2027 American Climate Leadership Awards Selection Committee

Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA — NOLA.com/Times Picayune Endowed Chair of Public Health Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana and the 18th U.S. Surgeon General (2009–2013). Expert in prevention policy, obesity and children’s health, rural health care, health disparities, mental health and suicide prevention. Founder of a rural health clinic in Alabama; former AMA Board of Trustees member and board member of multiple health foundations. MacArthur Fellow and recipient of numerous honors including the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights and 23 honorary degrees.

Jerome Foster II – Environmental justice activist, social entrepreneur, and co-leader of WaicUp, which uses art and civic engagement for social impact. At 18, became the youngest-ever White House adviser, serving on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Founder of OneMillionOfUs, helped organize the School Strike for Climate Movement, and interned with Congressman John Lewis at 16. Recognized by Cambridge University as a modern historical figure and has been featured in TIME, Forbes, BBC, and The Washington Post. Received honors including the United Nations Champion of the Earth Award and Bloomberg Green Champion.

Michael E. Mann, PhD — Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media. A leading climate scientist and communicator, he studies Earth’s climate system and the impacts and policy implications of human-caused climate change. Author of more than 200 publications and six books, including The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars and The New Climate War. Elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and a Foreign Member of the Royal Society.

Jeff Masters, PhD — American meteorologist and hurricane scientist, co-founder of the Weather Underground and a leading communicator on extreme weather and climate change. Known for expert analyses of tropical cyclones and climate impacts and for translating complex atmospheric science for public audiences.

Naomi Oreskes — Harvard professor, historian of science, and prominent scholar of climate science and scientific consensus, co-author of Merchants of Doubt. Her work bridges history, policy, and public understanding of climate change; 2025 laureate of the Volvo Environment Prize.

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers — Episcopal theologian, author, and advocate for inclusive ministry, racial justice, environmental stewardship, and new ministry development. She served for nearly a decade as canon to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, guiding the Episcopal Church’s work in these areas. Author of The Church Cracked Open, Radical Welcome, and Church Tomorrow?, she currently serves as the Priest-in-charge at St. Gregory of Nyssa Church, San Francisco, and as an honorary canon in the Diocese of New York.

DJ Spooky (Paul D. Miller) — Composer, electronic/experimental hip-hop artist, multimedia artist and writer whose work spans music, visual art and cultural critique. Educator and visiting scholar at major institutions, author and curator of climate-focused projects such as Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica; recognized for interdisciplinary collaborations and cultural scholarship.

Leah Stokes — Political scientist whose research focuses on energy, environment, and climate policy, public opinion, and political behavior. Author of Short Circuiting Policy; published widely in top journals and major media, and recognized for work on utility politics, clean energy policy, and strategies for environmental advocacy.