Professor Shalanda H. Baker is a Professor of Law, Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. Professor Baker is an affiliate faculty member in Northeastern’s Global Resilience Institute and Department of Political Science. She teaches courses at the law school and in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. Baker was awarded a 2016-17 Fulbright-García Robles grant, which she utilized to explore Mexico’s energy reform, climate change and indigenous rights. Before joining Northeastern’s faculty, Professor Baker spent three years as an associate professor of law at the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai’i, where she was the founding director of the Energy Justice Program. Prior to that, she served on the faculty at University of San Francisco School of Law. Baker holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the United States Air Force Academy, a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law, and an LLM from the University of Wisconsin School of Law, where she also served as a William H. Hastie Fellow. Immediately after law school, before working as a corporate and project finance attorney in both the Boston and Tokyo offices of the law firm of Bingham McCutchen, Professor Baker clerked for then-Associate Justice Roderick Ireland of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. She serves on the boards of the Solutions Project and the Clean Energy Group.

Subin DeVar is the director of the Initiative for Energy Justice, a national research center that provides law and policy resources to advocates and policymakers to advance state-level transitions to equitable renewable energy. Prior to working at IEJ, he directed the Sustainable Economies Law Center’s Community Renewable Energy Program to promote a just and rapid transition to clean energy through community control of energy resources. Subin began his career working in the field of nonprofit communications. He first worked for the Tahirih Justice Center, a legal advocacy organization for immigrant women fleeing violence, and then M+R Strategic Services, a consulting firm serving nonprofit organizations. He has a BA and BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and received his JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. During law school, he interned at Communities for a Better Environment, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Natural Resources Defense Counsel. Subin is passionate about building hope that humanity can respond to climate change in a loving, equitable, and transformational manner. He lives, works, and plays in Washington, DC with his brilliant partner and inspiring daughter.

Elena Itämeri is a Fellow at the Initiative for Energy Justice. She graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2021 with her JD and a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law, and she earned her BA in Justice and Peace Studies with a concentration in human rights and sustainability from Georgetown University in 2018. While in law school, Elena served as Editor-in-Chief of Animal Law Review, a board member of Students for Eliminating Environmental Discrimination, and an academic clinic participant for Earthrise Law Center. She also worked as a Law and Policy Clerk for the Green Energy Institute and as a Legal Intern for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Kristen Kortick is a Fellow for the Initiative for Energy Justice. Most recently, she clerked at a top ranked land use, environmental, real estate, and municipal law firm in Sacramento, CA to assist public agency and private clients through administrative proceedings, transactions, acquisitions, and litigation. Kristen began her career in academia in the field of cultural anthropology with an emphasis in environmental anthropology. Kristen’s field research and area focus examined the interplay between communities living nearby resource extraction zones and the greater cultural systems that inform those resource extraction zones. Her work in academia also led to career positions as a journalist, legislative caseworker, and a park ranger prior to law school. She has a BA from University of California, Davis, an MA from George Mason University, and a JD from Lewis and Clark Law School.

isaac sevier is an interim Program Director for the Initiative for Energy Justice. They work to develop and sustain locally-driven state and national strategies that direct U.S. energy and utility systems to repair harm from racist policies and investments, democratize ownership and benefits, and eliminate toxic emissions. With experiences including national network development, state policy advocacy, finance, and engineering, and as a first-generation American and college graduate, isaac brings a diverse range of perspectives to their work. Originally from Oklahoma, isaac holds engineering degrees from the University of Tulsa and Stanford University. They live on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land in San Francisco.

Melissa Sonntag is a Communications Associate for the Initiative for Energy Justice. Prior to IEJ, Melissa was on the marketing team for Repsly, a software-as-a-service company, where she gained exposure to a fast-paced, dynamic startup environment. In 2018, Melissa had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica where she spent seven months working at VerdEnergia, a combined reforestation project and permaculture farm. After leaving VerdEnergia, she continued working remotely with the project’s founders on its sister project, Blacksheep Regenerative Resource Management. Melissa holds a B.A. from Northeastern University. As an undergraduate, she served as a student researcher for the Northeastern Environmental Justice Research Collaborative and partnered with her supervising professor during her senior year to lead a class on their research.

Maria Stamas is an interim Program Director with the Initiative for Energy Justice. With over a decade of experience in energy law and policy, Maria’s work is dedicated to personal and systemic transformation for just, regenerative economies, with a focus on energy and utility governance. Most recently, Maria was Climate Equity Co-Director for the Natural Resources Defense Council where she fostered strategic partnerships to support the integration of racial and social equity into local government climate work and supported cities in developing equitable building decarbonization frameworks. Maria has co-developed coalition-based advocacy campaigns and testified before the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Energy Commission, and the California State Legislature, which collectively resulted in $200 million in new public investments for affordable housing upgrade programs. Maria holds a B.A. from Oberlin College and received her J.D. and M.A. in Energy & Resources from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law & the College of Natural Resources. During law school, Maria interned at the East Bay Community Law Center, in the Office of Commissioner Florio at the California Public Utilities Commission, and with the California Department of Justice. Maria serves as vice-chair of the California Utility Low-Income Oversight Board. She is based on Chochenyo Ohlone land in Oakland, California.