
Greater Baltimore Climate Initiative
Launched in 2024 and powered by The Butterfly Effect, the Greater Baltimore Climate Initiative—inspired by the forward-thinking programming of California’s Strategic Growth Council—is tailored to the unique needs of Baltimore City and its surrounding counties. GBCI aims to strengthen the region's environmental economic ecosystem, and to foster collaboration dedicated to enhancing Baltimore's environmental infrastructure and programming.

























This initiative serves as a platform for investments, partnerships, and dialogue.
Environmental Literacy
Bringing awareness to the
most pressing environmental
issues in the region.
Investments
Increasing organizational capacity to capture new and optimize existing climate, clean energy, and sustainability funding.
Partnerships
Initiating the development of a collective, synchronized agenda to optimize resources in the region.
Cross-sector Dialogue
Creating a safe space to
discuss the challenges facing
climate action strategies,
including infrastructure,
funding, administrative
barriers, and public policy.

"It is with great pride and admiration that I extend heartfelt congratulations to the Claude C Thornton Foundation on celebrating your inaugural Greater Baltimore Climate Summit."
Wes Moore
Governor
State of Maryland

STAY IN THE KNOW
Building Greater Baltimore Momentum Series
We were listening to you.
Building Greater Baltimore Momentum for Equitable Solutions is a virtual and in-person event series developed by the Greater Baltimore Climate Initiative (GBCI) in direct response to community feedback from the inaugural Greater Baltimore Climate summit. The series aims to maintain momentum by offering continued education, transparency, and strategic collaboration on climate action, clean energy, sustainability, and environmental justice issues.








Events

Thu, Nov 12BaltimoreCome together in November 2026 to address Baltimore’s most pressing environmental issues and climate initiatives!
Greater Baltimore Climate Summit
Resilience, community, and action in the face of uncertainty.
Monday, November 3rd, 2025
Meet the Host Committee
The Greater Baltimore Climate Summit is hosted by a committee of professionals at Morgan State University, Baltimore Green Space, the HBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative, and other local organizations. The host committee is deeply committed to advancing climate action, fostering regional climate planning, and promoting equitable and sustainable solutions, all with the shared goal of ensuring the success of this summit and driving impactful environmental change in the Baltimore region and beyond.

Founder & Host Committee Lead
Cari A. Harris, MS, PMP
Cari A. Harris is the founder of The CCT Foundation and The Butterfly Effect with a focus on socioeconomic data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and project/program management. She is also co-founder of the HBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative (HEJT Collaborative), a national group of HBCU-affiliated technical experts invested in sustainability and environmental justice.

Host Committee Member
Dr. Linda Loubert
Linda Loubert is a Political Economist at Morgan State University. Before taking a sabbatical at Johns Hopkins University in the Economics department, she served as the interim chair in the Economics Department at Morgan State University. Dr. Loubert, along with teaching economics, uses Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as a tool and generally applies it to spatial analysis surrounding economic and equity issues.

Host Committee Member
Eileen Singleton, P.E.
Eileen Singleton, Principal Transportation Engineer, joined the Baltimore Metropolitan Council in 1998. Her work supports the projects and committees of the Baltimore Metropolitan Planning Organization that enhance the safety, security, reliability, climate resilience, and efficiency of the region’s transportation network. Eileen has a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park. Eileen is a registered Professional Engineer in Maryland.

Host Committee Member
Shan Gordon
Shan Gordon is President of Cool Green Schools, a nonprofit educational organization the engages students in STEM investigations of their indoor and local environments. He is also CEO of Maryland Energy Savers, a company focused on creating energy efficient and healthy buildings. He has previously co-chaired the Marion County chapter of Oregon League of Conservation Voters and established three citizen advisory groups for land use planning.

Host Committee Member
Autrese Thornton, MA, BCC
Autrese is a board certified Executive Coach and a Community Engagement expert. In 2024, she was a subject matter expert and lead technical assistance consultant as a subcontractor to US EPA for the Community Change Grant program. Currently, Autrese Thornton is a PhD Candidate at Grand Canyon university studying Psychology with a concentration in Cognition and Instruction. She also serves part-time as a Caseworker for children that are county residents.

Host Committee Member
Katie is the Executive Director of Baltimore Green Space. She also co-chairs the Baltimore City Tree Ordinance Committee and is a member of the Forest in Cities Network; the Urban Waters Partnership, where she coordinates the Climate Committee; the Baltimore City Climate Action Plan Technical Advisory Committee; Forever Maryland; and the Baltimore City Forestry Board.

