Climate Action and Environmental Justice Summit Speakers

Dr. Sonali Shukla McDermid (she/her) is a climate scientist and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at NYU. Her research explores the role of landscapes in our climate system using a variety of models and observational datasets. She is particularly interested in the many ways that agriculture both drives and is vulnerable to global environmental change. Dr. McDermid is affiliated with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), where she helps develop the land surface component of a state-of-the-art climate model. She served as Climate Co-Lead for the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project, a pioneering effort to assess the impact of climate change on agriculture and food security across South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. She was a contributing author to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land, a recent Fulbright-Kalam Scholarship awardee for her work on climate and agriculture, and serves as the Food Security Section Editor for CABI Agriculture and Bioscience. Dr. McDermid holds a B.A. in Physics from NYU, and a Masters and Ph.D. from the Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. She was previously a NASA Post-Doctoral Fellow at NASA GISS. Publications and additional information can be found at www.sonalimcdermid.com.

Taylor Morton (they/them) is the Director of Environmental Health and Education at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. They have been working with WE ACT since 2016, formerly as an intern, environmental health fellow, educational consultant, and environmental health and education manager. Among their responsibilities are leading education programs such as the Environmental Health & Justice Leadership Training and WE ACT’s Climate Education Policy initiatives as well as the organization’s NYCHA Healthy Homes program, which seeks to improve the health and future of public housing residents. Taylor also recognizes the importance of exposing BIPOC and low-income youth to natural elements, and actively supports this mission. They hold a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Spelman College, a M.S. in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from The New School, and a M.S. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Tara Moses (she/her) is a citizen of Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Mvskoke, director, award-winning playwright, Producing Artistic Director of telatúlsa, co-Artistic Director of Red Eagle Soaring, and co-Founder of Groundwater Arts. Most recently, her work as a director has been seen with American Indian Community House (New York, NY); Arena Stage (Washington, D.C.); Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (New Haven, CT); Safe Harbors Indigenous Collective (New York, NY); telatúlsa (Tulsa, OK); Oklahoma Indigenous Theatre Company (Edmond, OK); Serenbe Playhouse (Chattahoochee Hills, GA); and Amerinda (New York, NY). She is a Participant in New York Stage and Film’s inaugural NYSAF NEXUS project (2021); a Cultural Capital Fellow with First Peoples Fund (2020); fellow with the Intercultural Leadership Institute (18/19); member of DirectorsLabChicago (2018); member of the Directors Lab at Lincoln Center (2017); recipient of the Thomas C. Fichandler Award (2016); alum of the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship (2015-2017); associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society; and Dramatists Guild member. She holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Tulsa and is expected to attend Brown University/Trinity Rep as an MFA Directing Candidate in the fall of 2021. She is currently based on the Muscogee Creek Reservation. www.taramoses.com

Malina Rodriguez (she/her) is a dance producer, set builder and educator who is most content when connecting artists to resources. Upon moving to Atlanta, Rodriguez immersed herself in the arts community by founding Dance Truck, the portable performance venue that cultivates a new audience for contemporary dance. This experiment expanded Malina’s skills from lighting designer and technician to curator and community builder. These aptitudes were developed through the mission and work of The Lucky Penny, the non-profit presenting organization Rodriguez co-founded with choreographer Blake Beckham. As Assistant Technical Director for Theater Emory, Malina has worked with students to develop and test sustainability initiatives with Metro Atlanta schools and the art community. In 2020, Malina co-founded Atlanta Green Theatre Alliance to further explore her devotion to intersectional environmentalism, shared resources, and collaboration across artistic disciplines. Malina’s shared leadership has been recognized with numerous awards including a Hambidge Fellowship and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation SEED Grant. Malina is a member of IATSE Local 927 and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Technical Theatre and Design from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.