Our People

Elizabeth (she/ella) is an internationally recognized Puerto Rican attorney of African and Indigenous ancestry and environmental/climate justice leader who is the executive director of UPROSE, Brooklyn's oldest Puerto Rican community-based organization. She is also the Co-Chair of a national alliance called Climate Justice Alliance and the co-founder of #OurPowerPRnyc.

Her award-winning vision for an inter-generational, multi-cultural and community-led organization is the driving force behind UPROSE. She is a long-time advocate and trailblazer for community organizing around just, sustainable development, environmental justice, and community-led climate adaptation and community resiliency in Sunset Park. In addition to that, she was recognized in 2015 by Vogue as a Climate Warrior and one of the 13 women on the frontline fighting against Climate Change.

Ms. Yeampierre has been a featured speaker at local, national and international forums including Sage Paris 2015, 2016 GRI Amsterdam, White House Forum on Environmental Justice, Yale, Harvard, Cooper Union, Columbia, and universities, colleges, and conferences all over the country and spoke at the opening climate rally for Pope Francis at the National Mall, The Battle for Paradise at Cooper Union with Naomi Klein. Her work is featured in several books, in addition, being featured in Latina Magazine, VOGUE, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Grist, American Prospect, Al Jazeera, Huffington Post, Democracy Now, The Intercept, and a variety of media outlets throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe.

In 2014, Ms. Yeampierre was part of the leadership of the People’s Climate March Mobilization – a march of over 400,000 people across New York City. She played a major role in ensuring the frontline was made up of young people of color, and successfully proposed the adoption of the Jemez principles for democratic organizing, which have since become the roadmap to building just relationships in the climate justice movement.

Elizabeth was recently featured in the NY Times as a visionary paving the path to Climate Justice. In 2018, she was awarded Frederick Douglass Abolitionist Award FD200, She recently was named by Apolitical as Climate 100: The World’s Most Influential People in Climate Policy, and spoken at Oxford University, and the Ethos Conference in Brazil.

Annecia Steiniger (she/her) is a native New Yorker who grew up on Staten Island’s North Shore. She graduated from The Evergreen State College in Washington State in 2020 and then came back home to work to get effective, progressive leaders into office. Most recently she worked on issue based campaigns, promoting investment in clean energy and fossil fuel divestment. She enjoys building bridges of understanding and facilitating connections that build resilient community ties. She has a puppy named Thor, loves the beach, and is always down for a hike to a swimming hole!

Ahmad Perez is a Brentwood, New York native and was one of the youngest White House Appointees in the Biden-Harris Administration, formerly serving as the Special Advisor for Implementation and Climate Justice at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. 

Ahmad is a proud community advocate whose work centers on environmental justice and elevating the voices of marginalized groups. Ahmad was recently named Young Gifted & Green’s 40 Under 40 by BlackMillenials4Flint and has worked on advancing environmental justice at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Esperanza (she/ella) is a Sunset Park native of Mexican descent. She holds a B.A. from CUNY Baruch College where she studied Natural Science and Environmental Science. She is passionate about Environmental Justice and her community. She loves reading, listening to music and spending time with her family.

Javier Bautista (he/him/el) is a third generation Puero Rican activist from Brooklyn by way of Fort Greene and Sunset Park. Over the years he has testified, helped organize rallies, protests, marches and community actions, and has represented UPROSE all over the United States in various capacities, including the first People's Climate Justice March. He has spent time in tech, curated art shows, produced Afro-Caribbean showcases, and organized events to highlight local artists and musicians. In addition to the events he will be producing for UPROSE, he will also bring his recent yoga training experience to the space on the weekends for 60 min vinyasa flows--the first in an ongoing wellness program that UPROSE is collaborating with Javier on. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University, as well as a degree from the Atlantic Acting Conservatory. In his free time, he enjoys all things Knicks, Kid Cudi and pop culture podcasts.

John (he/him) has worked for 27 years in the field of urban community development serving low income, primarily Latino, communities of color in Brooklyn and the South Bronx in New York City, and then again in the smaller cites of the northern Boston metro area in Massachusetts. Over the course of these 27 years has served as an organizer, project director, teacher, policy advocate, and in several senior and frontline management roles. In the organizations he has served he has worked for environmental and climate justice, community revitalization, economic development, and education reform while also helping young people to experience transformation and grow in leadership. Early in his career, he was one of the founding faculty at the El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice in 1993 and trained students in organizing and community development. Later, he served as Project Director of the Bronx River Waterfront Access Project, a federally funded waterfront planning project that sparked new community parks, environmental cleanup, and restoration along NYC’s only freshwater river. He played an active role in the passage of New York State’s Brownfield Law which enacted the Brownfields Opportunity Areas (BOA) program, an environmental justice-inspired revitalization planning initiative. Most recently, he was the Project Director of the Central American Youth Initiative at Roca, Inc., based in Chelsea Massachusetts, engaging schools, law enforcement, and immigration court to reduce gang involvement and violence and build peace, among Central American young men through transformative interventions. John embraces the root values of these organizations including justice (social, racial, environmental, and climate) and self-determination. John participated in the founding of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance in the early 1990s and served on the Board of Directors for many years.

Shelby Luster (she/her) is a recent graduate of Scripps College with a degree in Environmental Analysis with a concentration in Sustainability and the Built Environment and a minor in Data Science. Growing up in Los Angeles, in a community impacted by environmental issues such as wildfires, air pollution, and urban heat, made her passionate about environmental justice and urban design and their relationship to frontline communities like her own. Much of her background is in environmental research, having conducted fieldwork and laboratory studies on soil microbiomes and antibiotic-resistant bacteria at Brooklyn College and the University of California, Berkeley, which gave her a deeper understanding of the inner workings of environmental systems and their relationship to local communities. Shelby has always highly valued and heavily participated in community organizing spaces surrounding the environment, labor, and prison abolition and sees them as a crucial and interconnected aspect of her environmental work. In her free time, she enjoys playing her electric and bass guitar, crocheting, roller skating, and spending time in nature.

