Team

Our Collaborative Partnership

The Partners Advancing Climate Equity (PACE) Pilot Program is offered by the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) – a cabinet-level State organization dedicated to healthy, thriving, resilient communities for all – in partnership with Local Government Commission (LGC), Climate Resolve (CR), Urban Permaculture Institute (UPI), The Greenlining Institute (GLI), and Movement Strategy Center (MSC). PACE is supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Justice.

California Strategic Growth Council Logo
Local Government Commission Logo
Climate Resolve logo
Urban Permaculture Institute Logo
Movement Strategy Center Logo
The Greenlining Institute Logo

Our Values

From the program’s design to how we work together as a team, this collaborative initiative is grounded in the following core values:

Building authentic, symbiotic relationships for meaningful collaboration

Honoring, uplifting, and growing community leadership and knowledge

Shifting and restoring community power to encourage self-determination

Courage to address root causes rather than pursuing simple solutions

Transparency and collaborative governance every step of the way

Respect and care for participants’ time and capacity

Core Program Team

Kirin Kumar Headshot

“PACE celebrates and acknowledges the power, wisdom, and knowledge already in communities, and equips leaders with new skills and tools to take equitable climate action to the next level.”

Kirin Kumar

PACE Program Lead
Program Manager, Community Assistance for Climate Equity Team, SGC

Coral Abbott Headshot

“PACE will provide frontline community leaders with the resources they need to address climate change in a way that prioritizes social equity.”

Coral Abbott

PACE Program Lead
Program Analyst, Community Assistance for Climate Equity Team, SGC

Julia Kim Headshot

“PACE will pilot a model that we have all been waiting for, one that prioritizes frontline communities and honors and uplifts community leaders.”

Julia Kim

PACE Project Manager
Climate Change and Energy Program Director, LGC

Tia Tyler Headshot

“PACE works to provide critical resources to the communities that have historically and intentionally excluded.”

Tia Tyler

PACE Implementing Partner
Climate and Energy Project Manager, LGC

Catherine Foster Headshot

“PACE has great potential to strengthen community and climate resiliency by prioritizing local partnerships, frontline leadership, and social equity.”

Catherine Foster

PACE Implementing Partner
Climate and Energy Project Manager, LGC

Natalie Hernandez Headshot

“PACE is an opportunity to form a peer network of community leaders that learn together and catalyze climate action throughout California.”

Natalie Hernandez

PACE Implementing Partner
Associate Director, Climate Planning & Resilience, CR

Bryn Lindblad Headshot

“PACE embodies the belief that an informed and organized community is a powerful force for good.”

Bryn Lindblad

PACE Implementing Partner
Deputy Director, CR

Ei Ei Samai Headshot

“The spirit of justice and collaboration that is the foundation of everything in PACE - from the RFP and recruitment to cohort design and technical assistance.”

Ei Ei Samai

PACE Implementing Partner
Partner/Designer, UPI

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“I’m excited for PACE’s potential to see to it that state programs build upon existing community-based efforts to move towards a future of climate justice.”

Antonio Roman-Alcalá

PACE Implementing Partner
Partner/Designer, UPI

Kevin Bayuk Headshot

“PACE creates space for the critical work of centering community leadership in determining the intersection of their existing priorities and actions in preparation for and response to the impacts of climate change.”

Kevin Bayuk

PACE Implementing Partner
Partner/Designer, UPI

Corrine Van Hook-Turner Headshot

“I'm excited for PACE to live up to its potential: honoring and investing in our multi-ethnic/cultural/abled communities expertise to lead and continue catalyzing transformative change.”

Corrine Van Hook-Turner

PACE Strategic Advisor
Director of Climate Innovation, MSC

Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish Headshot

“I love that this program celebrates our communities' resilience, knowledge, and unique ways of connecting our interrelated issues.”

Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish

PACE Strategic Advisor
Climate Innovation Program Manager, MSC

Emi Wang Headshot

“PACE will build the capacity and power of neighborhood leaders to achieve community self-determination.”

Emi Wang

PACE Strategic Advisor
Environmental Equity Senior Policy Manager, GLI

Get in touch with us:

The PACE program team is available to answer questions about the program, application process, and benefits for participants. We encourage you to subscribe to receive email updates to ensure you stay up-to-date on the latest program announcements and news.

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