Shalanda H. Baker (she/her)

Co-Founder, Former Co-Director

Professor Shalanda H. Baker is the co-founder and former co-director of the Initiative for Energy Justice.
She will serve as the University of Michigan’s first vice provost for sustainability and climate action. She most recently served as the Senate-confirmed Director of the Office of Energy Justice and Equity at the U.S. Department of Energy. She also served as Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm’s Advisor on Equity. Prior to her appointment, she was a Professor of Law, Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. She has spent over a decade conducting research on the equity dimensions of the global transition away from fossil fuel energy to cleaner energy resources. She is the author of over a dozen articles, book chapters, and essays on renewable energy law, energy justice, energy policy, and renewable energy development. Her book, Revolutionary Power: An Activist’s Guide to the Energy Transition, argues that energy policy should be the next domain to advance civil rights.