OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Cristina Garcia, CEM
Based in New York, NY
Cristina (she/her) founded Latinxs in Sustainability in 2017 to help address the lack of Latinx representation in the sustainability and environmental fields. She is a native New Yorker and holds a master's degree from the City College of New York in Environmental Engineering. Cristina believes it is critical to be intentional about programs and policies that will create high quality jobs that are accessible to all, especially historically marginalized and underrepresented groups.
Cristina currently works at Con Edison, where she manages programs offered to New Yorkers to help decarbonize and weatherize their homes. Prior to that she worked at BEI, where she focuses on helping city governments develop inclusive labor and workforce strategies that will enable an equitable transition away from fossil fuels. Prior to that, she developed building electrification strategies and workforce initiatives at the New York Mayor's Office of Sustainability, including spearheading the Retrofit Accelerator Internship Program, which trains and connects CUNY students to paid internships. In 2023 she organized another CUNY focused workforce initiative, CCNY Sustainability Level-Up. Cristina also served time on the board of the NYC Chapter of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) where she showcased sustainability opportunities in a construction dominated professional development organization. She was recently honored as one of New York’s 40 under 40 by Negocios Now.
Abraham Baca
Based in Los Angeles, California
Abe (he/him) joined Latinxs in Sustainability in 2021 after graduating from the University of Michigan with an MBA and an MS in Sustainability through the Erb Institute for Sustainable Business. He is passionate about working in the cleantech startup and venture capital ecosystem particularly, with BIPOC founders and supporting solutions helping Black and Brown communities. He believes that startups and innovative solutions will be essential towards a clean and equitable sustainable future.
Abe received a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Irvine, then spent 5 years designing power lines as a transmission engineer. During graduate school, Abe gained experience in business strategy and venture capital, through internships with the AES Corporation and Powerhouse Ventures. Most recently, he was the Senior Business Development and Growth Associate for the Techstars Sustainability Accelerator and supported the growth of 10 early-stage climate startups during the program.
Carolina Ramos
Based in Jersey City, NJ
Carolina (she/her) has been a part of Latinxs in Sustainability since 2021. Carolina strongly believes that Latinx and other marginalized populations have to lead climate conversations because they are the groups who are disproportionately affected by climate change.
Carolina is currently a senior energy analyst at the Cadmus Group. She was previously the program manager for the Jersey City Office of Sustainability. In her role, she provides program management and oversight of sustainability policies and initiatives across a variety of departments and sectors. Prior to her current position, Carolina served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Jersey City, developing a centralized volunteer program database to help community-based organizations expand their reach. She graduated from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, where she majored in environmental studies.
Melina Acevedo
Based in Brooklyn, New York
Melina Acevedo (she/her) joined Latinxs in Sustainability in 2022, and is leading on partnerships and fundraising efforts. As a first-generation college graduate and immigrant from Peru, Melina struggled to land an entry level role in clean energy upon graduation. Inspired by her own difficulties entering the industry and the lack of Latinx representation she sees in her work to this day, Melina is passionate about removing the barriers to entry for environmental jobs, particularly for students and young professionals from historically marginalized communities, and building a diverse and equitable leadership pipeline. At LiS, she is leading a workforce development program with CCNY and connecting students with employment opportunities throughout NYC.
Melina is currently a Project Development Manager at D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, where she manages the development of utility-scale solar projects across the US. Previously, Melina was a Senior Sales Analyst at Nextracker, where she managed the contracting of utility-scale solar projects across North America. Most recently, Melina wrapped up a two year term as a Board Member of Young Professionals in Energy (YPE) SF Bay Area, where she created and led YPE's inaugural Scholarship Program for students and Clean Energy Career Expo series for students and young/transitioning professionals since 2021. She holds a Bachelors in Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering from Princeton University.
Sebastian Sarria
Based in San Diego, California
Sebastian (he/him) joined Latinxs in Sustainability in 2022. A native of Colombia, Sebastian also ensures that equity is prioritized within his work so that opportunities are available to everyone.
Sebastian is a clean energy professional with seven years of experience in the industry. Most recently, he was the Policy Manager and a founding member of San Diego Community Power, a community choice aggregator dedicated to providing more renewable energy at better prices to customers in the San Diego region. At SDCP, he assisted in creating the foundation to help the organization work and flourish. In the policy team, he led efforts to ensure equitable solar access to customers, as well as build out the agency’s supplier diversity efforts. He was also a key part of the grassroots advocacy movement to start SDCP while at Climate Action Campaign. He holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Central Florida. He is also a recipient of San Diego Business Journal's Top 40 Leaders Under 40 Award in 2021 and was a National Fellow that same year with the Clean Energy Leadership Institute.