Agenda

•  Print Download and Print The 2020 National Environmental Justice Conference & Training Program Agenda 

  

  Enhancing Communities Through Capacity
  Building and Technical Assistance

  AGENDA

  Addressing Health Disparities, Environmental Justice and Shaping the Future of Healthcare

  DAY 1–WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020

  FIRST FULL DAY OF THE 2020 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONFERENCE AND TRAINING PROGRAM

  3:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m. SPECIAL SESSION: OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS
  The Honorable James E. Clyburn, Majority Whip, U.S. House of Representatives (Democrat, 6th District, South Carolina)

  DAY 2–THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020

  SECOND FULL DAY OF THE 2020 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONFERENCE AND TRAINING PROGRAM

  7:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. General Conference Registration

  7:30 a.m.—4:00 p.m. Exhibit Hall Open

  7:30 a.m.—8:15 a.m. Continental Breakfast

  Conference Facilitator
  Ms. Carolyn Sawyer
  Communications Strategist
  Tom Sawyer Company

  8:15 a.m.––9:00 a.m. OPENING REMARKS

  The Honorable Muriel Bowser
  Mayor, Washington, D.C.

  Mr. Benjamin F. Wilson, Esq.
  Chairman, Beveridge & Diamond, P.C.
  Chairman, Board of Directors, National Environmental Justice Conference, Inc.

  Dr. Melinda Downing
  Environmental Justice Program Manager
  U.S. Department of Energy

  9:00 a.m.—10:15 a.m. PANEL

  Paving the Way: Diabetes Supplies for Hurricane Relief in Puerto Rico

  Dr. Kim Lambert
  Co-Chair of Rural Communities Committee (EJIWG)

  Carol Atkinson
  Insulin for Life

  Dr. Lourdes Gonzalez
  Presidencia Colegio de Optometras de P.R.,

  Diana Wahler
  Project Coordinator
  Office of Environmental Justice
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  10:15 a.m.—11:30 a.m. PANEL

  Reducing Social Injustice among people living in rural and underserved populations exposure to Pesticides Using a Community Health Worker Model and a mobile phone application

  Ileana Maria Ponce-Gonzalez, MD, MPH
  Executive Director
  Community Health Worker Coalition for Migrants and Refugees
  Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Health Services

  Carlos Mejia, MD
  Medical Director
  Community Health Worker Coalition for Migrants and Refugees

  Michael Parchman, MD, MPH
  Senior Investigator
  Washington Kaiser Research Institute

  11:30: a.m.—12:00 Noon BREAK

  12:00 Noon—1:00 p.m. LUNCH

  INTRODUCTION OF KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
  Dr. Melinda Downing
  Environmental Justice Program Manager
  U.S. Department of Energy

  KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
  The Honorable Paul M. Dabbar
  Under Secretary for Science
  U.S. Department of Energy

  1:00 p.m.—1:15 p.m. BREAK

  1:15 p.m.—2:30 p.m. PANEL

  Educate, Motivate, Innovate Panel: Building the Next Generation of Environmental Justice Leaders (The Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice’s “Educate, Motivate and Innovate (EMI) Environmental Justice Initiative”)

  Joanna Mounce Stancil
  EMI Chair
  USDA Forest Service

  The Carbon Emission Problem in Low Income and Minority Communities

  Aubrey Elise Sales
  Sophomore, Major – Political Science
  Tennessee State University

  Correlation between Field Types, Locations and Demographics and Potential Greenfield Development, using GIS to Map Brownfields in Richmond, Virginia

  Jarell Hines
  Undergraduate Student, Department of Chemistry
  Virginia State University

  In Honor of Nature: A tale of a Cattail

  Shakeena B. Reeves
  Senior, Major – Agriculture Economics
  Fort Valley State University

  2:30 p.m.—3:30 p.m. PANEL

  Community Engagement

  The Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Land Campaign: A Model for Cooperation Among NGO’s, Government, and Industry to Boost Economic Development in Abandoned Coal-Impacted Communities

