Environmental Justice Advisory Board

Jonathan Skinner-Thompson

Boulder

CDPHE Executive Director appointee

Jonathan is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Colorado Law School and Director of the Getches-Green Natural Resources, Energy & Environmental Law Clinic. Jonathan also teaches Environmental Law and Climate Change Law & Policy, and he writes on administrative and environmental law issues. His scholarship has appeared or is forthcoming in the Washington Law Review, and the environmental journals at Duke, Stanford, Vermont, and Virginia law schools, American Bar Association’s Natural Resources & Environment magazine.

Before joining University of Colorado Law School, Jonathan was an attorney at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—first in the Office of General Counsel and then with the Office of Regional Counsel in Denver. Jonathan also has served in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Defense Section and was an environmental associate with firms in New York and Seattle. For his federal service, Jonathan received the Administrator’s Award for Excellence, a Special General Counsel’s Award, and the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Excellence, among others.

Jonathan graduated cum laude from Duke University School of Law and with high honors from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. David Rojas Rueda

Fort Collins

CDPHE Executive Director appointee

David is an assistant professor at Colorado State University in environmental epidemiology. David's work focuses on assessing the health impacts of environmental and climate policies with an equity vision. He is the author of more than 90 scientific publications. David specializes in methods such as risk assessment and health impact assessment. His research actively involves residents, stakeholders, and authorities. He collaborates with international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, World Bank, and national and local authorities on environmental health and equity issues.

Bianka Emerson

Lakewood

Representative of a nongovernmental organization that represents statewide interests to advance racial justice

Bianka is a Campaign Strategist and has spent most of her professional career in electoral politics and the public & non-profit sector. She worked on several political campaigns, presidential and gubernatorial. She was the Coalitions Director for the Biden Harris campaign in Colorado, hosting the highest number of events for the Mid Western Region. Due to the pandemic, ninety percent of events were held virtually, which was a historic undertaking. Bianka was the Deputy Political Director for Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ campaign and Campaign Coordinator for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. 

She worked as a graduate fellow for the Democratic National Convention Committee in Denver, Colorado, which led to her work on President Barack Obama’s 2007 campaign as a Field Organizer. 

Bianka was the Program Manager for the Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable, where her role was to provide resources and organizational development for Progressive non-profit organizations throughout the state. She provides strategy regarding legislation in healthcare public options, financial equity, and education services in her consulting capacity. Bianka has a master's in social science and a law degree. Recently appointed by Governor Polis to the Environment Justice Advisory Board, she serves on many community and civic boards, including, Blue Flower, an organization that raises money for women running for public office, and Colorado Black Women for Political Action as President-Elect.

Darci Martinez

Commerce City

Current or former resident of a disproportionately impacted community

Dr. Darci Martinez is the current President of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses – Denver Chapter. As president, she supports nurses with the knowledge, skills, and tools to promote health equity. She has over 15 years of nurse leadership experience in ambulatory and hospital settings. 

As a member of the Environmental Policy Advisory Committee for Commerce City, she advises the local city government on sustainability and climate issues, including awareness of the health effects on residents. She recently completed training at the Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists and will begin to study environmental justice in disproportionately impacted communities.  

Steven Arauza

Rifle

Current or former resident of a disproportionately impacted community

Steven Arauza was appointed to the CDPHE Environmental Justice Advisory Board by the Governor and Executive Director of CDPHE in November 2021. He is serving in the capacity of a current or former resident of a disproportionately impacted community. Steven is an Environmental Protection Specialist with the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission with over a decade of experience in environmental stewardship and oil and gas regulation. Steven is based in Rifle, Colorado and his current areas of responsibility include Garfield, Rio Blanco, and Mesa counties. Steven also serves as district chair and board member for the state employees union, Colorado WINS Local 1876. Steven earned a B.S. in Geological Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Science in Geological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Outside of work, you can find Steven and his family hiking and biking the trails throughout the Colorado River and Roaring Fork valleys.

