Monuments

CHRISTOPHER BRADSHAW

Hear Christopher Bradshaw tell his story.

Christopher Bradshaw is the descendant of farmers, firemen, cooks, teachers, entrepreneurs, and farmers and survivors. Born in Tennessee, he has spent more than half of his life living in Washington, DC. Chris and his organization see the food system as a lens to examine and dismantle systems of oppression, and lead towards Black Liberation. Since its founding, Dreaming Out Loud, Inc. has impacted farmers, food-makers, and community members through cooperative social enterprise and advocacy. Under his leadership, Dreaming Out Loud has grown to include 21 full-time team members. He is a frequent speaker on the intersections of racial justice, class, gender, and food sovereignty—his appearances include the Atlantic Ideas Festival, Bloomberg American Health Summit; and both regional and national gatherings for farmers and food activists. Chris is also the recipient of Georgetown University’s John Thompson Legacy of a Dream Award for 2021, one of Eating Well Magazine’s 2021 American Food Heroes, and selected to The Root 100 list of most influential Black Americans. 

Kahlil Kettering

Hear Kahlil Kettering tell his story.

Kahlil is Executive Director of the Maryland/DC Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. He provides overall management and leadership for the Maryland/DC Chapter’s conservation and policy work across the state and district. 

He previously served as TNC’s Bezos Earth Fund Program Director from 2021—2023. In this role, he provided strategic management, overseeing all TNC deliverables associated with the $100M Bezos Earth Fund gift to TNC. He served as the point person working with project teams around the globe to collaboratively deploy and scale natural climate solutions to capture greenhouse gas emissions. 

Prior to this position, Kahlil started his career at TNC as the inaugural Urban Conservation Program Director for Maryland/DC Chapter from 2015—2021, where he developed conservation strategies in Washington, DC. and Baltimore, centered on implementing projects that elevate the intersection of protecting nature in urban areas and the benefits nature provides people in cities. 

This involved building momentum for the first-ever Stormwater Retention Credit market in DC. by using natural solutions, like rain gardens and bioswales, that absorb stormwater and reduce runoff pollution into the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. Kahlil also worked on strategic tree canopy expansion and engaging young people as environmental advocates for the future. 

Before moving back to his hometown of Washington, DC, Kahlil worked as an environmental analyst in Miami, Florida for the National Parks Conservation Association, advocating for the protection and restoration of Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. Kahlil has also worked as a consultant for environmental nonprofits, The Cadmus Group and the US Environmental Protection Agency. 

Kahlil holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from American University, a Master’s degree in Global Environmental Policy from American University and a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Maryland. Kahlil enjoys playing soccer, cooking, barbecuing, traveling, and laughing in his spare time. 

Joelle Novey

Hear Joelle Novey tell her story.

Joelle Novey finds communities of faith to be among the most powerful places in the world to talk about the climate crisis and why it matters to each of us. She loves opening conversations with people of all ages and backgrounds about what is happening to our world, and how we are each called to protect the people, places, and creatures we love.

As the Director of the local affiliate of Interfaith Power & Light since 2009, Joelle has worked to bring heart-opening conversations about the future we face to hundreds of people in the sanctuaries where they pray, reflect, celebrate, grieve, and seek to live better.

Today, the small team at Interfaith Power & Light presides over a growing religious climate movement, giving particular attention to supporting climate action and environmental justice work in local Black churches, and in Muslim, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and Buddhist communities. Together, 10,000 people in 1,000 congregations are raising their voices together for a livable future in our common home. Through Interfaith Power & Light, faith voices across Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia speak out together for stronger climate policy and an end to the burning of fossil fuels that is hurting our neighbors and destroying the world we share. (Join them, here.) 

Joelle is grounded in her own Jewish tradition’s fierce spirit of intervention which demands that we act boldly even when we feel uncertain, if life may be at stake. And she shares Dr. Katharine Hayhoe's conviction that everyone is already who we need to be to take climate action, because—whoever we are — burning fossil fuels and damaging our climate with heat-trapping pollution harms something or someone we love. 
 
