ANA ISABEL BAPTISTA, Ph.D.

Director, Tishman Environment and Design Center

Dr. Ana Isabel Baptista is an Associate Professor in the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management graduate program at The New School University. Dr. Baptista works on environmental justice policies, climate mitigation, renewable energy policies, environmental planning, zero waste systems, cumulative impacts analysis, and goods movement mitigation strategies.

Dr. Baptista was appointed to the Fourth New York City Panel on Climate Change, where she co-chairs the Equity Workgroup. She serves on the Executive Advisory Council of the Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub (MACH). She is an Associate Editor for the Environmental Justice Journal and the Journal of Climate Resilience and Climate Justice. Dr. Baptista is an active member of the Equitable and Just National Climate Platform and the Moving Forward Network. She is currently the principal investigator for the National Environmental Justice Movement Fellowship program housed at the Tishman Center. Dr. Baptista serves on the Board of Trustees for the Victoria Foundation, GAIA, the Ironbound Community Corp., and the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance. Dr. Baptista is also an appointed member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) Carbon Management Workgroup. Read the WHEJAC Recommendations: Carbon Management Workgroup, published on November 17, 2023, here.

She holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, an M.A. in Environmental Studies from Brown University, and a Ph.D. in Planning and Public Policy from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

To learn more about Dr. Baptista’s publications, see her faculty profile.

MICHELLE J. DEPASS

Senior Advisor, Tishman Environment and Design Center

Chair of the Tishman Center’s Advisory Committee

Michelle J. DePass is the President of DePass Paulson Advisors and the Immediate Past President of Meyer Memorial Trust. From 2013 to 2018, Michelle served as Dean of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy and Director of the Tishman Environment and Design Center, which she re-launched in 2015, reinvigorating The New School’s commitment to sustainability rooted in social justice and community collaboration.

Throughout her career, Michelle has been a champion of social, economic, and environmental justice for people of color, women, indigenous peoples, and low-income communities, as she served as a civil rights lawyer, an Assistant Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the Obama Administration; a program officer at the Ford Foundation; and the founding Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance.

JOEL TOWERS

Founding Director, Tishman Environment and Design Center

President-elect Towers will assume his new position as the 10th President of The New School on August 1, 2024. See the Press Release here.

Towers is a Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Design at Parsons School of Design in The School of Constructed Environments and a University Professor at The New School. In 2009, he was appointed Executive Dean of Parsons School of Design. He finished his second term in that role in 2019 and, after a decade of service, returned to the faculty.  

Towers joined Parsons in January 2004 as a member of the full-time faculty and the first Director of Sustainable Design and Urban Ecology.  In 2006, he was named Associate Provost for Environmental Studies and founded The Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School. The Tishman Center fosters the integration of bold design, policy, and social justice approaches to environmental issues to advance just and sustainable outcomes in collaboration with communities.  From 2007-2009 he was the founding Dean of The School of Design Strategies and Associate Dean of Parsons.  In 2019 Towers was named to the leadership group of the NPCC (The New York City Panel on Climate Change) which reports to the New York City Mayor’s Office of Resilience and is charged with providing authoritative, actionable information on future climate change and its potential impacts to support City decision-making.

Towers received a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Michigan School of Architecture and a Master of Architecture from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation. In 1992, after working with William McDonough Architects where he directed projects including The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability that helped codify that firm’s environmental thinking, Towers co-founded Sislian Rothstein and Towers Architects. For eighteen years, SR+T completed award-winning projects and was a testing ground for the integration of research, scholarship, and creative practice.

KAMRIN HARBIN

Operations Manager

Kamrin is a social justice advocate originally from Las Vegas, Nevada. She brings over 15 years of social justice programming and operational experience to the team. While her background is rooted in youth, gender and racial justice advocacy, she applies her knowledge and experience to further the Tishman Center’s environmental justice mission.

She joined The New School in 2018 as a Program Administrator for the School of Design Strategies and is excited to hone in the operational skills acquired there and take them to the next level with the Tishman Center. Kamrin is an applied theatre practitioner, and co-founder of Mirrors of Blackness an applied theatre company whose artistic lens is currently focused on connecting intergenerational communities within the Black Diaspora. She can often be found dancing, working on her latest DIY project or enjoying a nature walk with her husband and their newborn daughter.