Host Committee Member
Tari Martin is the Chief Geospatial Information Officer at the National Alliance for Public Safety GIS (NAPSG) Foundation. She also co-chairs the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) Climate and Community Resilience Committee. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science & Policy and is near completion of her M.S. in Emergency Management. She has a passion for leveraging geospatial data and tools to support data-informed and equitable investments in improving community resilience.
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Host Committee Member
Cariema Wood is a portfolio manager focused on BGE’s Path to Clean or road to net-zero; focused on greenhouse gas emissions
reduction and innovative solutions for enhanced grid resilience. She is currently an adjunct professor for the University of Baltimore’s Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, Friends of Patterson Park Board Member, and USO, and Union Church volunteer. Cariema obtained her
B.A. in Journalism and Telecommunications from Ball State University, and her M.B.A. in
International Business from Baldwin Wallace University.

Host Committee Member
Scott Christensen is the manager of the Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund, a fund sponsored by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to invest into early-stage businesses addressing nutrient pollution. In the same role housed at the University of Maryland in College Park, Scott supports early-stage startups at Mtech Ventures as their program coordinator. He also sits on the board of the Keystone Development Center, an entrepreneur support organization focused on cooperative businesses across the Mid-Atlantic region.

Host Committee Member
Chris is Program Manager and Adjunct Professor of the Environmental Engineering, Science, Management and Sustainability Programs, Johns Hopkins University Engineering for Professionals, in the Whiting School of Engineering. Chris is also co-lead of the Coastal Climate Resilience Initiative and is an affiliate member of the Institute for Planetary Health where he is focused on developing nature-based solutions for climate resilience. As faculty at Hopkins, Chris also teaches design-based courses within the Environmental Health and Engineering Department. He is a registered professional engineer, board certified environmental engineer and an Envision Sustainability Professional through the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.

Host Committee Member
Megan is the Director of the Master’s Degree Programs in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She also serves as co-chair of University’s Sustainability Plan Steering Committee, and as core faculty for the Environmental Challenges Focus Area of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. As faculty at Hopkins, her efforts focus on designing healthy communities, connecting environmental health research with the real world, and improving environmental health surveillance (all through a justice and equity lens).
2025 Summit Speakers

Rebecca L. Flora, AICP
Secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning

Director, Office of Sustainability, City of Baltimore

Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment

Assistant Secretary of Environmental Justice at Maryland Department of the Environment

Vernice Miller-Travis
Executive Vice President, Metropolitan Group [Co-founder, WE ACT for Environmental Justice]

Dr. Benjamin Zaitchik
Chair and Professor, Johns Hopkins Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences & Principal Investigator, the Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative (BSEC)

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Young, Gifted & Green

Climate Justice Manager at Environmental Defense Fund
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CEO & Executive Director, Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

Claire Broido Johnson
President, Sunrock Distributed Generation

Maryland Senator, Education, Energy and the Environment standing committee, Energy sub-committee

Ruth Ann Norton
President and Chief Executive Officer, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

Baltimore City Councilwoman of District 10 and Vice Chair of the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership

Mike Ewall
Executive Director, Energy Justice Network

Senior Community Outreach Associate at the Environmental Protection Network (EPN)

Councilman Mark Conway
Councilman Mark Conway represents Baltimore City’s Fourth District

Jasmine Lomax
Meteorologist, Fox45

Diana Devers
Director of Environmental Programs & Engagement, Patapsco Heritage Greenway
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Jennifer Uchendu
Award-winning Climate Change and Mental Health Practitioner, SustyVibes

Eileen Singleton
Principal Transportation Engineer at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council

Kimberly Armstrong
Chief Sustainability Officer & Energy Advisor, Urban Clean Energy Advisors

Christopher Dipnarine
Founder and Executive Director, 4MyCiTy Inc

Justin Barry
Director of Energy Initiatives at Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

Ben Margolis
Director of the Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator

Lindsay Ryan
Executive Director of Economic Development at the University System of Maryland

Taji Amani
Lead, Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy

Scott Christensen
Manager, Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund

Justin Brodie-Kommit
Founding General Partner of Lichen Ventures and a lead organizer for DC Climate Week

Joanna Pi-Sunyer
Sustainability Manager, Baltimore City Public Schools

Dr. Lemir Teron
Associate Professor, Howard University

Reverend Dr. Heber Brown III
Founder & Executive Director, Black Church Food Security Network

Reverend Brenda White
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Pathway Forward, Inc.

Robin Lewis
Director of Climate Equity, Interfaith Power & Light (DC, MD, NoVA)

James Hollywood III
Founder, Together for You, Inc.

