2026 American Climate Leadership Awards Selection Committee

The 7th annual American Climate Leadership Awards are here to bring together bold leaders driving real change. Be part of it and APPLY TODAY!

Meet Our Judges

Lauren Belmonte, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Change is Simple

Lauren brings a lifetime of environmental passion to Change is Simple, Inc. “I remember being inspired back in elementary school about both humanitarian and environmental issues, and my passion for the two has never waned.” She is a graduate of Merrimack College with a BS in Environmental Science and has over 18 years of experience in the environmental and sustainability field. Lauren takes the lead on Change is Simple’s strategy, fundraising, and organizational management, guiding the organization to identify opportunities within the community to partner and grow. 

Dr. Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, 18th U.S. Surgeon General, Ex Officio

Dr Benjamin is the NOLA.com/Times Picayune Endowed Chair of Public Health Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana, and from 2009-2013, served as the United States 18th Surgeon General. She specializes in prevention policies and health promotion among individuals as well as large populations, especially concerning obesity, childhood obesity, and children’s health. She has a special interest in rural health care, health disparities among socioeconomic groups, suicide, violence, and mental health. From her early days as the founder of a rural health clinic in Alabama to her leadership role in the worldwide advancement of preventive health, Dr. Benjamin has forged a career that has been recognized by a broad spectrum of organizations and publications. 

In 1995, she was the first physician under the age of 40 and the first African-American woman to be elected to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees. Other past board memberships included the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kaiser Family Foundation Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Catholic Health Association, and Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Benjamin is a member of the Institute of Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She has been chosen as a Kellogg National Fellow and Rockefeller Next Generation Leader. In 1998, Dr. Benjamin was the United States recipient of the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights. She received the 2000 National Caring Award, which was inspired by Mother Teresa and was recognized with the Papal honor Pro Ecclesia et Ponticifice from Pope Benedict XVI. In 2008, she was honored with a MacArthur Genius Award Fellowship. In 2011, Dr. Benjamin became the recipient of the Chairman’s Award at the 42nd NAACP Image Awards. In May 2013, Reader’s Digest ranked her #22 of the “100 Most Trusted People in America.” Dr. Benjamin has a BS in chemistry from Xavier University, New Orleans, attended Morehouse School of Medicine, earned an MD degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and an MBA from Tulane University. She is the recipient of 23 honorary degrees.

Jerome Foster II, American environmental activist

Jerome Foster II is the youngest-ever White House advisor, as a former member of President Biden’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council. He has been named TIME Magazine’s Next Generation Leader and works as Ambassador for American Forests and is the Co-Founder of WaicUp.org. His works today focuses to advance environmental justice, empowering the next social impact leaders and combating extreme heat and wildfire through policy advocacy, education, and community engagement.

Graham Hill, CEO of The Carbonauts

Graham is the founder and CEO of The Carbonauts. They help Fortune 1000 companies build climate-literate, sustainability enthusiastic cultures via tools such as live, interactive sustainability workshops. One of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” and featured on the covers of Inc. and Dwell Magazines, Graham is a successful serial entrepreneur and highly sought-after speaker known for his ability to eloquently explain how we can all create a simpler, wealthier, greener and happier planet. 

Alexia Leclercq, Cofounder, Start: Empowerment (S:E)

Alexia Leclercq is an environmental justice organizer and scholar. She focuses on using grassroots campaigns, policy, storytelling, and liberatory education to create a just and sustainable future. As the co-founder of Start: Empowerment, Alexia oversees this rapidly growing BIPOC-led non-profit working at the nexus of climate education, solutions, and environmental justice. S:E offers high-quality, justice-centered climate education by combining science, technology, art, and math (STEAM) skills and traditional & Indigenous ecological knowledge. Their mission is to empower the youth of color to innovate, imagine, and build a just and sustainable future across Turtle Island. 

Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder & Executive Director, Environmental Voter Project

Nathaniel oversees the Environmental Voter Project, a non-partisan nonprofit using data analytics and behavioral science to mobilize environmentalists to vote. Named one of five global “climate visionaries” by The New York Times in 2018, and dubbed “The Voting Guru” by Grist magazine, Stinnett is a frequent expert speaker on cutting-edge campaign techniques and the behavioral science behind getting people to vote. He has held a variety of senior leadership positions on US Senate, Congressional, state, and mayoral campaigns, and he sits on the Board of Advisors for MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative. He lives in Boston with his wife and two children.

Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, President and General Secretary, National Council of Churches

Bishop McKenzie is a preacher, conference speaker, author, documentarian, dynamic leader, and much more. She is the President and General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, representing 37 denominations and 30 million people worldwide advocating for social justice, peace and ecumenical unity. Under her leadership, the NCC received a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. through its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life. She is the first African American woman to serve in this position, as well as, the first female bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Bishop McKenzie is an active leader in social justice, having served on the White House Commission of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women Religious Leaders by the Huffington Post. She is also the founder of Selah, The Leadership Encounter for Women, and the author of six books on leadership and personal growth. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Howard University, and United Theological Seminary, she is a passionate mentor and global educator who leads with unwavering faith, wisdom, and dedication to service in everything she does.

Kate Wright, Executive Director, Climate Mayors

Kate is responsible for the strategic direction of Climate Mayors’ network, including helping cities implement bold policies and programs, supporting equitable climate action by the Federal Administration and Congress, and building initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while advancing economic growth and environmental justice. 

Before joining Climate Mayors, Kate served as CEO of CivicWell (formerly the Local Government Commission), where she worked with city and county leaders for fifteen years, spearheading environmental initiatives on climate resilience, clean mobility, sustainable water management, livable communities, renewable energy, and affordable housing.

For the fourth year running, Vanessa Hauc will co-host the awards broadcast. Vanessa Hauc is an Emmy award-winning journalist, anchor and director of “Planeta Tierra”, the investigative unit on environmental issues at Noticias Telemundo.