Meet three Obama alumni working to create a more sustainable future

In 2007, educator Michael Hawthorne read “The Audacity of Hope.” Galvanized by President Obama’s story and his recent announcement of his bid for the presidency, Michael left his job and moved to Chicago to work as the Georgia Deputy Field Director for the 2008 primary. Although Michael had no intentions of pursuing a career in politics, his work on the 2008 campaign inspired him to improve his community, namely through the lens of climate justice.

“Something bigger awoke in me, a deep need to serve my community and country,” recalled Michael. “This led me to work on my first environmental campaign with Al Gore's Repowering America effort in South Carolina.” Through his work, Michael saw the all-too-real threat of climate change, particularly on underserved and vulnerable Black and Brown communities, and the benefits of the clean energy movement. 

“It was quite mesmerizing to see how it [the looming climate crisis] brought folks from different backgrounds together to find solutions,” reflected Michael. “ I discovered my knack and passion for how to engage Black communities around clean energy and saw the unique opportunity to ensure underserved communities equitably benefited from an emerging clean economy.”

Katie Ryan, Vice President of Sustainability at Trellis Group, interviews Michael Hawthorne on methods to leverage culture to accelerate clean energy.

Motivated by his work with community partners, Michael co-founded Klean Energy Kulture with music producer Corey “Mr. Hanky” Dennard in 2021. Klean Energy Kulture is a nonprofit sustainable lifestyle brand that focuses on clean energy and advocacy through pop culture. “...We use entertainment to create content such as music, tv shows, and live experiences to socialize and curate what a sustainable lifestyle looks like so that it becomes a part of mainstream culture,” details Michael.“We then use our support base and philanthropic capital to implement clean energy projects in underserved communities to scale adoption and return clean power to the grid, all while activating our fan base to fight for policies that protect their access to clean energy.” 

Recently, Klean Energy Kulture launched “Electrify the City,” a place-based program that provides small business event venues with EV charging stations and solar rooftop installations. Michael is optimistic about the future of Electrify the City and increasing conversations around sustainability across Black communities. 

“Electrify the City is already generating a lot of interest from other business owners, especially Black business owners. We hope to scale the program across the U.S. to help add over 2GW of clean power to the grid while activating millions of our fans to advocate for more favorable policies that will accelerate this electrification momentum,” said the climate justice leader. Still, Michael acknowledges there is more work to be done in amplifying climate change issues and knows that we can do more to support conversations that help people adopt an energy-efficient lifestyle.

“I think everyone would agree that the biggest issue with communication about climate change is connecting with people and explaining why they should care. Polls continue to show that climate change is nowhere near the top of concerns for people. This is why we have to think outside the box. We need to approach climate like Apple or Nike would have if they were rolling out a product. The hard truth is that even if we scale every possible technology and put all the right policies in place, if consumers haven't changed their lifestyles, there will still be a lack of adoption. Culture has to become a critical investment.”

Esther Morales’ commitment to sustainability began at home. Growing up in a family of seven kids, Esther learned that a lack of material wealth could be supplemented by creativity. Still, within this space, Esther became very familiar with the relationship between environment and health determinants. 

“We lived in a variety of environments—some healthier than others. For me, health is everything, and working on the energy transition, working on human systems, ultimately comes down to wanting everyone to live their right to health, unmitigated by environmental or climate harms,” said Esther. 

As a young adult, Esther decided to join the 2008 Obama presidential campaign, working as campaign manager and organizer in Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Puerto Rico, and Wisconsin. Following her time on the campaign, Esther continued to invest in the administration, working in a number of positions, including Special Assistant at the Department of Health and Human Services, Intergovernmental Affairs Advisor with the U.S. Department of Energy, Associate Director of Policy for the Office of the First Lady, White House Liaison with the Environmental Protection Agency, and finally as the executive director of the National Women’s Business Council. Through her time working with the Obamas—nearly a decade of experience—Esther found that a shared set of common values helped set the tone for the work being done within the administration and her future pursuits. 