Christina Yebuah

Aurora

Current or former resident of a disproportionately impacted community

Christina Yebuah started off her academic career with an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Emory University. After college, she went on to get her Master’s in Public Health and Master’s of Public Administration, with a concentration in Community-Informed Policy. During her graduate program, she worked for the Eugene S Farley Health Policy Center, where she would engage in health policy research, mostly regarding behavioral health and primary care integration. She also worked for the Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center, where she assisted in creating training for public health and medical professionals around health equity topics. She went on to work as the Health Research and Policy Analyst for the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, where she led work ranging from birth equity, alternative payment models, behavioral health delivery, Medicaid waiver services, and the creation of community-informed policy initiatives and anti-poverty networks across the state. Christina now serves as the Maternal Health Manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, working to prevent maternal mortality. Additionally, she serves on the board for the Colorado Black Health Collaborative, where she also co-chair’s a woman’s health program titled, HerHealth | HerTruth, which works to provide reproductive and maternal health resources, create space for community building, and give opportunities for storytelling for black women across the state of Colorado.

Aaron Martinez

Pueblo

Current or former resident of a disproportionately impacted community

Born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado, Aaron began working at the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment in 2011 as an Environmental Health Specialist. Currently, as a Program Manager in

Environmental Health, he supervises several programs under Solid Waste, Residential Housing, and Air Quality. Prior to public health, Aaron worked in health care and the pharmaceutical industry. 

Having a lifelong love for the Arkansas River, the high prairies, and Wet Mountains, he believes we are stewards of this land. Aaron is interested in responsible growth while preserving our natural resources. Aaron has deep family roots in Southern Colorado that can be traced to the mid 1800s. Aaron is also the proud son, grandson, and nephew of Pueblo Steel Workers. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Phuonglan Nguyen

Denver

CDPHE Executive Director's designee (non-voting member)

Phuonglan Nguyen joined the Office of Health Equity in March 2022 as Deputy Director. Many at CDPHE have come to know her from her work in the Prevention Services Division for the past seven years, leading public health strategic projects aimed at reducing health disparities among Colorado children and people of reproductive age. She is a long-standing leader in the Health Equity & Environmental Justice Collaborative and is a fierce advocate for building dialogues and strengthening the capacity of CDPHE staff across the divisions to embed and operationalize equity, justice, and community inclusion into programming, services, and policies in ways that are responsive and accountable to Coloradans.

In her role, Phuonglan works to ensure the success of SB 21-181 implementation, including monitoring and reporting on the state of Colorado’s health equity, engaging the communities most impacted by health disparities in the development of solutions, and aligning state agency work on equity to achieve meaningful impact. Phuonglan continues to be committed to supporting the growth and efficacy of the Office of Health Equity (as part of the Office of Culture, Strategy, Equity, and Innovation), CDPHE staff across the divisions, and community partners across our great state. 

Phuonglan received her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver with a focus on organizational development and leadership for community action. She has worked as a classroom teacher, economic analyst, state legislative affairs specialist, community organizer, evaluation researcher, professional interpreter and translator, and artist. She can’t imagine ever moving away from Colorado where she has lived for more than 30 years and the only place she’s called home after having left the homeland land of Vietnam as a teenager. She also can’t imagine life without cats, family, comfort food, or music and art, and looks forward to learning how an electric manual transmission actually works.

Lesly Fajardo-Feaux

Boulder

For more than two decades, Lesly Fajardo-Feaux has garnered a broad range of experience working in governmental, nonprofit and academic roles in both her home country of Peru and in Boulder, Colorado. This includes experience as a contractor for the World Bank during her time in government work in Peru’s capital, Lima.

Lesly has a diverse background of working in child and adolescent development, community engagement, project management, and facilitation.

Most recently, she served as a community engagement specialist for Boulder County’s immunization program in addition to being a facilitator for The Raising of America Partnership, which is committed to engaging the community in supporting families and young children. Ultimately, Lesly worked to engage community members through family-friendly practices and collected data to surface gaps in how families identify and use meaningful support systems and resources available to them. Lesly is passionate in her belief that all Coloradan families must have access to resources that create more opportunities in their lives – now and in the future.

In Lesly’s role at the Colorado Health Foundation, she works in southeast Colorado to support her team with grant management, reports, and the implementation of funding initiatives. She appreciates the opportunities she has in this work to build relationships with communities, grantees, health systems, and future partners in an effort to achieve a healthier Colorado. For Lethe sly, the equity should be at the core of community life regardless of where someone comes from, what language they, speak, or who they are.

A Colorado resident for 17 years, Lesly loves going for hikes and bike rides, particularly when she’s joined by her husband and two children. Their family gets most excited about adventures that involve mountain lakes and scenic landscapes. Lesly's children are her greatest passion. She hopes that all children may have the opportunities life has presented to each of her two boys. When asked about her healthiest habit, Lesly loves to dance and cook, both of which keep her calm and centered.

