic, and an award to recognize her “Outstanding Contributions to the Education of Internal Medicine Residents at the Cleveland Clinic Florida.”
Duane S. Baldwin
Vice President at TRC Companies
Duane S. Baldwin
Vice President at TRC Companies
Before joining TRC, Mr. Baldwin served as senior program manager for Lockheed Martin Energy. In addition to his program work, Mr. Baldwin has also served as capture manager, technical lead, and subject matter expert on numerous winning proposals. He is proficient in program management, staff leadership and development, and process improvement.
Mr. Baldwin's program and proposal activities have led to him receiving numerous accolades. In 2010 and 2012, Mr. Baldwin was selected as a Lockheed Martin Excellence in Leadership Award winner. In 2013, Mr. Baldwin was selected as a Network Journal Magazine 40 Under Forty Honoree.
Before joining Lockheed Martin in 2004, Mr. Baldwin served as an Associate at the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. While at Booz Allen, he participated in Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service programs. Before joining Booz Allen Hamilton, Mr. Baldwin served as a project manager for AYB.com.
Mr. Baldwin holds a BA from the University of Maryland, College Park, an ALM from Harvard University, and is a Lockheed Martin Program Management Development Program graduate.
Andrew Butler
Senior Counsel at Mastercard Inc.
Andrew Butler
Senior Counsel at Mastercard Inc.
Dr. Anshul Gupta
IBM Research
Dr. Anshul Gupta
IBM Research
Bruce Jackson
Associate General Counsel’s Managing Director for Strategic Partnership out of the Office of the President at Microsoft
Bruce Jackson
Associate General Counsel’s Managing Director for Strategic Partnership out of the Office of the President at Microsoft
Currently, Bruce is the Associate General Counsel’s Managing Director for Strategic Partnership out of the Office of the President at Microsoft. His key responsibilities include corporate and public-private partnerships. He is helping the company bring to life its mission with technology, skills, and a focus on employability to drive sustainable social impact and economic opportunity for all. He also supports Microsoft’s government affairs and corporate citizenship initiatives with a commitment to serve communities in the New York metropolitan area. Previously, Bruce served as the Associate General Counsel/business advisor of Microsoft’s Regulated Industries Group with over $15B in sales. Bruce has been significantly involved in executing multiple contracts, including some of the largest and most significant in the company’s history. He has also supported several enterprise-wide transformation initiatives focused on enabling companies to reach their business potential. Bruce was the founding and managing partner of a successful entertainment law firm where he was responsible for all aspects of budgeting, planning, accounting, marketing, and client development. However, Bruce started his career as a tax attorney where he advised corporate clients.
He currently serves on Mayor Eric Adams’ Corporate Council committee. He is also a member of the advisor Board for the National Association of Women and minority Law Firm and previously served on not-for-profit boards including Henry Street Settlement where he served on the Technology Committee. He was also appointed by Governor Patterson to New York State’s Advisory Council on Interactive Media and Youth Violence.
Bruce is also a passionate proponent for Diversity and Inclusion. Bruce’s personal commitment to diversity, inclusion, community, and youth is demonstrated through his numerous civic activities and non-profit board membership. He received numerous internal and external awards and honors including, but not limited to, an industry best practice award by the ABA. He is a founding Member of Microsoft’s diversity committee. He also presented several times to the Financial Service Committee, Chaired by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, on Diversity and Inclusion. Bruce received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Hofstra University and a JD and an LL.M in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.
Amatullah Ri’d
Division Chief at USAID
Amatullah Ri’d
Division Chief at USAID
Before joining USAID, she worked as a Team Leader for the US EPA’s Office of Budget where she was responsible for working with U.S. congressional staffers, White House staff and EPA program offices to formulate the budget for the Office of the Administrator and Office of General Counsel. She has won over 15 awards for her consistent contribution to improving the organizations that she leads or supports. Amatullah has served on the board and leadership teams of several Washington, DC organizations including emPower Magazine and Capital Cause. She is also a Certified Financial Education Instructor with a heart for educating the undereducated. She planned the premier Community Finance Bootcamp which led to over 100 DC and MD residents learning key skills to become fiscally healthy. Amatullah holds a Master’s of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Conservation Resource Studies from the University of California at Berkeley.