  Anne Daymut
  Watershed Coordinator
  Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation

  Caring for Community Reforestation Programs and Carbon Banks

  Denise Bruce
  Director of Environmental Programs
  Sustainable Sandhills and Fayetteville (NC) Metropolitan Planning Area (FAMPO)

  3:30 p.m.—3:45 p.m. BREAK

  3:45 p.m.—4:45 p.m. PANEL

  Conservation Education Colorful Changes

  Felipe Benitez
  Executive Director
  Corazón Latino

  Nadine Mazzola
  Executive Leadership Team & Practicum Coordinator
  Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Certified Guides and Programs (ANFT)

  Tamberly Conway
  Founder/CEO, Conservation Conexions, LLC
  ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide

  Tinelle Bustam, PhD
  Director, Conservation Education
  USDA Forest Service

  Sandy Marin
  Resource Assistant, Conservation Education & Office of Tribal Relations, USDA Forest Service

  Ilse Argueta
  Guide in Training
  Association of Nature and Forest Therapy

  4:45 p.m.—6:00 p.m. PANEL

  Tribal Engagement

  Federal Agency Partnership to Engage Native Youth in Historic Preservation

  Chris Koeppel
  Assistant Director, Office of Tribal Relations
  UDSA Forest Service

  Sandy Marin
  Resource Assistant, Office of Tribal Relations & Conservation Education
  USDA Forest Service

  Valerie Hauser
  Director, Office of Native American Affairs
  Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

  Tribal Pesticide Enforcement Comes Close to Achieving EPA Goals, but “Circuit Rider” Inspector Guidance Needed

  Denton Stafford
  Program Analyst, Office of Inspector General
  Office of Audit & Evaluations – Toxics, Chemical Management and Pollution Prevention Directorate
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  Ganesa Curley
  Program Analyst, Office of Inspector General
  Office of Audit & Evaluations – Toxics, Chemical Management and Pollution Prevention Directorate
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  6:30 p.m. OPENING RECEPTION
  (Pool Deck)

  DAY 2–THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020
  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

  NoMa Room

  1:30 a.m.—2:45 p.m.

  EPA Tools: A Vital Resource to Address Environmental Justice Concerns

  Danielle Ridley
  Environmental Justice Coordinator, Office of Research and Development
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  Tai Lung
  EJSCREEN Lead, Office of Environmental Justice
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  Annie Neale
  EnviroAtlas Project Lead, Office of Research and Development
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  McPherson Room

  1:30 p.m.—2:45 p.m.

  Democratizing Geospatial Technology for Environmental Justice Communities

  Dr. David A. Padgett
  Associate Professor of Geography
  Director of the Geographic Information Sciences Laboratory
  Tennessee State University

  Ms. Olivia Harbison
  Graduate Research Assistant, College of Agriculture
  Tennessee State University

  McPherson Room

  4:30 p.m.—5:30 p.m.

  How to Make Data Driven Decisions Using U.S. Department of Energy’s Tools

  Krystal Laymon
  Policy Advisor
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Ookie Ma
  Physical Scientist
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Shelby DuPont
  Fellow, U.S. Department of Energy

  Potomac Room

  10:15 a.m.—11:45 a.m.

  Learners to Leaders: Environmental Justice Literacy Curriculum for Youth and Adults

  Maria Brodine
  Water Program Specialist
  Groundwork USA

  Potomac Room

  1:30 p.m.—2:45 p.m.

  Ensuring environmentally friendly neighborhood through effective soil testing and precise soil fertilization

  Oluwole Ariyo, Ph.D.
  Associate Professor and Principal Investigator, Environmental Justice Institute (EJI)
  Allen University

  Trevaris Brown
  Esther Oluwadiya
  Kierra Wellington and
  T’Lexus Gantts

  EJI Student Interns at Allen University

  Potomac Room

  3:00 p.m.—5:30 p.m.