Climate activism can be a dispiriting business, but Joelle says that working in congregations is an incredible gift, connecting with people in the sacred places where they strive, each week, to find and walk a holy path. "I get to dwell in the land of human goodness," she says. 

Ramón Palencia-Calvo

Hear Ramón Palencia-Calvo tell his story.

Ramón Palencia-Calvo is Maryland League of Conservation Voters’ Deputy Executive Director and Director of Chispa Maryland, a Latino outreach and grassroots organizing program he launched shortly after joining Maryland LCV in 2014.

Ramón has developed and implemented issue-organizing campaigns that led to local and statewide victories and developed new Latino leaders who can take grassroots and legislative action on environmental justice issues. He works with community groups, faith-based and grassroots organizations, legislators, and trusted influential partners to identify unique environmental issues facing Maryland’s Latinos and increase their political participation in favor of a pro-conservation agenda. Ramón obtained his master’s degree in environmental sciences and policy from Johns Hopkins University. Before joining Maryland LCV Ed Fund, Ramon was a Fellow at the Worldwatch Institute, where he worked on an international project identifying social, political, and economic opportunities to deploy renewable energy projects in Central America.

Brenda Lee Richardson

Hear Brenda Lee Richardson tell her story.

Brenda is an eco-feminist and has been working on welfare reform, environmental justice, economic development, education, behavioral health and health issues for the past 30 years.    

She currently serves as the Coordinator of the Anacostia Parks & Community Collaborative as well the President of Chozen Consulting, LLC, a consulting company that focuses on community engagement, facilitation, training, and government relations, and is the Principal for “Women Like Us,” an initiative that focuses on design thinking for women.  She is also the Vice-Chair of the Friends of Oxon Run Park. She also facilitates the Police Service Area 702 Outreach Committee where she works in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police Department. Brenda serves as the Chair of the Friends of Parkland Turner Library.  She represents the Friends of Oxon Run Park on the board of Greenspaces for DC.  She is also an Advisory Board member to Capital Nature. She is a member of the Urban Forestry Advisory Council. 

Formerly, Brenda was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Councilmember Marion Barry.  Brenda also served as the Managing Director of the Metropolitan Dialogue, a group of people of faith who met monthly to discuss civic issues in DC., for many years.  From 1995 to 1996, Brenda was the Director of Resident Services for the D.C. Housing Authority, and prior to that, she was the Executive Director of the Anacostia/Congress Heights Partnership. 

Brenda is currently a board member of Casey Trees, Potomac Riverkeeper Network, Urban Forestry Advisory Council, Capital Nature, Bridges Across the River, and the Council of Governments Access For All Community Council. She is the former Chair of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Advisory Council. She is a former board member of A Greater Washington, Anacostia Watershed Society, Congress Heights Main Streets, DC Commission of Women, DC Public Library Trustee, DC Water Trustee. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. 

Joe Toolan

Hear Joe Toolan tell his story.

Joe (he/him/el) serves as Justicia Y Equidad Fund Manager at GreenLatinos. His team will award $22.5 million dollars in funding in 2024 to projects enhancing urban tree work in Latine communities and support urban sustainability initiatives nationally. He has a background in philanthropy, community stewardship, behavior change, and building capacity of individual organizations and networks of nonprofits. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Geographical Sciences with a concentration in Environment Systems and Natural Resource Management from the University of Maryland, College Park and an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University. 

Joe, born in Guatemala, was adopted in the 90s and grew up in Maryland. He identifies as a queer, latine, indigenous, transracial international adoptee (and adoption educator) and environmentalist. Joe is the Chair of Annapolis Pride, a Commissioner on the State of Maryland Commission for LGBTQIA+ Affairs where he served as the first Chair from 2021—2023, a Senior Fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program, a Planning Committee Member for the Naturally Latinos Conference and the Chesapeake Watershed Forum, and serves as a mentor in the Young Professionals of Color program with the Choose Clean Water Coalition. Joe also serves on the board of Adoptees with Guatemalan Roots, and Out for Sustainability. Joe was also named Best Advocate in Anne Arundel County in 2023.