Emerging Leaders Council

Senior Program Associate, The Aspen Institute
Rachel Botos works for the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program, cultivating innovative corporate leaders who work at the intersection of business success and social and environmental impact. She is broadly interested in supporting communities of changemakers, and the strategies and leadership capacities that catalyze their impact. Prior to the Aspen Institute, Rachel worked for the NYU Social Entrepreneurship Program, where she empowered and supported student social entrepreneurs across the university. Prior to that, Rachel worked with the sponsorship team at the Clinton Global Initiative and held internship and leadership positions in politics and global health organizations. She has a Master’s in Public Administration and Bachelor’s in communications. Outside of work, she spends her time wandering New York, cross-stitching flowers, and listening to too many podcasts

Senior Advisor to the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, NYC (fmr.)
Jodi Callender has worked at the intersection of real estate, economic development, and technology for over 10 years. Most recently, she held the position of Senior Advisor to the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development where she focused on New York City Housing Authority’s real estate and capital planning efforts.  Prior to joining the  Mayor’s Office, Jodi held operations and project management roles at the WeWork Companies where she supported the company’s national and international expansion. Jodi also served as Chief of Staff and Senior Associate within the Real Estate Transactions Services division of the New York City Economic Development Corporation where she oversaw reporting efforts, and managed a 3.6 million square foot portfolio of mixed use and affordable housing projects. Jodi holds a B.S. in Finance and Master’s in Real Estate Development and Finance from Georgetown University.

Founder & CEO Coda Societies
Garance Choko is the CEO of Coda Societies, a firm that shapes social and economic infrastructures to promote equity worldwide and drives the design and development of citizen-centered services. From building hospitals, to developing public spaces, to producing consumer goods and shaping policies, Coda Societies engages partners and social groups in the design and implementation of value-based and resilient solutions. Garance has launched social innovation firms, designed and implemented physical spaces, national and local health care systems, nationwide public administration processes, think tanks, regional economic agendas and labor policies for institutions, corporations and governments in North America, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. She received a Masters of Public Administration from Cornell University. She currently resides in New York City and is devoted to social equity.

Assistant Director, Building Electrification Institute
Cristina Garcia is a New York City native, working at the Building Electrification Institute, an organization that equips cities across North America with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to accelerate the transition of building systems away from fossil fuels. Cristina’s role within the organization is focused on inclusive labor and workforce policies for building electrification that will enable an equitable transition. Prior to this role, Cristina worked at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability for nearly three years, leading their electrification and workforce development initiatives. Cristina’s passion for workforce development and increasing diversity in the sustainability industry led to her founding Latinxs in Sustainability in 2017, a group which informs Latinx students about sustainability careers while connecting and growing the Latinx professional community working in the sustainability and energy sector. Cristina has been recognized as one of City & State’s 2021 New York City 40 Under 40 Rising Stars, and holds a Masters and Bachelors from the City College of New York in Environmental Engineering.

Director of ESG, Prologis
Ethan Gilbert serves as Director of ESG at Prologis, Inc., the world’s leader in logistics real estate. Ethan has been with Prologis since 2018 and oversees a number of strategic ESG initiatives at Prologis, including ESG reporting, goal setting, strategic initiative development and stakeholder engagement on ESG. Ethan is dedicated to identifying the win-win solutions that create sustainable outcomes and business value. Ethan received his BA in International Relations from Claremont McKenna College and his MS in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University.

Investment Manager, Blueprint Local
Chris Grant serves as an investment manager at Blueprint Local, a leading investment platform in the Opportunity Zone sector that seeks to invest in economically distressed areas with a goal of generating attractive financial returns and meaningful social impact. Chris' portfolio and deal pipeline stretches across the Southeast region, where he’s structured investments with an asset value of over $820M. Chris is also an investment committee member of Ignite Capital, a $4M social impact investment fund offering seed financing for Baltimore-based social enterprises led by historically underserved entrepreneurs. Prior to Blueprint, Chris worked in Oakland, CA with Radicle Impact Partners, a leading impact-focused venture capital firm and in Washington, DC with Promontory Financial Group, now an IBM Company. Chris, a 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 lister in the Finance Class, received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and his bachelor’s degree from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.