ANGÉLICA SALAZAR

Communications Lead

Angélica (she/her/ella) leads our work in developing visionary communication strategies across the Tishman Center’s initiatives, including campus engagement and events and external research and advocacy projects co-produced with partners in the environmental and climate justice movement.

Angélica brings over 15 years of experience as a strategic communications and public relations specialist to organizations, elected officials, and institutions, including Hispanics in Philanthropy, The New Mexico State Senate, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Washington Office on Latin America, among others. As a cross-cultural facilitator and popular educator, Angélica has directed semester-long study abroad and faculty-led programs in partnership with the University of La Habana, Cuba, primarily for Arcadia University and Brown University.

Over the last two decades, she has worked with frontline, grassroots, and community-based organizations and coalitions. Angélica has co-led several international delegations to movement-building spaces, including the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Bolivia, the alternative forum at COP16 in Cancun, the People’s Conference at Rio +20, and Standing Rock.

Angélica has a BA in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley and an MPA from CUNY Baruch College, where she was a National Urban Fellow. Angélica resides in the unceded homelands of the Tewa people in O’Ga P’Ogeh Owingeh (Santa Fe), New Mexico— where she grows seeds and community on her ancestral lands.

SUSAN AUSTIN

Project Director

Susan Austin (she/they) is a highly collaborative leader with a focus on radical care. She brings expertise in narrative storytelling, competency in climate and the environment and progressive administrative success in higher education. Susan recently completed an MS in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management at the New School, exploring radical care as a foundation for addressing the climate crisis.

She previously worked in higher education, supporting students in adult development and holistic health. Prior to higher education, Susan worked in script development, screenwriting and documentary production. As a young adult, she was deeply impacted by volunteering for hospice and her feature-length documentary This American Death took a personal look at the challenges of achieving a so-called good death. Stories, relationships and care are at the heart of Susan’s work and life—which are centered in the Hudson Valley and begin and end with her partner and their child.

ANGELA MAHECHA

Director, Ripe for Creative Disruption: Environmental Justice Movement Fellowship

Angela Mahecha is a Climate Justice leader originally from Colombia. She was previously the Executive Director of the Climate Justice Alliance, where she centered the national influence of 74 frontline urban and rural alliances, movement-support organizations, and base-building grassroots groups to move forward a Just Transition and Just Recovery. She has served as a leader of multiple organizations including: It Takes Roots, the Rising Majority, La Via Campesina North America, US Food Sovereignty Alliance, the Rural Coalition, Friends of People Affected by Dams from Brazil, and the Green New Deal National Network. As a natural weaver, she facilitates relationships between sectors such as greens, philanthropy, and now academia, with those on the frontlines. In her advisory roles with partners like the Mosaic Fund and others, she has been able to move millions to the grassroots. Angela splits her time between New Jersey and Florida with her two kids, partner, and the occasional manatee.

MAROUH HUSSEIN

Director of Impact and Learning

Marouh leads organizational and programmatic monitoring, innovation, evaluation, and learning (MIEL) activities for the Fellowship and spearheads sharing progress with key partners, including the fellows, alumni, movement leaders, and funders.

Prior, she was a Community Coaching Manager at Partnerships for Parks, where she provided tailored organizational development support to green space community organizations across NYC.

Marouh got her start in the environmental and food justice movement as an intern with Project Harmony, Inc., and also previously held a position with Global Cities, Inc., a program of Bloomberg Philanthropies, promoting global sustainability education. She has an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a BA in Environmental Studies from SUNY Stony Brook. Marouh is a native New Yorker with no shortage of Uptown pride. During her time off can be found volunteering at a beautiful community garden in Harlem.

