About the Board
The City of Seattle's Green New Deal Oversight Board was established by City Council (Ordinance 125926) to provide proposals for the design of new policies, programs, and projects and for changes to existing City environmental initiatives to the Mayor, City Council, and City departments to advance a Green New Deal for Seattle.
Green New Deal Oversight Board Members:
The Oversight Board is composed of 19 appointed members who are passionate about advancing climate justice and an equitable transition to renewable energy by centering the expertise of Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, youth, elders, people with pre-existing health conditions and disabilities, and workers harmed first and worse by climate change.
Members are appointed by the Mayor, City Council, or the Board itself into one of the following position categories:
- 8 positions designated for community representatives directly impacted by racial, economic, and environmental injustices. This includes two tribal members and two individuals between the ages of 16 and 25 at the time of their appointment.
- 4 positions designated for representatives of labor unions.
- 3 positions designated for representatives of environmental justice organizations.
- 3 positions designated for representatives with experience in greenhouse gas reduction and climate resiliency strategies relevant to cities.
- 1 position designated for an individual specializing in workforce training.
Current Members:
Debolina Banerjee
Environmental Justice Organization Representative
Appointed by City Council
Debolina (she/hers) is a Senior Climate Policy Manager at Puget Sound Sage. Her work includes research-based analysis of climate policies, campaign support on climate justice issues, and building power within Sage’s local and statewide climate coalitions. Debolina has research experience in transit-oriented development, the environmental impacts of unorganized industries and project management for real estate development. In addition, she has extensive experience working with grassroots activists and marginalized communities in India, organizing for social justice around food, sustainable agriculture, clean environment, community development, and women’s empowerment.
Matt Remle
Frontline Community Representative
Appointed by City Council
Matt Remle (Hunkpapa Lakota) is the Native American Program Coordinator for the Office of Native Education for the Marysville School District, the co-founder of Mazaska Talks, and is on the steering committee for the Stop the Money Pipeline. In 2014, Remle was awarded Seattle’s Individual Human Rights Leader Award. In 2017, he was awarded the National Indian Education Association’s Educator of the Year, the Billy Frank Jr. Natural Resource Protection Award and was named of Seattle’s Most Influential People. In 2020, he was named by the Seattle Times as one of the top ten most influential people to watch for in the next decade.
Hannah Lindell-Smith
Youth Representative
Appointed by the Mayor
As a community and political organizer, Hannah Lindell-Smith has collaborated with the Sunrise Movement, 350 Seattle, and climate and environmental justice coalitions on the local and international levels. Her work centers around building resilience, holding leaders accountable, and empowering young people and communities. Named a 2022 EarthGen Medalist for youth organizing work in her home of Southwest Seattle, Hannah is currently Coalitions Lead for the organizing team oat Zero Hour. She is also a dance and aerialist training at SANCA, and attends Summit Atlas High School.
Nancy Huizar
Frontline Community Representative
Appointed by the Mayor
Nancy was born and raised in South Seattle and holds a degree from UW’s Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Department. Nancy is an environmental justice activist, facilitator, and consultant. Nancy works closely with community groups, business associations, government departments and agencies, nonprofits, coalitions of people, and community members to center their needs in environmental justice. As a consultant, Nancy centers their work around supporting communities of color, particularly Black and Indigenous communities, to move them toward truly being equitable partners in problem-solving the issues that affect where they live. They believe everything we do to further environmental justice needs to address how people — particularly people of color — are impacted.
