Circularity 24 emerging leaders
Snit Abrha
Snit Abrha is a dedicated environmental advocate and Master of Environmental Studies candidate at York University in Toronto, Ontario. With a strong academic background in climate risk management and international development from the University of Waterloo and the University of Ottawa, she brings a multifaceted skill set aimed at addressing complex environmental challenges.
Snit's professional experiences include roles at Environment and Climate Change Canada, where she manages projects to mitigate environmental impact, and working as a research assistant focusing on environmental issues and climate change. Her commitment to environmental stewardship is further evidenced through her participation in fellowship programs, such as the Can-Study U.S. fellowship and 1834 Global fellowship, where she engaged in discussions and research on climate change adaptation and sustainability.
Drexlar Attram
Drexlar Attram is an impassioned advocate for circularity within the realms of corporate sustainability and social responsibility. Currently pursuing a Master of Science in Sustainability Management at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, Drexlar brings a holistic approach to sustainability, with a particular focus on circular economy principles. With a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a minor in Social Entrepreneurship from Drexel University, Drexlar possesses a deep understanding of the interconnectedness between environmental and social issues.
At the New York City Fair Trade Coalition, Drexlar leads efforts to promote circularity in the fashion industry, leveraging her skills in data analysis and stakeholder engagement to drive impactful change. From compiling and analyzing data for impactful reports to fostering collaborative partnerships aimed at reducing fashion waste, Drexlar's work underscores her commitment to advancing circular economy practices. Furthermore, her prior experiences with organizations like Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose and Only One, emphasize her passion for developing solutions to the world’s climate issues through corporate and nonprofit collaboration. With a particular interest in fashion and textile waste management, Drexlar is focused on building a career that identifies and scales sustainable solutions to supply chain management and overall circularity for consumer goods.
Kyarah Barton
Kyarah Barton is a passionate advocate for environmental justice and stewardship. Holding a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Spelman College, Kyarah champions recognizing the intersections of environmentalism and social justice. She is heavily involved within her local community in Atlanta, Georgia, where she collaborates with students of the Atlanta University Center and community leaders to advocate for more sustainable and equitable communities in the Westside of Atlanta. She proudly serves as a Lead Coordinator for the grassroots collective Midnight Riot and works at The Recycling Partnership as the Materials Advancement Fellow for the Film and Flexibles Recycling Coalition.
Aliyah Collins
Aliyah Collins is a climate advocate from Jackson, Tennessee. She is a graduate of Fisk University and Harvard Divinity School. She currently resides in Chicago, Illinois where she works for an environmental justice economic development organization called Blacks in Green. Aliyah serves as the manager of the Sustainable Square Mile, a community development project where the theory of change is to transform the West Woodlawn neighborhood on Chicago's southside into a walkable green village.
Aliyah is also the founder of the Eco-Healing Project that sheds light on the impact of climate disasters on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and supports HBCUs in building gardens to alleviate the mental health impact of climate emergencies. Aliyah is a inaugural cohort member of the Toms of Maine Incubator and 2024 Aspen Institute Future Leader. She has worked in communities in Nashville, Boston, and Chicago around connecting environmental justice and spiritual care.
Maria Fernanda Guerrero Pineiro
Maria grew up in Mexico, where she learned the value of resilience and determination from her family’s farming background. As a first-generation college student, she moved the United States by pursuing undergraduate studies in Supply Chain and Finance at the University of Houston. Her passion for problem solving and process improvement led her to pursue a career in consulting. At Deloitte Consulting, Maria played key roles in ERP implementations and Supply Chain Transformation projects for Automotive and Manufacturing clients.
Recently, she graduated from the MBA program at Michigan Ross with a concentration in Supply Chain Management and Operations as part of the Tauber Institute. She expanded her expertise into Healthcare and Sustainability consulting. Now, Maria aspires to continue growing in the consulting industry while challenging the status quo and advocating for minority representation, opening doors for others through her leadership endeavors.