Elizabeth Broad
Director of advocacy & organizing of Association for Energy Affordability
Elizabeth Broad
Director of advocacy & organizing of Association for Energy Affordability
Betta has been an advocate for social justice, peace and sustainability for over two decades. Her first campaign was organizing “Justice for Janitors” at Fairfield University where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in political science. She then worked for a labor union, on campaigns to oppose unfair free trade agreements and to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws. As Deputy Director of Earth Day Initiative, she organized the major Earth Day festivals in NYC for five years before joining the campaign to ban fracking. She co-produced a series of videos called “Love NY: don’t frack it up!” and worked with advocates across the state to successfully ban fracking in New York. While working for Catskill Mountainkeeper she created the RenewableNY program that subsequently received NYSERDA funding to expand Solarize campaigns across 15 counties. More recently, she helped co-design the NYSERDA-funded Regional Clean Energy Hubs and is working to help launch the Bronx and Brooklyn Hubs. She is a co-founder of the NY Energy Democracy Alliance and a longtime board member of Brooklyn for Peace and Communities for Local Power. Betta was appointed to the City of Kingston and Ulster County Climate Smart Commissions and the Power Generation Advisory Panel for the NYS Climate Action Council, making her the only person in New York to serve on a climate action advisory board at the city, county and state level.
Clayton Banks
CEO and Co-founder of Silicon Harlem
Clayton Banks
Prior to Silicon Harlem, Banks was a pioneer in the cable and communications industry. He set the vision for Ember Media, a development group that builds digital solutions and interactive applications for top brands and non-profit organizations, across multiple platforms. Known as a pragmatic visionary, Banks has developed and deployed leading edge technology and applications for network cloud, gaming consoles, social media, augmented and virtual reality, interactive TV, tablets, mobile apps and over 400 interactive properties. Banks worked with former President of the United States Bill Clinton to publish a first-of-its-kind interactive college guide series called "The Key", that targets underserved communities and features Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions. Banks served as Vice President of Affiliate Relations for Comedy Central. While at Comedy Central, he was part of the launch of South Park, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and the Upright Citizens Brigade.
He has been recognized with many awards and honors including selected as one of New York Cities “Tech Power 50” leaders in the technology industry. The 2020 edition of The Responsible 100 New Yorkers recognized Banks for his COVID-19 response - providing free internet in common area locations Banks has been inducted into the Library of Congress, has received proclamations from the Public Advocate, Manhattan President's office, Brooklyn’s President Office, and Advocate of the Year from Society for Africans in Diaspora.
Aleksandra Chancy
President at Dack Consulting Solutions, Inc.
Aleksandra Chancy
President at Dack Consulting Solutions, Inc.
Craig A. Hart
Executive Director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center at Pace University’s Haub School of Law
Craig A. Hart
Executive Director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center at Pace University’s Haub School of Law
Craig has worked with governments and projects in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa on renewables, energy efficiency, grid modernization, microgrids, and low carbon technologies for the fossil-fuel power generation sector.
Craig is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Council on Standards and Certification, which establishes and maintains ASME safety and performance standards, and monitors their implementation globally. Additionally, he serves on the International Standards Organization’s U.S. Technical Advisory Committee 265 for carbon sequestration technologies.
Craig’s academic research concentrates on energy transition and decarbonization in the context of economic development and firm competitiveness. His work includes an extensive focus on China, having lived and worked in China for almost a decade, teaching at Tsinghua University and Renmin (People’s) University of China, and consulting with intergovernmental organizations.
Prior to academia, Craig practiced law in the energy infrastructure project finance, capital markets, and carbon management fields, representing project developers, lenders, and investors focusing on energy infrastructure, clean energy, and high technology. His practice included practicing with the international law firms White & Case and O’Melveny & Myers, and serving as counsel to the Asia Development Bank’s Future Carbon Fund, a $115 million fund to finance renewables and carbon reduction projects under the Clean Development Mechanism throughout Asia and the Pacific.
Craig earned a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology researching decarbonization paths with the aim of preventing dangerous climate change, a bachelor’s and a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and a master’s in economics from New York University.
John-Carlo Bautista
Director of Legislative Affairs, NYC Department of Correction
John-Carlo Bautista
Director of Legislative Affairs, NYC Department of Correction
Currently, John-Carlo serves as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the NYC Department of Correction, the largest municipal jail system in the United States. In that role, he is the principal liaison between the department and its oversight bodies. Previously he helped elect Mayor Eric Adams and served as one of the youngest members of the Mayor’s Transition Team. He was a member of the Westchester County Democratic Committee and has aided numerous campaigns for local, state, and federal officials.
In addition to his career, John-Carlo is passionate about diversity in a variety of spaces. He has most recently served as a Senior Advisor for the New York State Cannabis Association of Minority and Women Professionals, an advisory board member for Environmental Leaders of Color, and as a Steering Committee Member for the Silent Procession for Puerto Rico.