Sustainability and Resilience Director, City of Tempe AZ
Braden Kay is the Sustainability and Resilience Director for the City of Tempe, where he developed the city’s first Climate Action Plan. He formerly served as the sustainability project manager for the City of Orlando, where he led sustainability implementation in waste diversion, urban forestry, and urban agriculture programs. He received a PhD from Arizona State's School of Sustainability for his dissertation work on stakeholder engagement and strategy building within the City of Phoenix. Previously, Braden managed community engagement, sustainability assessment and strategy building for the City of Phoenix's Reinvent Phoenix grant, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Sustainable Communities program. Braden's academic and professional experience in urban planning, sustainability assessment, and sustainability implementation make him an asset for innovative urban sustainability efforts.

Acquisitions Analyst, Hudson Valley Property Group
Libba King is currently on the Acquisitions team at New York-based Hudson Valley Property Group ("HVPG"). She joined HVPG in 2021 and is responsible for analyzing and executing property acquisitions and investments on the East Coast. Her work focuses mainly on Section 8 acquisition / rehabilitation projects and she works closely with public, private and non-profit housing entities / agencies across several states. Prior to joining HVPG, Libba was an Associate in the Urban Investment Group ("UIG") at Goldman Sachs, where she was responsible for underwriting and executing mixed-used and affordable housing transactions. Prior to UIG, she held positions at the World Bank Group and United States Department of the Treasury. Libba received both her BA and MA in Economics / International Studies from Johns Hopkins University and completed the first year of her MA at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in Nanjing, China. In her free time, Libba enjoys exploring new hiking trails in southwestern North Carolina with her brother and fishing in the rivers of coastal Georgia.

Director of Housing Innovation, Catalyst Housing Group
Annie Koo is the Director of Housing Innovation at the Catalyst Housing Group. Prior to Catalyst, Annie led housing at Sidewalk Labs, the former urban innovation arm of Alphabet, where she focused on the intersection of housing technology and policy for the company's flagship Toronto project and later real estate development advisory clients. She previously was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey, where she drove strategic operations projects for major housing and financial institutions globally. Annie started her career at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) during the Bloomberg Administration and held roles in strategic planning and the commissioner's office. She was also a Fulbright Fellow in Singapore focused on public housing policy. Annie holds a BA in Architectural Studies from Brown University and an MBA from Columbia Business School and is originally from McAllen, Texas

Senior Climate Finance Associate, World Resources Institute
Nisha Krishnan is a Senior Climate Finance Associate within the World Resources Institute’s Climate Resilience Practice and currently serves as Director of the Systemic Resilience Forum of the Coalition for Climate Resilient Investments. Her work focuses on advancing the integration of climate risks, adaptation, and resilience considerations into public and private decision-making processes, from supporting central Ministries of Finance, Economies, and Planning to private investors and companies. Additionally, she supports WRI’s wider portfolio on adaptation and loss and damage, has supported development of national climate finance budget tracking methodologies, helped local governments and civil society organizations conduct adaptation finance accountability assessments, and advises on locally led adaptation finance. Nisha holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Lyndon B. Johnson School at the University of Texas at Austin, a M.A. in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Macalester College.

Director, Center for Resilient Cities and Landscape, Columbia University
Thaddeus Pawlowski is the director of the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes at Columbia University. Focused on urban design, Thaddeus seeks to integrate resilience and climate change adaptation into the long-term development patterns of cities through the design of projects, policies, and programs. In a partnership with 100 Resilient Cities and the Rockefeller Foundation, he helped to establish the Resilience Accelerator which brings together local leaders and global experts to drive the implementation of resilient projects around the world. Thaddeus planned for disasters at NYC Office of Emergency Management, worked to reduce the likelihood and impact of disasters at NYC Planning, and then helped the City recover from Hurricane Sandy at the NYC Mayor’s Office. He also has extensive global experience working as a subject matter expert in cities facing the hazards of climate change. Thaddeus holds a Masters in Architecture from University of Pennsylvania and was a 2015 Loeb Fellow at Harvard University.