A first-generation college student, Lesly believes life is at its best when she’s helping to instill values of equity and justice in her children and the people she surrounds herself with inside and outside of work.

Stephanie Felix-Sowy 

President, SEIU Local 105

Stephanie Felix-Sowy is the President of SEIU Local 105, the largest healthcare union in Colorado, uniting over 8,000 janitors, healthcare, mental health, airport, and security workers across the Mountain West. She represents her Colorado membership as a part of the Service Employees International Union's International Executive Board. Stephanie currently lives in Commerce City, was born and raised in Greeley, Colorado, and is a graduate of Colorado State University. She prides herself in having spent her career fighting to raise wages and living standards for working families in Colorado and across the country.

Irene Vilar

 CEO of Americas for Conservation + the Arts (AFC+A)

As the Puerto Rican Founder and CEO of Americas for Conservation + the Arts (AFC+A), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Irene Vilar leads a pioneering organization dedicated to fostering healthy communities through environmental and cultural justice. With over 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience, she is committed to creating diverse and inclusive workspaces that amplify the voices and address the needs of disadvantaged communities in the green and creative economies.

Since its founding in 2008, AFC+A has been a transformative force, tackling inequities in climate readiness and expanding access to the health benefits of nature and the arts. The organization’s innovative programming includes forest bathing wilderness hikes, environmental justice summits, urban forestry initiatives, and the publication of underrepresented voices through its Mandel Vilar Press. AFC+A’s community-driven approach ensures accessibility by offering multiple entry points to learning and action, meeting people where they are. Their impactful work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the SHIFT 2020 Award and the Colorado Environmental Education Innovation Award in 2018.

Irene is a distinguished environmental justice advocate, motivational coach, and Guggenheim Award-winning author. Through Mandel Vilar Press, AFC+A’s publishing arm, she has championed diversity and conservation in the book industry, with 80 titles and 12 awards as of Fall 2024. Irene is also the visionary behind the annual Americas Latino Eco Festival, now in its 14th year, and Promotores Verdes, a program connecting communities to nature-based health resources. Her leadership has earned her accolades, such as the City of Denver Office of Sustainability’s 2016 "Love This Place" Award and the 2017 Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Arts & Culture.

She has served on the advisory councils of the Colorado Office of Outdoor Recreation, the City of Denver Office of Sustainability, and the Green Leadership Trust. Irene’s literary work has been translated into six languages and has received prestigious awards, including the Mind Book of the Year Award, the IPPY Gold Medal for Best Memoir/Autobiography, and the Latino Book Award for Best Women’s Issues. Her writing, which delves into generational and national trauma, has been prominently featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Vogue, NBC News, and ABC.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Irene is the proud mother of two Colorado-born daughters, an experienced sailor with over 50 Gulf Stream crossings, and a passionate long-distance hiker in love with Colorado’s fourteeners.

Born in the coastal town of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Irene has called Colorado home since 2003, where her dedication to environmental and cultural advocacy continues to inspire change.

Priyanka DeSouza

 Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning

University of Colorado Denver

Priyanka deSouza is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research centers on building urban resilience to air pollution and climate change, strongly focusing on environmental justice. Priyanka’s interdisciplinary work spans three key areas:

1. Innovative Air Pollution Measurement: She develops cutting-edge methods to leverage low-cost sensors and satellite data for estimating air pollution levels in under-characterized regions, critically emphasizing accessibility and equity in technology use.
2. Health Impacts on Vulnerable Populations: Priyanka investigates the disproportionate health effects of air pollution and climate change on vulnerable and marginalized communities.
3. Political Economy of Air Pollution: She examines the systemic and governance barriers that hinder effective air pollution management in cities and offers insights into policy and institutional reforms.

Priyanka holds a Ph.D. in Urban Studies and Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was a Presidential Fellow, an MSc in Environmental Change and Management, and an MBA from the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. She earned her Bachelor's and Master of Technology degrees in Energy Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
Before academia, Priyanka worked with the UN Environment and the World Health Organization, gaining invaluable experience in global environmental health governance.

Through her academic and professional endeavors, Priyanka is dedicated to advancing equitable and sustainable solutions to some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing cities today.