TAYLOR GRIGGS

Operations and Events Manager, Ripe for Creative Disruption: Environmental Justice Movement Fellowship

Taylor Griggs (she/her) manages the day-to-day operations of the EJ Movement Fellowship. Taylor comes to The New School with nearly a decade of experience implementing administrative systems for mission-aligned nonprofit and philanthropic organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. In her most recent roles, she served as the Administrative Coordinator for Mosaic, a participatory grantmaking initiative investing in movement infrastructure for environmental justice groups. She also served as Executive Assistant to the President at the Akonadi Foundation in Oakland, CA and supported the foundation’s initiatives to invest in racial justice organizing & policy advocacy 

Taylor is a native of Richmond, CA and holds a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Taylor is also an avid theater patron, producer and blogger who reviews culturally competent theatrical productions (Regional, Off-Broadway, Broadway) from coast to coast.

PATRICIA CORATDO

Program and Communications Associate, Ripe for Creative Disruption: Environmental Justice Movement Fellowship

Patricia is the Program and Communications Associate of the EJ Movement Fellowship. She is a queer Filipina immigrant from Newark, NJ. She is also a digital storyteller through Kapwang Tao Media LLC., in collaboration with Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) and New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance (NJEJA). She has led different social media campaigns through the CompassionateNJ Coalition, #StopTheSludge Campaign and Down Bottom Farms covering housing, environmental, social, and food justice initiatives. She is a community organizer through Allies4Justice and focuses her work doing community advocacy in Newark, NJ. Patricia has dedicated her life to art, and organizing with her community.

YUKYAN LAM

Research Director and Senior Scientist

Yukyan Lam is Research Director and Senior Scientist at the Tishman Center, where she helps develop and manage the Center's portfolio of climate and environmental justice research. Her work aims to support environmental justice organizations and coalitions in their advocacy at the local, state and federal levels.

Yukyan’s experience also includes research and advocacy on human rights, health, and environmental challenges in Latin America and Bangladesh. Her expertise draws on public health, spatial analysis, community-based science, and qualitative research methods. She holds a BS in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a JD from Harvard Law School, and a PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

JENNIFER SANTOS RAMIREZ

Senior Researcher and UNITE-EJ Assistant Project Director

Dr. Jennifer S. Ramirez is a social science researcher specializing in environmental policy, environmental justice, and community development. As the Senior Researcher and UNITE-EJ Assistant Project Director at the Tishman Environment and Design Center, she spearheads vital research initiatives collaboratively with environmental justice groups and intermediaries across the United States. Her work is dedicated to bolstering the influence of the climate and environmental justice movements within public policy, practice, and the philanthropic sector, encompassing crucial areas such as resource mobilization, community organizing, urban planning, and disaster management.

Jenn has assumed significant leadership roles in program and membership development throughout her career at renowned, storied organizations, including the Partnership to End Addiction, the National Audubon Society, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the New York Botanical Garden. She also has developed and taught courses on American Public Policy, Environmental Politics, and Environmental Justice at Fordham University. Jenn holds a PhD in Public and Urban Policy from The New School, an MPA in Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation from Baruch College, and a BS in General Science and Environmental Studies from Fordham University.

Jenn loves traveling to new places, reading science fiction and fantasy novels, crocheting, baking, and completing crossword puzzles with her kids.

MATT KENT

Unite-EJ Project Manager

Matt Kent is the UNITE-EJ Project Manager at the Tishman Environment and Design Center, supporting the evaluation, tracking, and reporting of the United Network for Impact, Transformation, and Equity in Environmental Justice Communities (UNITE-EJ). Matt has a background in Project Management having worked with environmental non-profits and supported organizations focused on international development. In his free time, Matt loves to meditate, swim, participate in triathlons, play guitar, and spend time with his dogs.

MADELEINE KILLOUGH

UNITE-EJ Data Analyst

Madeleine Killough (she/her) is the UNITE-EJ Data Analyst at the Tishman Center. In this role, she supports the development and implementation of reporting systems and analysis methodologies for the United Network for Impact, Transformation, and Equity in Environmental Justice Communities (UNITE-EJ). Her work helps evaluate the impact of pass-through funding on environmental justice initiatives under the EPA’s Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program, ensuring that data-driven insights support the needs of grassroots organizations and frontline communities.

Madeleine has a strong background in environmental health, data analysis, and policy evaluation. Prior to joining the Tishman Center, she worked on projects addressing disparities in air pollution exposure, drinking water contamination, building energy compliance, and environmental remediation efforts. She holds a MPH in Environmental Health Sciences from Columbia University and a B.A. in Environmental Science and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies from Barnard College.