Denzel Mitchell Jr.
Co-founder & Executive Director, Farm Alliance of Baltimore

Maria Payan
Executive Director, Sussex Health & Environmental Network

Michael Payan
Director of Operations, Sussex Health & Environmental Network
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Faiza Mian
STEMcx

Destiney Hilton
STEMcx

Sunny Oliver
STEMcx

Makenzie Smith
STEMcx

Dr. Royce Francis
Associate Professor, George Washington University

Shashawnda Campbell
Co-founder, South Baltimore Community Land Trust

Walkiria Pool
President and Founder, Centro de Apoyo Familiar

Sumaira Pool
Youth Organizer, Centro de Apoyo Familiar

Dr. Jon Gorman
Professor, Towson University
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Joyce Lombardi
Energy Policy Manager, Maryland Energy Administration

Oliver Barham
Terra Fusion Energy Corporation

Abhishek Motayed
Founder & CEO, N5 Sensors Inc.

Dietrich Ruehlmann
Founder, GaiaXus

Kobby Osei-Kusi
CEO, Pirl Technology

Lauren Wustenberg
Founder of Fork Legal Design

Anjali Gulati
Climate Equity Associate + Green Dharma Organizer, Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)

Brittany Baker
Maryland Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Stephanie Santell
Founder and CEO, (Re)wilding

Sydnee Wilson Ruff
Executive Director, Blue Water Baltimore

Jason Michael Perry
Founder and Chief AI Officer of PerryLabs

John Toner
Co-founder and Head of Impact Strategy, Lemon Tree Productions

Yury Dvorkin
Associate Professor, Civil and Systems Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering with Johns Hopkins

Jenny Abamu
WAMU’s reporter covering Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, Maryland

Paul Pinsky
Director of the
Maryland Energy Administration

Joseph N. Weaver
Joseph N. Weaver is the CEO of Charge Connect, LLC

Paul Winters
Director of Public Affairs and Federal Communications for Clean Fuels Alliance
America

Jill Hamilton
Founder and President of Sustainable Energy Strategies, Inc. (SESI)

Jim Dankowski
Eaton’s Federal Government Marketing Director

STAY IN THE KNOW
2024 Summit Speakers

Director for the US EPA Mid-Atlantic Region’s Environmental Justice, Community Health & Environmental Review Division

Director, Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health;
Professor, Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health

Director, Office of Sustainability, City of Baltimore

Director of the Maryland Department of the Environment’s (MDE)
Air and Radiation Administration
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President and CEO
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

Assistant Secretary of Environmental Justice at Maryland Department of the Environment

Alexander Mandell
Environmental Justice Coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic Region (Region 3) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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Chief of Staff, Maryland Energy Administration

Deputy Legislative Director of Clean Energy and Electrification at the Sierra Club

Matthew Konfirst
Senior Climate Coordinator in EPA Region 3’s Environmental Justice, Community Health and Environmental Review Division

Executive Vice-President,
Metropolitan Group

Lisa Trakis
Environmental Scientist in EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region

Executive Director and Professor, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental
Science

Director of Economic Development and Strategic Engagement, Bowie State University and Member of Inaugural EPA HBCU-MSI Federal Advisory Council

Ben is a member of the of
the Maryland Senate, serving on the Education, Energy and the Environment standing
committee, and Energy sub-committee.
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Senior Policy Analyst at the Maryland Department of the Environment and Chair of the Just Transition Employment and Retraining Working Group of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change

Dr. Benjamin Zaitchik
Chair and Professor, Johns Hopkins Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences & Principal Investigator, the Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative (BSEC)

Lynn Heller
Founder and CEO of the Climate Access Fund and Board Chair of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters

Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and the Director of the Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab at the University of Maryland (UMD)

Shashawnda Campbell
Environmental Justice Coordinator at South Baltimore Community Land Trust

Senior Community Outreach Associate at the Environmental Protection Network (EPN)
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Community Outreach Associate with the Environmental Protection Network's Pro Bono capacity-building
technical assistance program

Environmental Protection Specialist in the Office of Climate Adaptation and Sustainability, Office of Policy at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Chair of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Resilient Infrastructure Subgroup on Climate in the Office of Policy

Dr. David A. Padgett
Baltimore Native, Tennessee State University Professor Geography and Co-founder of the HBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative

Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland’s School
of Public Health in the Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health

Climate Justice Manager at Environmental Defense Fund

Eileen Singleton
Principal Transportation Engineer at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council

Jess Smith
Solution Engineer at Esri

Eric J Schott PhD
Associate Research Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science






























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