On Oct. 24, Gov. Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 292, which supports the pursuit of environmental justice in North Carolina. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)
Gov. Roy Cooper announced his 11 appointees to the new N.C. Environmental Justice Advisory Council today; seven of them are women and 10 are non-white.
The governor created the new 22-member EJ Advisory Council in October, as part of Executive Order 292, “Advancing Environmental Justice for North Carolina.” Housed within the governor’s office, the new group expands on the Environmental Justice & Equity Advisory Board that was under the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
The EJ Advisory Council is charged with addressing environmental injustices in North Carolina. This includes working with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to research the effects of multiple pollution sources — also known as cumulative environmental impacts — on predominantly non-white and low-income communities.
The governor appoints half the council’s membership, with the balance appointed by cabinet secretaries.
These are the governor’s appointments:
- Justin Flores, vice president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee — FLOC — lives in Chapel Hill.
- Demico Guy of Charlotte is an engineering technician at the state Agriculture Department’s Soil and Water Division.
- Daisha Wall is the Community Science Manager at CleanAIRE NC in Charlotte.
- Sherri White-Williamson, is the director of Environmental Justice Strategy at the North Carolina Conservation Network. She lives in Clinton, where she also co-founded EJCAN, a community-based environmental justice organization.
- Rebecca Witter of Sugar Grove is an associate professor of Sustainable Development at Appalachian State University.
- Courtney G. Woods of Durham is an associate professor of Environmental Sciences and Master of Public Health Program Director at UNC-Chapel Hill. She also leads the Environmental Justice Action Research Clinic.
Three of the governors appointees also served on the DEQ’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board, the precursor to the new group:
- Marilyn Marsh-Robinson is director of Partnerships and Outreach at the Environmental Defense Fund.
- James H. Johnson, Jr. will co-chair the new committee. He is the Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center at UNC Chapel Hill.
- Marian Johnson-Thompson is a Professor Emerita of Biology and Environmental Sciences at the University of the District of Columbia and an adjunct professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Public Health.
- Naeema Muhammad is a senior adviser for the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network and has been a community organizer for the network since 2001.
These are the cabinet secretary appointments:
- Virginia Guidry (Health and Human Services) will co-chair the committee with James Johnson, Jr.
- Hayley Pfeiffer-Haynes (Department of Administration)
- Justin Duncan (Adult Correction)
- Jennifer Mundt (Commerce)
- Sharon Martin (DEQ)
- Torre Jessup (Information Technology)
- Douglas Taggart (Military and Veterans Affairs)
- Tamara Brothers (Natural and Cultural Resources)
- Ebony Pittman (Transportation)
- Cara Bridges (Public Safety)
Each cabinet agency must draft at least three EJ goals and measurable outcomes by mid-February. These goals will be subject to a formal public comment period.
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