Senior Managing Associate, Preparedness, Hagerty Consulting
Danielle Holmstrom is a leader and collaborator within the Emergency Management (EM) community, with vast experience at the State and local government levels. Mrs. Holmstrom currently works for Hagerty Consulting as a Senior Managing Associate serving as the EM Sector lead leading project teams in planning, trainings, and exercises. Prior to joining Hagerty, Mrs. Holmstrom served as the Director and Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Virginia Beach overseeing its comprehensive emergency management and physical security programs and responding to numerous incidents. Danielle is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) through the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) and Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) through the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM). She also serves as the 1st Vice President of the Virginia Emergency Management Association (VEMA). She holds a Master of Public Administration, B.S. Marketing Management, and B.A. International Studies, all from Virginia Tech.

Vice President of Policy, The Greenlining Institute
Alvaro S. Sanchez is The Greenlining Institute’s Vice President of Policy. He is an urban planner with extensive experience crafting, implementing, and evaluating strategies that leverage private, public, and philanthropic investments to deliver benefits to priority communities. He leads a team that develops policies that create a future where communities of color can build wealth, live in healthy places filled with economic opportunity, and are ready to meet the challenges posed by climate change. Under his leadership, The Greenlining Institute has shaped over $4.5 billion in California Climate Investments targeted at priority communities, established the Transformative Climate Communities and Regional Climate Collaboratives state programs via legislation, and launched the Towards Equitable Electric Mobility Community of Practice, a multi-state effort to advance equitable electric mobility policies. Alvaro holds a BA in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara and a Master of Planning, Economic Development from University of Southern California.

Co-founder & COO, Trust Neighborhoods
Kavya is COO and co-founder of Trust Neighborhoods, a Kansas City based nonprofit helping residents fight displacement in neighborhoods that are at risk of experiencing rising rents from gentrification. Trust Neighborhoods has designed and piloted a new, innovative approach to tackle affordable housing: the mixed-income neighborhood trust, or MINT, which owns and operates a portfolio of rental housing to maintain affordability. Through Trust Neighborhoods, Kavya hopes to advance racial equity both through innovative housing solutions, and by putting more people of color, especially women, in control of development in their communities. Previously, Kavya has helped young people get more civically active through helping start The Obama Foundation and has supported access to economic opportunity through her policy work in the Obama White House. She began her career at McKinsey and Company, focused on urban development. She has a BA in economics from Harvard College and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Co-Founder & CEO, Greenwork
Sam is co-founder and CEO of Greenwork, a software company connecting workforce training programs to employers in clean energy and the trades. Greenwork has a dual mission to help people build great careers and to fight the climate crisis through workforce development. Previously, Sam worked as a Surrogate Speaker on his father Tom Steyer's 2020 presidential campaign. Before that, he was a co-founder and the Head of Analytics at another clean energy software startup, Station A, and worked in data and software roles focused on clean energy at NRG, AutoGrid, and Advanced Energy Economy. Sam is a reserve firefighter with the SFFD and a licensed EMT. He holds an A.B. in Applied Math from Harvard and an M.S. in Computational Math from Stanford. Sam lives in San Francisco with his wife, son, and bernedoodle named “Jasper.”

Founder, The Urban Resilience Studio
Sonam has collaborated with businesses and governments around the globe to deploy multi-billion dollar investments in climate-smart infrastructure. Building off her past experience at Goldman Sachs, The World Bank, the New York City Mayor's Office, and Zipline, Sonam is launching The Urban Resilience Studio, a venture platform that invests in diverse entrepreneurs building climate tech for cities - ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth. Sonam’s interest in urban development is rooted in her lived experience. An undocumented immigrant for two decades, she understands how inadequate housing, transportation, and environmental protections limit upward mobility. The first in her family to attend college, Sonam received a full scholarship to Harvard University and earned a BA in Government, Economics, and Visual & Environmental Studies. In her free time, Sonam enjoys investing, biking, and getting lost in new cities and new conversations - 60 countries, thousands of people, and still counting on both fronts!