Tevin Hamilton
With an unwavering dedication to environmental justice, I've actively participated in groundbreaking research alongside esteemed industry leaders. During my tenure at Yale University's School of the Environment, as part of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative (JEDSI) group, I conducted cutting-edge analyses focused on exploring the intricate dynamics of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Specifically, I have delved into the implications for environmental inequality in urban areas on both local and national scales. Motivated by a firm resolve to amplify the voices of marginalized communities, I've committed myself to addressing the disproportionate impact of resource utilization and disposal on low-income and minority groups. Leveraging my expertise in urban forestry, community engagement, and leadership in environmental justice, I've facilitated meaningful partnerships between industry stakeholders and communities. This has entailed optimizing community benefits plans and navigating complex issues such as labor and environmental justice.
My direct engagement with frontline communities, coupled with my unique perspective as a Black man rooted in an environmental justice background, underscores my steadfast dedication to confronting societal challenges head-on. Armed with a diverse skill set and an unyielding commitment to social justice and environmental stewardship, I am fully dedicated to making significant contributions to the climate arena.
Shubh Jain
Shubh Jain is the co-founder and CEO of WindLoop, a wind turbine blade recycling startup. He is currently a masters of environmental management candidate at Yale School of the Environment, where he focuses on circular recycling solutions and industrial decarbonization. Prior to founding WindLoop, Shubh was an early team member of the sustainability and R&D team at SOLARCYCLE and worked in the climate mitigation team at ICF. He holds a BS in environmental sciences from the University at Buffalo.
Brianna Jefferson
Brianna is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Environment and Sustainability Management at Georgetown University. She completed her undergraduate studies at Yale University in 2023, majoring in Environmental Studies with a double minor in Energy Studies and French Language. With a diverse work background in investment banking and sustainable agriculture, Brianna has developed a keen interest in global food systems and their impact on the environment.
As a citizen of both Canada and Jamaica, Brianna is passionate about applying her knowledge and skills to make a positive impact in both countries. Her primary focus lies in understanding the role of businesses in addressing the climate crisis. She aspires to build a career in the corporate sustainability sector, where she can explore the responsibilities that corporations have in maintaining supply chain transparency and implementing circular practices.
Brianna believes that circulatory extends beyond the end life of a product and encompasses the entire lifecycle, including the procurement of raw materials. Her wide-ranging interests span various industries, such as circulatory within the textile industry, reducing plastic waste in the consumer-packaged goods industry, and sustainable farming techniques
Anjali Malpani
Anjali Malpani is a Senior Business Partnerships Manager and founding team member at rePurpose Global, the world’s leading platform for plastic action and recovery. She specializes in helping CPG companies take decisive action on plastic waste, work towards their sustainability goals in packaging, and effectively communicate their efforts to stakeholders.
She also serves as a Board Member for Bring Naturally to Seattle, an organization dedicated to fostering the CPG community in the Pacific Northwest.
Through her participation in the Emerging Leaders cohort at Circularity'24, she aims to deepen her understanding of scaling impact through corporate partnerships, striving to drive even greater change within the industry.
Eradajere Oleita
Eradajere, named Detroit's Humanitarian of the Year in 2022, is a central figure in the community, playing key roles as a community organizer, curator, and project manager.
Her involvement spans environmental education and activism, highlighted by her co-founding of The Chip Bag Project. This innovative initiative combines environmental and social justice by transforming foil-lined products into sleeping bags for displaced individuals. Alongside this, Eradajere's work with Ecoworks involved educating young people about pollution, sustainability, and lead testing, including installing air monitors in Detroit. Her impactful initiatives have gained global recognition, featured in 30+ countries.
Additionally, she played significant roles in drafting and passing water and air protection ordinances in Detroit, while also contributing to various clean air and water task forces and Michigan's climate task force.
