The impacts of climate change will continue to negatively disproportionately impact low-income communities and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) across our nation and world, particularly as it relates to climate-driven urban flooding. Addressing the underlying structural and institutional racism that exists throughout the water sector is the mission of The Kresge Foundation’s Climate Resilient and Equitable Water Systems Initiative (CREWS). This discussion will lay out the current challenges, amplify the work of water innovators and leaders advancing this mission, and propose ideas for future work/needs in the water sector to mitigate the impacts of climate-driven urban flooding.

About the Speaker:

Jalonne L. White-Newsome is a senior program officer at The Kresge Foundation, responsible for the Environment Program’s grant portfolio on Climate Resilient and Equitable Water Systems (CREWS). Jalonne is also a core team member of Kresge’s Climate Change, Health and Equity Initiative, supporting grantmaking across the public health sector. Before joining Kresge in 2016, Jalonne served as director of federal policy at West Harlem Environmental Action Inc. (WE ACT), where she led national campaigns to ensure that the concerns of low-income communities of color were integrated into federal policy, particularly on issues of clean air, climate change and health. She is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. As a researcher on climate, health and equity, Jalonne was a lead author for the human health chapter of the Fourth National Climate Assessment. She provides leadership on various boards, including the National Academy of Sciences Board on Environmental Change and Society, the US Climate Action Network, Health Environmental Funder’s Network Steering Committee and the Urban Water Funder’s Group. A native of Detroit, Jalonne earned a Ph.D. in environmental health sciences from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Northwestern University. Jalonne has recently been recognized by Who’s Who in America, The Environmental Management Association’s Environmental Achievement Award, the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and is a 2017 PLACES Fellow alum with The Funders Network.