Rachel Heaton
Tribal Representative
Appointed by City Council
Rachel (Muckleshoot Tribe) lives in Auburn, Washington and is also a descendant of the Duwamish Tribe, the first peoples of the area now known as Seattle. In 2017, she, along with many other Natives and allies, helped divest the City of Seattle’s $3 billion from Wells Fargo, in part because of its funding the Dakota Access Pipeline. This victory prompted Rachell and Matte Remle to co-found Mazaska Talks, an Indigenous-developed tool to help other communities divest their cities and organizations from banks contributing to the desecration of Mother Earth. She is also a Lead Culture Educator for the Muckleshoot Tribe. There, she learns about traditional Indigenous plants, how to harvest them, and develops ways to incorporate them into everyday foods. She shares the importance and our ancestors’ teachings of these medicines to her Tribal community. Additionally, she works with youth and adults to learn to use our earth gym as a way to apply culture and healing as our bases for health and wellness.
Stephanie Ung
Frontline Community Representative
Appointed by the Board
Stephanie is a proud diaspora child of Khmer/Filipino ancestry. She is a passionate human being, using their love for nature and life to drive her youth-focused intergenerational work as the Co-Executive Director for Khmer Community of Seattle King County (KCSKC). Stephanie enjoys dancing, laughter, and good food & good company.
Nina Olivier
Climate Resiliency/Greenhouse Reduction Specialist
Nina Olivier (she/her) currently serves on the City of Seattle's Green New Deal Oversight Board as an Executive Committee Member and a Climate Resiliency and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Specialist. As King County's Circular Economy Program Manager, she focuses on driving innovation to strengthen markets for recycled materials and divert materials from the landfill. She supports implementation planning for Re+ and manages circular economy contract work while leading efforts to reduce emissions and promote a greener economy through the 2025 update to the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Environmental Science from Western Washington University and a Master of Science in Natural Resource Management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her previous work experience includes roles as a Sustainability Manager at IMEG formally Rushing (Engineering), Program Coordinator at Built Green, Waste Solutions Project Coordinator at ENGIE Impact, Project Manager at Progressive Comfort Solutions, and Resource Management Volunteer with the Peace Corps. She is also affiliated with the City of Seattle's Building Emissions Performance Working Group, NextCycle Washington, ReUse Commons, and the Carbon Leadership Forum.
Susan Balbas
Environmental Justice Organization Representative
Appointed by the Mayor 
Susan Balbas is the co-founder and executive director of Na’ah Illahee Fund (Mother Earth in the Chinook language), a Seattle-based nonprofit public fund with a mission to support cultural wellness and advance regenerative economies in Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Teaching, focused on Economics and History. Her career has been in nonprofit and business management, and she has served on multiple boards and committees locally, nationally and internationally. Susan is active within climate, environmental and social justice movements as well as within the philanthropic sector.
Emily Myers
Labor Union Representative
Emily Myers is currently the Staff Organizer and serves as an elected Executive Board Member for UAW 4121, where she develops and implements organizing strategies and membership engagement for 6,000 Academic Student Employees and Postdocs at the University of Washington to build collective power, advocate for fair working conditions, equitable higher education, and social justice. She co-facilitates their local’s Political Workgroup, Climate Justice Workgroup, and Communications Workgroup, which organizes around and advocates for climate justice at the intersection of labor and climate. She works to develop union members to be leaders on climate and worker issues.
Andrea Ornelas
Labor Union Representative 
Andrea Ornelas is currently the Assistant Political Director for Member Outreach and serves on the Executive Board for Laborers Local 242 where she works with membership to organize events in the community around our elected leaders. Andrea has helped uplift community voices and leadership working with MLK Labor Council through a series of educational workshops, focused on Economic Recovery & Unions and Anti-Racism/Policing Forums. She also volunteers through the ANEW Pre-Apprenticeship program as a diversity speaker on economic empowerment, mentoring teens and adults seeking information about union trades.
Keith Weir
Labor Union Representative
Keith Weir is currently the Business Representative and Political Director for IBEW Local 46, covering all Project Labor Agreements and Community Workforce Agreements in Seattle and King County. He is a past Board Chair and current Board member of ANEW, the longest running and original pre-apprenticeship program in the nation. Keith is a native Seattleite raised in White Center and graduated from Rainier Beach High School. He is passionate about building careers, not just jobs, and wants to ensure that projects coming out of Seattle’s Green New Deal be good family wage jobs to ensure a better future for our kids and grandkids. He has been involved with the Sound Alliance since its inception here in Seattle and works closely with Emerald Cities Seattle, ensuring pathways for community to Green collar careers.