“From the highest level appointee to the most junior staffer, I felt that we shared two important things: We were all unquestionably committed to racial and social justice, and we knew that we had to push the envelope and work extra hard to get things done,” reflects Esther. “This kind of alignment around values and a focus on impact is what I continue to always look for in a work situation, no matter where I am and what I am doing.”

In 2021, Esther became the Executive Director of Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI), a small nonprofit that supports energy literacy and community building for emerging leaders in the clean energy economy. By investing in the knowledge, skills and leadership development of young professionals in the clean energy ecosystem, Esther and the team at CELI are working to accelerate innovators already building solutions to the climate crisis, as it relates to their specific community and discipline. 

“CELI supports sustainability by investing in young people who are positioned to influence and transform our energy systems now and in the future. CELI offers a fellowship for approximately 200 early to mid-career professionals per year in the clean energy ecosystem. The fellowship includes energy systems education, adaptive leadership exercises, an introduction to energy justice frameworks and speakers, and community-building activities,” details Esther. 

“The best part about my work, hands down, is the people! The dedication, commitment,  hard work, and values. I feel like we can do this. The people who have come before me have built alternatives to the harmful energy systems that are still in play today. We can take their work and push it further. This is an attainable dream.”

Becky Ryon spent her childhood on the Gulf Coast of Florida, well known for its incredible beaches and natural landscape. As a young adult, Becky laid roots in North Carolina where she began a career in politics, working as a field organizer for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. Through the next few years, Becky remained in NC, organizing for the NC Democratic Party and local level campaigns across the state. In 2014, however, things changed for Becky with the Dan River coal ash spill, which resulted in 39,000 tons of coal ash spilling into the river.

“The 2014 coal ash spill in the Dan River really opened my eyes to the toxic metals in coal ash ponds that threatened my family's drinking water supply in North Carolina,” explained Becky. 

This event sent Becky on a different path, taking her campaign and organizing experience into the field of environmental justice and sustainability. In 2016, Becky joined the Virginia League of Conservation Voters as the regional field director of their Climate Action Program. There Becky managed and mentored climate activists looking to push for smarter environmental legislation. 

“[The North Carolina ash spill] spurred me to help build grassroots support for legislation to close coal ash ponds in Virginia and set me on the path for a career in environmental advocacy. Now I can't imagine doing anything else,” reflects Becky. 

Becky is currently the North Coast Director of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League focusing on coastal communities from Georgetown and Horry Counties throughout the Pee Dee region. Through her work Becky helps promote sustainability through methods such as promoting renewable energy and efficiency, advocating for smarter land use policies, working to increase public transportation, and supporting communities in their resiliency efforts. Becky’s work also gives her the opportunity to work directly with underserved members of the SC North Coast region, having co-founded a regional wetlands working group, coordinated a community-led coalition focused on addressing environmental justice issues in historically Black communities, and serving on the executive committee for the Carolina Wetlands Association. 

“The best part of my job is being able to work directly with impacted community members and having the chance to amplify their stories. I'm honored to work with historic Gullah communities fighting to preserve their culture and traditions in the face of major flooding events, proposed highways, and development pressures. It's tough, but so rewarding when we win on an issue,” said Becky. 

As a lifelong resident of the U.S. Southeast, Becky is passionate about making a difference in South Carolina and across the coast. When asked what issue she thinks is the most important in the fight for climate justice, she immediately spoke about the American Wetlands. 

“One of the biggest and probably least recognized is the threat to our wetlands. The 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA removed federal protections for many of our most vulnerable wetlands, which in turn puts our communities at risk from increased flooding,” explains Becky. “Wetlands are crucial for carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, water filtration, flood storage, and so many other free ecosystem services.”

Still, Becky recognizes that the massive work that needs to be done requires incremental steps. 

 “All the steps we take as individuals add up: from picking up one piece of litter each day to setting your thermostat three degrees higher in the summer and lower in the winter.”