Fabiana Otero
Fabiana Otero’s mission is to continue to push the possibilities of circular solutions for used goods donated BY local communities, to SERVE local communities. Her pivot toward a career that merges both a personal and professional passion for sustainability has led to her current role as the first sustainability manager at Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County. Attending Circularity 23, and making connections that led to deeper conversations, was key to understanding where and how she could make a positive impact toward responsible consumption and production (SDG 12).
The “Fabi” pizazz includes consistent optimism and a strong dose of positivity. She is an advocate for cross-functional collaboration and open communication, an essential combination for revealing critical insights and perspectives that lead to stronger solutions. These qualities were put to good use in her previous roles in marketing and web development for a creative intelligence firm, and as an MBA consultant for Beam Suntory, the world’s third largest producer of distilled beverages.
Fabiana grew up in South Florida with warm beaches, frequent hurricanes, and acreages of wetlands that makeup the Everglades. She earned a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the University of Florida and a sustainable innovation Master's in business administration from the University of Vermont. Her aspirations include being part of systems change in circularity, eating a pecan waffle at Waffle House, and playing Monopoly more than once a year.
Linton Taylor
Linton is a Sustainability Strategy and Transformation consultant at Deloitte whose interest in circularity began with a love of fast fashion. Throughout college, he could be found wearing at least one item from H&M and influencing others to shop there until a class project that required him to benchmark fashion companies attempting to “close the loop.” Through research, he was exposed to the harms of fast fashion: exploited labor, communities without potable water, and mountains of clothing that ended up in landfills. This experience made him aware of the negative impacts of the industry and, more importantly, introduced him to the concept of circularity. Reconciling his love of fashion and its impacts, he only shops second-hand clothing and spends time educating himself on circularity. His goal is to turn his passion for circular fashion into a purposeful career.
Linton has had the opportunity to drive impactful sustainability initiatives at Deloitte – like developing and implementing Deloitte’s strategy to reduce its Scope 3 emissions – and is working to progress his career in circularity. From this program, he aims to gain 1) a peer-to-peer network where he can learn from others and share his own knowledge, 2) inspiration from the experiences of those in the circularity space, and 3) a mentor who can help navigate becoming a subject matter expert on circularity, specifically in fashion.
Outside of work, Linton enjoys biking, Latin dance (bachata/salsa), reading, and writing. Additionally, he is a Big Brother in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization in the Greater Chicago Area.
Celine Yang
Celine Yang, the Global Sustainability Marketing Lead at Berlin Packaging, drives sustainable packaging solutions and advises companies on creating authentic, purpose-driven marketing that sticks. Her mission is to mainstream sustainability as something that’s easy, accessible, and exciting—for everyone, everywhere.
Whether it be accelerating circular business models through packaging, engaging consumers on sustainable living at scale, or co-developing solutions that meet the sustainability needs of the marketplace, Celine scales impact by helping brands unpack their sustainability growth potential. She hopes to continue leading purpose-driven collaboration between the public and private sectors, piloting and scaling circularity initiatives within companies and across industries.
Celine graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor’s degree in Society & Environment, where she led circularity, sustainability engagement, and conservation tech initiatives. She has published environmental policy recommendations and insights through the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). She also conducted research on the global waste trade and led environmental education tours at her city’s local recycling facility.
Celine grew up in the Bay Area, California, and Shanghai, China. She is a second-generation Chinese-American and was born hard of hearing. She is passionate about elevating disability pride and creating a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable world for all. Celine is also the founder of Rise.hub, a platform dedicated to empowering students and young professionals to pursue impact-focused, purpose-driven careers.
Sree Yeluri
Sree Yeluri is a rising second-year student at Columbia Law School committed to pursuing a career in energy and environmental law. She hopes to combine her background in economics with her legal education to address the challenges inherent in balancing current needs with environmental preservation.
As a GreenBiz emerging leader and attendee at Circularity '24, Sree hopes to learn about different avenues to enacting changes in the sustainability space, such as redesigning products or consumption patterns to be less resource-intensive, and also about the role of lawyers in assisting in the just transition.