Jess Wallach
Climate Resiliency Specialist
As one of the community organizers who co-launched the campaign for Seattle’s Green New Deal in 2019 and subsequently championed the GND Oversight Board, Jess Wallach is deeply invested in the success of this body and ready to get to work building its policy muscle and influence.
Jess has three years of experience leading local and regional campaigns to stop the buildout of fossil fuel infrastructure in a hybrid role that spans policy development, convening regional learning networks, and community organizing. Jess believes that climate justice isn’t just about stopping the harm --it’s also investing in transformative solutions at the intersections of equity, environment, and economic justice. In her role as a Seattle GND campaigner, Jess has organized in coalition to craft and pass the City’s Green New Deal resolution; to win a progressive revenue measure that equitably funds GND solutions like affordable housing and transitioning low-income homes off fossil fuels (Tax Amazon/JumpStart Seattle); to mobilize community power behind the recent Energy Code updates and more. Jess also brings a regional/national lens to the local Green New Deal work, through connections to coalitions like the national Green New Deal Network and as part of an emergent, informal network of campaigners working on city-level Green New Deals across the US.
Jess represents 350 Seattle, a climate group that’s aligned with local movements for social, economic and racial justice. 350 plays an important role in the local climate movement, advocating for what science and justice demand even when it’s not politically easy.
Steve Gelb
Workforce Training Representative 
Steve Gelb is currently the Northwest Regional Manager for Emerald Cities Collaborative, where he promotes decarbonization projects and policies bringing benefits to underserved communities. He is responsible for fundraising, program design, and policy development. Steve helped launch the Clean Energy Opportunity Hub that brings HVAC training and WMBE contractor development to BIPOC communities. Implemented RENEW, a comprehensive energy and water efficiency program for affordable housing that includes technical guidance, financing, and project development. Established the WA Building Engineers Consortium to provide career pathways, coordinated training, and certifications. Steve has also collaborated with Seattle City Light to incorporate community benefits into utility programs and helped develop a High Road Agreement for residential contractors and a Community Workforce Agreement for commercial contractors.
Emily Pinckney
Emissions Reduction Specialist
Appointed by City Council 
Emily Pinkney attended Humboldt State University and Duke University and graduated with degrees in Wildlife Management and Marine Biology. Her areas of study included phycology, human impacts on marine environments, sensory physiology of marine animals, and how climate change is tightly tied to systems of subjugation and oppression.
She has worked in wildlife spaces such as Seattle Aquarium and Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Emily Pinckney is the former executive director of 500 Women Scientists, a social justice focused science organization that supports underrepresented folks in STEM. She uses science and community organizing to make policy more equitable and inclusive. She served on Governor Inslee’s Environmental Justice Alliance. She currently sits on the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Board of Directors.
Lizzie Baskerville
Frontline Community Representative
Appointed by the Mayor 
Lizzy Baskerville is the co-founder of Restaurant 2 Garden, a community-based organization that promotes hyperlocal composting, food sovereignty, and the circular economy in Seattle’s Chinatown International District. She has worked as an environmental and food justice advocate for over a decade and currently serves as an Environmental Justice Planner for the WA Dept of Ecology. She was born and raised in Seattle.
Camille Gipaya
Youth Representative
Appointed by the Mayor
Camille is a Community Outreach Organizer at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS) where she leads the organization’s environmental justice policy advocacy, research and education, and community outreach work. Camille is a graduate of the University of Washington and holds a degree in cultural anthropology. Previously, Camille was the Political Committee Lead for the Filipino American Student Association and a field organizer with the Washington State Democratic Party.