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Newsroom and
Speakers Bureau

Edgar Franks (left) of Familias Unidas por la Justicia and Guillermo Rogel Jr. (center), Front and Centered's legislative advocate, smile and pose with a community member (right). Edgar holds a sign that reads "Equitable Governance."

The Front and Centered coalition represents diverse and powerful communities of color-led groups across Washington State who come together to advance equity, environmental and climate justice.

Frontline communities are experts in the impacts we face from the climate and ecological crisis as well as in the solutions we need to transition to a healthy, resilient, and sustainable future. We share our expertise and engage broad audiences to influence policy via earned media, social media, email, events, briefings, video, podcasts, research and reports, and other digital and in-person strategies.

Here you can find recent media releases, media coverage, profiles of our coalition speakers who are available to interview with media and share their expertise speaking at events or panels, and other key resources.

To connect with any of our speakers, contact Charlie McAteer at [email protected]. Members of the media can stay updated by signing up to our media list (please check the box that says, “I am a member of the media”):

Media Coverage

Media Releases

Coalition Speakers Bureau

Are you looking for community and movement leaders who represent frontline communities in Washington State? Experts from our coordination team, Community Council, and membership are available for media interviews and speaking engagements, including panels, briefings, podcasts, videos, and more. See below for a selection of speakers who are building power and expertise rooted in solidarity and working together to advance a Just Transition.

To connect with any of our speakers, contact Charlie McAteer at [email protected].

Choose a Speaker by Topic:

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Isabel Carrera Zamanillo

Team, Community Education Coordinator
she/her/ella

Isabel is a Mexican biologist supporting community education efforts at Front and Centered. She has supported various climate justice projects in Mexico and the United States, incorporating ethnobiology and community-based participatory research methods. Isabel has also collaborated with a wide range of organizations in the design and management of STEM outreach programs and independent social justice projects, incorporating community and culturally responsive models. After completing her environmental science doctoral degree, Isabel worked on institutional change within higher education institutions through diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. In her free time, she loves cooking, listening to music, and playing board games.

Languages: English, Spanish

Davin Diaz

Team, Policy Coordinator
he/him/his

Davin works with a collaborative cross-sector team and our statewide membership to advance the development and implementation of Front and Centered’s agenda for climate and environmental justice. He brings transportation, land use, and environmental justice policy experience to the team. Davin also has experience working with arts and culture organizations and is interested in the intersection of art and social justice. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking with his family and working with artists in his community.

Languages: English

Deric Gruen

Team, Co-Executive Director, Programs and Policy
he/him/anything

Deric Gruen is the Co-Executive Director of Front and Centered for Policy and Programs and has been instrumental in the most significant climate and environmental justice policies in Washington State when it comes to both exposing false solutions and facilitating a Just Transition to a sustainable economy, including: the Healthy Environment for All Act, Move Ahead Washington, the Clean Energy Transformation Act, Initiative 1631, Initiative 732, and Climate Commitment Act.

Deric initiated and led the team that developed the Environmental Health Disparities Map, used widely across state government. He co-founded Front and Centered, the People’s Economy Lab, the Office of Sustainability at Bellevue College, and Critical Mass-Beirut in Lebanon, the “old country” of his mother’s parents.

Deric was born and raised in Washington State where he graduated Garfield High School and received his master’s from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. Deric was previously a fellow at the Sightline Institute, a board member of the national Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative (SCORAI), and an alumni of the Transatlantic Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy network (ELEEP).

Languages: English, Portuguese, and Spanish

James Lee

Team, Communications Lead
he/him/his

James is a communications specialist and marine ecologist dedicated to supporting community priorities through storytelling that challenges dominant narratives and advances the perspectives of those on the frontlines of environmental change. His research has been published in The American Naturalist and Frontiers in Marine Science.

James is from the San Francisco Bay Area, where he spent years organizing in support of shoreline restoration, eviction defense, and equitable access to green spaces. He is available to speak to classrooms and other audiences about Front and Centered and how the Just Transition framework underpins our work, what communications means to frontline communities beyond press releases and media relations, and the intersections of ecosystem restoration and community healing.

Languages: English, Korean (conversational), Japanese (conversational)

Aurora Martin

Team, Co-Executive Director, Capacity Building
she/her/hers

Aurora shares the leadership of Front and Centered, with a focus on supporting the team’s capacity building and community engagement efforts. She has been involved in social justice work as a nonprofit lawyer, community organization leader, and creative producer. Aurora brings an eclectic spirit to the Front and Centered team, and looks forward to advancing equity, environmental, and climate justice with our community coalition.

Languages: English, Tagalog

Esther Min

Team, Director of Environmental Health Research Partnerships
she/her/hers

Esther leads research and development and supports evidenced-based and data-driven work across Front and Centered programs. She brings experience developing environmental justice maps, facilitating community-government-academic partnerships, and supporting community-driven research and tool development. Her expertise is in applying environmental and climate justice principles in environmental public health research and practice including topics of cumulative impacts and pollution burden (such as air or water) and health equity. In her free time, Esther enjoys exploring tide pools (carefully) and harvesting chestnuts with her family.

Languages: English, Korean

Guillermo Rogel Jr.

Team, Legislative and Government Relations Advocate
he/him/his

Meet Guillermo, a dedicated member of the policy team at Front and Centered, working to advance the coalitions’s legislative priorities. With a passion for education and advocacy, Guillermo has spent the past seven years collaborating with multiple statewide coalitions and organizations to lobby for causes rooted in social and racial justice.

As the lobbyist representing Front and Centered, Guillermo plays a pivotal role in educating lawmakers in Olympia about the urgent need to address climate change and invest in the well-being of those most affected by its impacts.

Outside of the legislative world, Guillermo finds joy in going to concerts, playing tennis, and rooting for the OL Reign, FC Ballard, and Manchester United.

Languages: English, Spanish, Sindarin

Nico Wedekind

Team, Policy Counsel
he/him

Nico is a public interest environmental attorney with a background in regulatory and legislative affairs. Following the completion of his law degree, he served as the inaugural Diehl Clinical Fellow for the University of Washington Regulatory Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, where he focused on providing legal assistance to historically underrepresented communities in Washington State. Now, as a Front and Centered team member, Nico works on energy justice regulation, local pollution prevention, and the implementation of the expanding list of environmental justice laws in Washington State.

Languages: English, Spanish