  Strengthening Community Leaders from Within
  (Session 1)

  Garry Harris
  Managing Director
  Center for Sustainable Communities

  Ann Heard
  Executive in Residence Atlanta Metropolitan State College
  Former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 Administrator

  Sheryl Good
  Senior Scientist
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4

  Daphne Wilson
  Senior Scientist
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4

  NoMa Room

  9:30 a.m.—11:30 a.m.

  New Economic Models to Support Engineering and Science for Environmental, Climate, and Energy Justice

  Dr. Darshan Karwat
  Assistant Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society
  and The Polytechnic School
  Arizona State University

  Dr. Elena Krieger
  Director of Research
  PSE Healthy Energy

  Dr. Jean Boucher
  Postdoctoral Fellow, School for the Future of Innovation in Society
  Arizona State University

  NoMa Room

  1:30 p.m.—3:00 p.m.

  Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Training

  NoMa Room

  3:15 p.m.—5:45 p.m.

  Community Engagement Workshops

  Operationalizing Community Engagement

  Tania Tam Park
  Equity & Community Engagement Manager
  Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

  Julio Sánchez:
  Equity & Community Engagement Associate
  Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

  Joanna Gangi
  Communications – Equity & Community Engagement
  Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

  The Data vs. the Lived Experience in an Environmental Justice Community

  Tania Tam Park
  Equity & Community Engagement Manager
  Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

  Julio Sánchez:
  Equity & Community Engagement Associate
  Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

  Joanna Gangi
  Communications – Equity & Community Engagement
  Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

  DAY 3–FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020

  THIRD FULL DAY OF THE 2020 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONFERENCE AND TRAINING PROGRAM

  7:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. General Conference Registration

  7:30 a.m.—4:00 p.m. Exhibit Hall Open

  7:30 a.m.—8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

  Conference Facilitator
  Ms. Carolyn Sawyer
  Communications Strategist
  Tom Sawyer Company

  8:00 a.m.—9:00 a.m. PANEL

  FEMA: Empowering Local Officials to Talk Flood Risk

  Amira Barger
  Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Public Relations
  Resilience Action Partners

  Kate Skaggs
  Project Manager & Mitigation Champion
  Resilience Action Partners

  Peter Herrick Jr.
  Communications Lead, Data & Communications Branch
  Federal Emergency Management Agency

  9:00 a.m.—10:30 a.m. PANEL

  Federal Government Capacity Building, Training and Technical Assistance for Vulnerable Communities in Natural Disaster Preparedness, Response, and/or Recovery

  Joseph “Chip” Hughes, Jr.
  Director, Worker Training Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; and Chair, EJ IWG EJ and Natural Disasters Subcommittee, Research Triangle Park, NC

  Marsha Minter
  Associate Director, Office of Environmental Justice
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.

  Matt Campbell
  National Coordinator for the Community Planning and Capacity Building Recovery Support Function
  Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, D.C.

  Dr. Cheryl Levine
  Senior Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.

  Sharon Beard
  Industrial Hygienist, Worker Training Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
  Research Triangle Park, NC

  10:30 a.m.—10: 45 a.m. BREAK

  10:45 a.m.—11:45 a.m. PANEL

  Environmental Justice and Health Disparities

  Dr. David Rivers
  Professor, Medical University of South Carolina and Director, Public Information and Community Outreach (PICO)
  Charleston, SC

  Milton Bluehouse, Jr.
  Deputy Chief of Staff
  Office of the President and Vice President of the Navajo Nation

  Julius M. Redd
  Principal
  Beveridge & Diamond, P.C.

  11:45 a.m.—12:15 p.m. BREAK

  12:15 p.m.—1:30 p.m. LUNCH

  INTRODUCTION OF KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
  Mr. Benjamin F. Wilson, Esq.
  Chairman,
  Chairman, Board of Directors, National Environmental Justice Conference, Inc.

  KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
  Mr. Carlos M. Brown, Esquire
  Senior Vice President & General Counsel
  Dominion Energy Services
  Glen Allen, VA

  Environmental Justice Awards Presentation

  Dr. Melinda Downing
  Environmental Justice Program Manager
  U.S. Department of Energy

  1:30 p.m.—1:45 p.m. BREAK

  1:45 p.m.—3:00 p.m. PANEL

  Leadership Development

  From Interest to Involvement, Engagement to Participation – Practical Methods and Approaches to Increase Outreach and Understanding

  Lesley Cusick
  Community and Stakeholder Engagement
  Regulatory Process Improvement and Innovation, Beneficial Reuse
  RSI EnTech, LLC

  Front Line Community Leadership Development Initiative

  Garry Harris
  Managing Director
  Center for Sustainable Communities

  Juliet Hall
  Leadership Development Consultant
  Juliet Hall INC

  3:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m. PANEL

  Water and Air Quality

  Water quality across the Unites States and possible socioeconomic-driven disparities in obtaining potable water

  Kaleh Karim
  PhD Candidate, Department of Chemistry
  Tennessee State University

  Drinking Water Fundamentals and Culturally Competent Engagement

  Felipe Benitez
  Executive Director, Corazón Latino

  Sheyda Esnaashari
  Drinking Water Program Manager, River Network

  Addressing Inequities Using Air Quality Sensors-The Love My Air Denver Program

  Aubrey Burgess, M.S.
  Love My Air Program Coordinator
  City and County of Denver, CO

  Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District-A Regulatory Agency and Environmental Justice

  Arnita Gadson
  Executive Director, West Jefferson County Community Task Force (WJCCTF)
  NAACP Kentucky State Environmental Climate Justice Chair

  Michelle King
  Director of Program Planning
  Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District

  Torend L. Collins
  Environmental Coordinator
  Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District

  5:00 p.m.—5:15 p.m. CLOSING REMARKS

  Dr. Melinda Downing
  Environmental Justice Program Manager
  U.S. Department of Energy
  Timothy Fields, Jr.
  Senior Vice President, MDB, Inc.
  Vice-Chairman, Board of Directors
  National Environmental Justice
  Conference, Inc.

  DAY 3–FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020

  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

  NoMa Room

  8:30 a.m. — 11:30 a.m.

  Ms. Deborah N. Blacknall, CRA, Grants Administrator and Assistant Officer, Office
  of Sponsored Programs, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC

  Ms. Gwendolyn F. Mitchell Ulmer, CRA, Grant Administrator, Office of Sponsored
  Programs, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC

  Potomac Room

  8:30a.m.—11:30 a.m.

  Workshop on Environmental Justice and NEPA Methods

  Suzi Ruhl
  Co-chair, NEPA Committee of the IWG on EJ
  Senior Counsel
  Office of Environmental Justice
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  Denise Freeman
  Co-chair, NEPA Committee of the IWG on EJ
  Communications Liaison
  Environmental Justice Program, Office of Legacy Management
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Stanley Buzzelle
  Co-chair, Goods Movement Committee of the IWG on EJ
  Attorney Advisor
  Office of Environmental Justice
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  Michon Washington
  Member, NEPA Committee of the IWG on EJ
  Environmental Protection Specialist
  Office of Environment and Energy
  Policy and Operations
  Federal Aviation Administration

  Dennis Randolph
  Member, National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
  Public Works Director
  City of Grandview, Missouri

  Potomac Room

  2:30 p.m.—5:00 p.m.

  Strengthening Community Leaders from Within
  (Session 2)

  Garry Harris
  Managing Director
  Center for Sustainable Communities

  Ann Heard
  Executive in Residence Atlanta Metropolitan State College
  Former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 Administrator

  Sheryl Good
  Senior Scientist
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4

  Daphne Wilson
  Senior Scientist
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4

  NOTICE:

  The National Environmental Justice Conference, Inc., prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. Persons who need special accommodations to fully participate in the conference, workshops, or training programs, and persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the Conference Coordinator at 202-827-2224.

  Because of chemical sensitivity of many people, we are requesting that attendees wear unscented toiletry items. Images from this conference may be captured, published and distributed.

  Images of NEJC participants may be captured by conference photographers and published or distributed.