Osvaldo Garcia (he/him) is an urban planner and environmental justice advocate. As a proud South Bronx native and CUNY Baruch College alumnus, his drive to create more sustainable cities stems from his firsthand experience with environmental injustice. His expertise lies at the intersection of environmental justice, social justice, and urban planning, focusing on ethical intersectional policy in climate innovation. At Baruch, he advocated for a Black and Latine Studies major, implemented climate justice education, lobbied for CUNY funding, and contributed to the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan to close student equity gaps. As a Public Policy and International Affairs Scholar, he specialized in urban planning and sustainability policy. Post-graduation, he promoted social entrepreneurship and climate education as an EDICT fellow and worked on clean energy and transportation initiatives as a NYC Urban Fellow. Osvaldo aims to leverage his lived experiences and professional expertise to create a more sustainable and equitable New York City. In his free time, he enjoys the beach, weightlifting, reading, spending time with loved ones and learning volleyball.

Nyiesha Mallett (she/her) is a 23-year-old artist and arts educator for the DOE who embarked on her journey as an organizer at UPROSE in 2015, diving into community engagement at the age of fourteen. She is a recent graduate of the Cooper Union School of Art, Class of 2023. With roots tied to Grenada through her mother, Nyiesha intimately understands the profound impacts of climate change on Caribbean countries, particularly those of color. Her passion for social, political, and environmental justice is deeply ingrained, finding expression not only through her voice but also through her artistic practice. Nyiesha is passionate about empowering communities through inclusive engagement, leading workshops and forums that position resident voices at the forefront of climate action discussions. Her work has significantly influenced environmental policy changes, strengthened community solidarity, and inspired her team with her commitment and innovative approaches. Nyiesha has also been named a 2021 Grist 50 Fixer as well as a Yale Public Voices Fellow on the Climate Crisis. Additionally, Nyiesha dedicates her time to volunteering with the Venceremos Brigade, a grassroots anti-imperialist organization committed to ending the U.S.-imposed economic blockade and travel ban.

Yamini Potluri is a digital strategist and storyteller who believes the most powerful climate narratives come from the communities leading the fight for justice. At UPROSE, she develops campaigns, manages digital platforms, and builds communication strategies that center frontline voices, intergenerational wisdom, and the bold vision of Sunset Park residents shaping a Just Transition.

With a global background across New York, Singapore, Dubai, and Sydney, and a Master's in Digital Marketing from NYU, Yamini brings a multicultural lens to environmental justice organizing. She creates content that connects local action to global movements translating community power into social media momentum, press coverage, and public engagement that moves people to act.

Yamini's commitment to climate justice is deeply personal. A certified deep-sea diver since the age of 15, her love for the ocean fueled her understanding that environmental health and community resilience are inseparable. When she witnessed underwater ecosystems under threat, it was beauty worth protecting and that became the foundation for her advocacy. She has spoken at the United Nations and most recently in Amsterdam, advocating for the sustainability of the seafood industry and amplifying the voices of frontline communities fighting for a livable future on land and sea.

Her approach is rooted in relationship-building, cultural storytelling, and care. Digital media isn't just about reach, it's about ensuring that frontline communities aren't just included in climate solutions, but leading them.

Daniel Torres (he/him) is a recent graduate of New York University with a degree in Computer Engineering, originally from New Jersey. During his time at NYU, Daniel focused on creating software that empowers communities to care for their environment and combat pollution. Daniel is deeply passionate about climate justice. He brings a technical lens to the climate movement, using his skills to amplify the voices of communities and build digital tools that support environmental advocacy and help those most impacted by environmental injustice.

Zoe Flores (she/her) is a recent graduate of Trinity University with a degree in Anthropology and minors in. Political Science and Museum Studies. Originally from Pasadena, Texas, she has always taken pride in her Mexican-American identity. During her time at Trinity, she focused on serving and advocating for the Latino community both locally and on a national level. Her work spans anthropological research, political campaigns, and non-profits. Zoe was a Latinx Leadership Fellow and a member of the Inclusive Excellence Advisory Council which aided in her mission to encourage diversity and foster community building amongst students. She is dedicated to addressing the harmful policies affecting the Latino community.

Kayla Miller (she/her) is an ecofeminist writer, education centered eco-communicator, and award-winning environmental justice scholar-activist. Kayla graduated from Swarthmore College in May 2025 where she majored in Environmental Studies, with a focus on Environmental Justice, and double minored in English Literature and Black Studies. In 2024, Kayla received the Udall Scholarship, a nationally renowned honor bestowed upon future leaders in the environmental, Tribal public policy, and health care fields. 

Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Kayla is passionate about urban environmental activism, education, and policy. As the former leader of Swarthmore’s Campus Coalition Concerning Chester (C4), Kayla worked tirelessly with the internationally recognized grassroots organization Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL) to address environmental racism in the predominantly Black city Chester, PA and neighboring Philadelphia, PA. Kayla’s passion extends to her ecofeminist scholarship, where she explores the connection between Black women, mothering, and reproductive and environmental justice. 

In her free time, Kayla enjoys playing The Sims 4. Kayla believes that imagination and storytelling is a crucial component in creating the world we want to see and she is eager to facilitate these skills in the youth and volunteers at UPROSE.