Consultants
Najera Studios
Digital Marketing & Communication
Najera Studios
Digital Marketing & Communication
Sacks, Press & Lacher, P.C.
Accountant
Claude C. Howard
Curriculum Developer
Claude C. Howard
Curriculum Developer
Marks DiPalermo Wilson
Attorney
Carlton Brown
A True Sustainability Pioneer
Carlton Brown
A True Sustainability Pioneer
A Princeton University School of Architecture & Urban Planning graduate, Carlton Brown was born in Charlotte, NC, in 1951. He moved to Jackson, Mississippi, with his parents in 1957 during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Growing up in a family and a community engaged in the monumental struggle for human rights helped set the course for his life and work.
He became one of the most progressive and earliest advocates for affordable, sustainable buildings in economically vulnerable communities, domestically and internationally. He has always considered his development and environmental work extensions of the human rights movement. As a Christian, Carlton believes it to be part of a calling to serve others. He has always been a conscientious and involved leader who understands the power of reaching out.
Over the years, he has mentored many young developers of color and helped them find their way in an industry that often discourages diverse participations. Carlton believes everyone deserves to live and work in thriving communities, regardless of wealth, ethnicity, or social standing. His work as an ethical real estate developer is built on his foundational experiences as a student at Princeton, his work as an architect, his managerial role in AT& T’s asset management organization, and his senior manager title at Bell Communication Research - all of which, when combined with his observations of the world around him, gave Carlton a unique perspective in an emerging field. As a thought leader in the building science industry, he knows that the scientific principles describing building behavior must be directly applied alongside principles of social justice, economics, and resilience to effect equitable, meaningful change in how we build our communities.
Using his scientific and societal knowledge, Carlton combined these factors to craft the Nine Principles for Restorative Human Settlements, a guide for conducting real estate development projects in vulnerable communities. These principles help developers and residents distinguish between simply building housing and creating quality-of-life environments. Themes of limiting environmental impact, protecting community resources, creating wealth-building pathways, constructing high-performance buildings, and meeting people’s needs are emphasized.
The Nine Principles for Restorative Human Settlements are truly transformative and can be a roadmap for any public or private community-based program.
Nine Principles for Restorative Human Settlements By Carlton Brown
1. Ubuntu, I am because you are: Therefore, Do No Harm.
2. There Is No Solution Without Returns on Financial, Human, And Environmental Capital.
3. Use More Waste Than We Create.
4. Generate More Energy Than We Use.
5. Create More Wealth Than We Consume.
6. Deconstruct Socially Constructed Barriers to wellbeing by Including More People Than We Exclude.
7. Do Not Export Capital from Underserved Communities.
8. Create Places That Enable Beneficial Human Activity.
9. Centricity [putting users at the center of everything] Should Be a Primary Focus of All Community Investment
Using these nine principles, Carlton became the first developer to convince the New York City Housing Preservation Department to fund green, energy-efficient housing to promote low- to middle-income home ownership. He helped develop the framework for Stuyvesant High School, the first high-performance, high school in America, and the Solaire, the first Platinum LEED high-rise residential building in the country. His project in Harlem, 1400 on 5th, was regarded as the top Smart Green Building in the world at its completion and was the first Gold LEED affordable multifamily condominium in the United States.
Carlton’s work on 1400 on Fifth and the Solaire residential buildings paved the way for more affordable and efficient housing projects. It helped guide the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in establishing a green rating system for multifamily residential buildings. He worked with Enterprise Community Partners to develop their Green Communities standards during its formative stages. Before Carlton’s work, real estate developers and financiers generally believed it was too expensive to build affordable green housing and that sustainability was only meant for people with significant economic means. He helped train senior staff at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation on greening affordable housing. While serving on the USGBC board, Carlton championed the Green Schools program and developed sustainability curricula for HBCUs and other institutions serving indigenous and Latinx populations. He initiated programs such as LEED for Homes, Green Schools, and LEED for Neighborhood Development. Carlton led USGBC efforts to make their rating systems more inclusive of different building typologies and address the need to create sustainable urban communities.
Carlton has offered his expertise to many cities across the U.S., notably including his work with New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. But his impact also stretches across the globe, like his work in Rwanda teaching women to make bricks that will help rebuild their country and create income for their families after a devastating civil war. He is also recognized for his work with the Tata Group, one of India’s largest multinationals and the parent company of brands such as Jaguar and Land Rover, to expand the city of Jamshedpur to accommodate over 4 million new residents. Carlton has also worked in other parts of India and Sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa, Cape Verde, and Senegal. He is keen to point out that his global green teaching, training, mentoring, and lecturing have had a more significant impact than any of his development projects.