In her free time, Madeleine loves hiking, cooking, traveling, and frequenting her favorite NYC food trucks. 

ANNA YULSMAN

Research Analyst

Anna collaborates on all aspects of the Tishman Center's community based participatory action research under the direction of EJ leaders and scholars. She contributes to background research, data collection and organization, data visualization, report writing, and relationship building with community partners. She also assists with the design of the methodology for research projects as well as providing technical guidance to project patterns to execute data collection, visualization and mapping for the dissemination and use of research results. Prior to her role as research analyst, Anna was a program coordinator with the center where she also helped run the operations and communications of the center. Anna has a MA from the New School in Theories of Urban Practice. Her passions include trying new foods and dance.

MIKE HARRINGTON

Sustainability Engagement Director

Mike is responsible for supporting the work of the Tishman Center by liaising with offices and departments throughout the university and implementing projects that advance The New School’s commitment to sustainability and environmental justice. Before joining the TEDC team, Mike worked at Elevate Energy, organizing around creating equity in the energy efficiency market.

He obtained his Master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from The New School and has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in Psychology, with a specialization in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and was a 2019 Urban Design Forum Forefront Fellow and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Delta Institute, an environmental non-profit. He is currently a Ph.D. student at The New School studying urban design from an environmental justice perspective.

LEONARDO FIGUEROA HELLAND

Associate Director, Tishman Environment and Design Center

Associate Professor and Chair of the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management Program

Leonardo E Figueroa Helland (PhD) is Chair and Associate Professor of the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management graduate (MS) program at The New School university (Lenapehoking/Manahatta/New York City). He leads the Indigeneity, Decolonization and Just Sustainability Section of the Tishman Environment and Design Center. A decolonizing scholar of mix-blood/mestizo heritage (Indigenous Mesoamerican and Euro-American), his work underlines the centrality of Indigenous resurgence and revitalization in addressing planetary crises, achieving climate justice and materializing systemic change. His writings appear, inter alia, in the Journal of World Systems Research, the journal Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, the volume on Social Movements and World-System Transformation, and the volumes on Anarchist Political Ecology, on Contesting Extinctions: Critical Relationality, Regenerative Futures, as well as the forthcoming NYU Environmental Law Journal (ELJ)--Special Volume on “Free the Land—Land Tenure and Stewardship Reimagined”. His current projects include a manuscript prospectively titled “Anthropocene” Collapse / Indigenous Resurgence: From Planetary Crises to Decolonization.

MIA WHITE

Associate Director, Tishman Environment and Design Center

Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies

Mia Charlene White, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Urban & Environmental Studies in the Schools for Public Engagement at The New School. Originally from Queens, Mia identifies as a Black woman of African American and Korean descent. She is a proud mother of two creative children and has been recognized for transformation and healing-centered teaching methods with a 2021 university-wide Social Justice Teaching award. Mia did her PhD in urban planning at MIT, her master of international affairs at Columbia, and her bachelor’s degree in anthropology at SUNY Stonybrook.

For the last few years, Mia has been engaged in multiple conversations linking land and housing justice for a new social contract, and is working on her first book manuscript exploring reparations through housing and land decommodification models. She is a 2022-2023 Mellon Faculty Fellow and serves as Associate Director of the Tishman Environment and Design Center, and Associate Director of the Housing Justice Lab at Parsons. She co-leads the BIPOC Planners Collective @ Planners Network; is an ongoing member of the Black Geographers Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers (AAG); is a appointed member of the South Orange Village (NJ) Zoning Board of Adjustment, and is an elected member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) of the American Association of Geographers (AAG).

Mia works with several community-based organizations in NJ and NYC to deliver political education on affordable housing, environmental justice, and racial justice. She was recently a jurist for the inaugural Bandung 2022 Artists Residency recently launched by A4 and MoCADA, a new program to foster solidarity and understanding between Black and Asian American/Pacific Islander communities in NYC. Mia's work is interdisciplinary, situated among radical planners, geographers, urban theorists, sociologists and historians seeking to link social science, humanities, and protest.