Olubanjo Olugbenga (Olu) is the founder & CEO of Reeddi. Reeddi leverages its proprietary technology to provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity to individuals, households and businesses operating in energy-poor regions of the world. Currently, Reeddi serves more than 1000 households and businesses monthly in Nigeria. Among other numerous global awards, Olu’s flagship innovation startup, Reeddi Capsule, was recently nominated as one of15 finalists for Prince William’s £1 million EarthShot Prize. Olugbenga’s innovation was also recently named TIME Magazine’s Best Invention of 2021, and was listed as one of Fast Company’s world-changing ideas.
Olu graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from University of Ibadan, and Masters in engineering from the University of Toronto. He was awarded the University of Toronto John Wesley J. Hall Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship. He also received the University of Toronto Social Innovation Award. Olu constantly seeks to make a globally beneficial social, environmental and economic impact using technology and market-creating innovations that have kingdom-focused principles.
Resson is the Portfolio Funding Director at Maliasili where she is working to raise both the funding and influence of local conservation organisations across Africa. Having worked in the environmental and conservation space for fifteen years, Resson’s work as a community conservation advocate has grown to revolve around co-creating and advancing a community-led narrative where Africans can reclaim their sense of ownership over their wildlife, culture and land. She shared these ideas as a TED speaker, calling the world to support local conservation efforts. She previously served as the Deputy Director of Ewaso Lions, a community conservation organisation in Kenya. She is a Women for the Environment (WE Africa) Founding Fellow, a National Geographic Explorer, and was also conferred the Wild Elements Innovator award in 2021. Through her journey, she has struggled with issues of belonging, vulnerability and visibility – complex and difficult, but they bring nuance to her approach. She holds a Masters in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management from the University of Oxford, and an undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Nairobi.
Suzanne Pierre is a microbial ecologist and biogeochemist working in soil. Her technical expertise includes nutrient and carbon cycling in plant and microbial systems experiencing climate change. She is also the founder and lead investigator of the Critical Ecology Lab – a nonprofit organization researching the intersection of global ecological change, social justice, and liberation of oppressed peoples.
Through her research, Pierre strives to explain the phenomena of global ecological change as responses to systems of global colonialism and capitalism. She speaks and writes about the intersections of identity, liberation, and ecology in publications such as MOLD, Loam, and a forthcoming nonfiction book. She also collaborates with artists and curators to convey these topics through art and exhibitions internationally.
Pierre received a Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University and an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from New York University. She also completed a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Berkeley. Suzanne Pierre is a 2022 National Geographic Wayfinder Award recipient.
Tatum Delaney is majoring in Environmental Science (class of 2024) with a minor in Conservation Biology. She is an undergraduate researcher in the Shaffer lab and working with UCLA La Kretz postdoc Joscha Beninde to study how habitat suitability modeling with community science data can inform conservation decision-making in megacities. She is a member of UCLA Sage Hill Advisory Committee and in her free time she enjoys doing ecological restoration work and volunteering in the UCLA Herbarium.
Dr. David Shorter was raised in New Mexico and attended college both at Arizona State University and the University of California Santa Cruz. He has a Bachelors degree in Religious Studies with a minor in Women’s Studies and a Masters degree in Religious Studies. After receiving his PhD in the History of Consciousness, he went on to teach at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and then at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
Dr. Shorter is currently Professor in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at the University of California Los Angeles. He teaches both undergraduate students in the World Arts and Cultures BA program and graduate students in the Culture and Performance MA and PhD program. In 2013, Dr. Shorter received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award.
Dr. Shorter is the Director of the Wiki for Indigenous Languages and the Director of the Archive of Healing.
Jeff is a third-year UCLA student studying Environmental Science, with a concentration in Environmental Systems and Society. He is currently the Communications Director for the Sustainability Action Research program. A major part of his experience at UCLA has been tackling single-use plastic waste and promoting more sustainable alternatives. During the 2020-2021 school year, he was a member of the Sustainability Action Research Plastic Policy Team, which researched alternatives to single use containers and utensils in UCLA Dining locations to comply with the UCLA Single-Use Plastics Policy. He has also worked with the USAC Facilities Commission to advocate for and implement a reusable diningware program for UCLA Dining takeout locations. As a researcher with the IoES Corporate Partners Program, he researched alternatives to single-use plastic products, regulations regarding plastics and waste diversion around the world, and best practices in corporate sustainability approaches to single use plastics, in order to help Sony Pictures Entertainment update their single-use plastics guidelines. Jeff was one of the leaders of the NFT team within Sustainability Action Research, which worked with UCLA Trademarks and Licensing to evaluate the environmental impacts of non-fungible token proposals at UCLA. In his free time, he enjoys drawing, hiking, and playing the piano.
Malia Michelsen is currently a second-year undergraduate student at UCLA, majoring in environmental science with a concentration in environmental systems and society. On campus, she is heavily involved in the Undergraduate Garden Coalition DIG as their maintenance coordinator and co-director, and volunteers as a Learning Assistant (LA) for life sciences calculus courses. She hopes to pursue higher education in environmental management with a focus on corporate sustainability. To further this goal, she is now working with UCLA’s IoES Corporate Partners Program to conduct research concerning the nutritional value and environmental impact of modern fad diets compared to that of a climatarian in order to aid a partnered company in improving their marketing experience. This research opportunity aims to open the conversation concerning the significant and dynamic relationship between diet and climate resilience. In her free time, Malia is an avid runner, enjoys weight training and practicing yoga. She is passionate about nutrition and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, hoping to integrate these interests in a future career in the expanding field of environment science.
Sydney Valone is a third year undergraduate at UCLA, majoring in Environmental Studies and Geography, with a double minor in Global Studies and Environmental Systems and Society. Sydney has always been passionate about the environment; she is now interested in the pursuit of solutions for global environmental degradation and climate issues. Sydney seeks to find the point where the profitability of a major corporation and the sustainability of the environment can merge. Currently, she is working toward this goal with the Corporate Partners Program at the UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability to research the reduction of single use plastics and the use of alternatives at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Sydney has become interested in research after serving as an intern for Environment America as well as Planet Systems Consulting in the past year; she has had the opportunity to study deforestation in the boreal forest as a result of certain industries and how to advise companies on the best environmentally-conscious practices. Aside from her studies, Sydney’s study abroad experience in Spain and traveling with family has allowed her to see the global environment firsthand. From learning about logging and deforestation in Canada from her grandfather to witnessing poor recycling and waste disposal habits in Central and South American cities, Sydney values the global perspectives she has gained while traveling and learning about global cultures. Ultimately, Sydney hopes to find a solution at the intersection of sustainable business practices and profitability as a sustainability manager for a corporation in the future.
Kiera is pursuing an M.S. degree in Environmental Health at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She is currently conducting research related to air quality in Los Angeles and has previous experience assessing workplace exposure to air pollutants in vape shop workers. In addition to learning and investigating how environmental exposures impact human health, she also has a passion for sustainability. As an undergraduate at UCLA, she worked as Co-Director of the SWC EARTH club and performed research for an app designed to help grocery shoppers navigate ethical food labels to make informed choices while shopping. She is in the process of obtaining the Leaders in Sustainability certification to gain further knowledge and experience in preparation for a career helping companies and organizations achieve sustainable goals to promote environmental health. As a student researcher in the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability’s Corporate Partners Program, she is assisting a climate-friendly snack company, known as Airly, investigate the impact of popular diets on human and planetary health. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends while hiking, surfing, thrifting, and finding the best local places to try new food.