Mayor, Tempe, Arizona
Corey Woods was elected mayor of the City of Tempe in March 2020. He uses his platform to champion initiatives in the areas of affordable housing and human services while working tirelessly to improve community development standards to attract business investment and protect neighborhoods. In his professional career, he is the chief of staff at ASU Preparatory Academy. Woods is responsible for assisting the managing director with operations, external partnerships and strategic initiatives. He previously served as the chief operating officer for the Greater Phoenix Urban League, director of college and career articulation for the Phoenix Union High School District and director of government relations for the American Lung Association of Arizona. Woods graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in April 2000 with a B.A. in Political Science, and a minor in African-American Studies. After college, Woods was a teaching assistant at ASU for three years. In May 2018, Woods earned a Master of Arts in Educational Policy from ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton College of Education.

Jenna Nicholas is the CEO of Impact Experience, an organization focused on building bridges between funders, innovators and marginalized communities. Jenna is also President of Phoenix Global Impact, a firm that specializes in impact investing, social entrepreneurship and strategic philanthropy. Through her firm, Jenna has project managed Divest-Invest Philanthropy, a coalition of philanthropic foundations divesting from investments in fossil fuels and reinvesting in new economy solutions. Jenna graduated from Stanford University with an International Relations Honors Degree, during which time she also read International Development at Oxford University. Jenna has an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), which she attended as a PD Soros Fellow. At GSB, Jenna received the Stanford Social Innovation Fellowship. Jenna has also been selected as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, Echoing Green Fellow and Forbes 30 under 30 Social Entrepreneur. 

Leila Collins is currently pursuing an M.B.A. at Columbia University. Previously, she worked as a consultant at Friends Rehabilitation Program, an affordable housing developer and community development corporation, and as a Senior Associate at MetaProp NYC, a venture capital firm focused on real estate technology. While there, Leila launched a partnership with Enterprise Community Partners to invest $5M into technology companies driving housing affordability. She also led the MetaProp Accelerator at Columbia University, the MetaProp Pre-Accelerator at Columbia University and the MetaProp Bridge at Columbia University. Leila received a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University where she double-majored in Anthropology and Political Science.

Patrick Duhaney is the City Manager of Cincinnati, OH. Patrick was sworn in as City Manager in December 2018 after holding the title of Acting City Manager for the previous eight months. Patrick began his career with the City of Cincinnati in June 2009 when he accepted a position of Contract Compliance Specialist with the City Manager’s Office. He also held several leadership positions in the Department of Sewers (now known as the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati) prior to transitioning to the role of Chief Procurement Officer. Patrick holds a B.A. in Sociology and Urban Studies from the Cleveland State University and Master’s in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati. He is a graduate of the Urban League’s African-American Leadership Development Program.

Laura Fox is currently the General Manager of Citi Bike in NYC. Previously, Laura worked at Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet company dedicated to building the city of the future through urban technologies and comprehensive development. Prior to joining Sidewalk, Laura was a project leader at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where she led strategy and digital venture projects for urban innovation, technology, and cultural organizations. In parallel, she edited a book on entrepreneur-led urban development and delivered a TED talk on the role of curiosity and ignorance in the creative process. Laura holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from New York University (NYU), Stern School of Business.

Steven Hussain serves as the Director of Community Workforce Programs for Prologis. In that capacity, he leads the organization's efforts to generate shared value for customers and the community through investments designed to advance economic opportunity. Prior to joining Prologis, Steven served as the Chief Mission Services Officer for Goodwill San Antonio where he led education and employment services to individuals within the Agency's 24 county service area. Steven previously worked as the Director of Community Initiatives for San Antonio Mayor, Ivy R. Taylor, where he helped to develop education, workforce and economic development policy, and launched the local My Brother's Keeper initiative. Steven also worked for the P16Plus Council of Greater Bexar County as the Director of Community Partnerships. Steven holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Texas at Arlington, and is currently pursuing his M.B.A. at Baylor University.

Jessica is a Partner at Centerview Partners and is based in New York City. She has spent the last decade advising oil & gas corporations on critical strategic and financial decisions, with a specific focus on global integrated oil companies and U.S. upstream independents. Given the increasing focus on decarbonization of the global economy, she is also spending more time with clients on ESG and energy transition considerations. Prior to joining Centerview in 2017, Jessica was a Director in Citigroup’s Global Energy group in Houston and London. Jessica graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Spanish from Duke University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.