Looking Through an Environmental Justice Lens: Community Engagement, Policy and Practice

Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome, Federal Policy Analyst for West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. (WE ACT for Environmental Justice)

Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome is WE ACT’s Federal Policy Analyst, based in Washington, DC. Prior to joining WE ACT, Jalonne was the inaugural Kendall Science Fellow with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), engaging in independent research on climate change adaptation and public health. While matriculating through the Environmental Health Sciences Department at the University Of Michigan School Of Public Health, her dissertation research focused on understanding the public health impacts of extreme heat events, specifically related to indoor heat exposure and how the urban-dwelling elderly adapt to hot weather. She spent a lot of her time translating her research into action through community outreach and engaging local policy makers and leaders on related issues. Before her time in academia, she spent over 10 years working in various manufacturing facilities, predominantly as an environmental manager, which also entailed assuming the role of emergency coordinator and voluntarily, liaising with the surrounding communities. Jalonne has held leadership positions in many professional and civic organizations, including the National Society of Black Engineers, Air & Waste Management Association, Minerva Education and Development Foundation, and other organizations with a focus on education and environmental justice issues. She is also an adjunct professor at Kettering University and a Professorial Lecturer at The George Washington University. A native Detroiter, Jalonne also holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Southern Methodist University. Jalonne has always believed that in order to make any environment safe, healthy and productive – whether it is a community, or a manufacturing facility – one must change the mindset of people involved, and attack issues simultaneously – from the “top-down” and “bottom-up”. She hopes that her work at the federal policy level will help promote that change.

This webinar was held November 19, 2012 at 1pm EST.

11/28/2012: The WebEx recording is available here.

Read more about PROTECT webinars here.