Jameka Hodnett 

Jameka is a passionate and dedicated advocate for climate justice. She combines her expertise in campaigning and lobbying to advance policies that reduce carbon pollution, create green jobs, and accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. Currently, Jameka serves as Director of the National Campaign for Public Health at the American Public Health Association, where she leads the association’s thousands of supporters in advancing a more equitable public health system. Jameka is a Senior Advisor for Rise to Thrive, which she co-founded in 2018. The organization’s mission is to empower and support women and femme leaders of color in the climate, environmental, and conservation movements.  

Previously, she served as Managing Director of Programs for the Chisholm Legacy Project, advancing climate policies that cleared pathways for a just transition. She also served as National Director of Campaigns at Dream.org, where she led state and federal implementation efforts for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Additionally, as a Local Climate Action Policy Fellow with Elemental Impact and the African American Mayors Association, she worked to ensure that the benefits of the IRA and Justice40 reached historically underinvested communities. Jameka previously served as Executive Director of Climate Equity with A/B Partners, where she led a multimillion-dollar climate disinformation war room campaign for the Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund. She has also held several senior leadership roles, including Deputy National Organizing Director at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where she mobilized four million members to advance legislation; Head of Field Organizing & Campaigns at 350.org, working with 150 local groups to pressure federal and state legislators to phase out fossil fuels; Deputy Director of Civic Engagement at the League of Conservation Voters, where she helped restore voting access for more than 1.4 million people; and Director of Programs at DC Solar United Neighborhoods, where she implemented Washington, DC’s Solar for All Program to bring solar energy benefits to 100,000 low-to moderate-income households. 

Jameka is a PhD candidate at Antioch University. She holds a JD from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and a BA in International Affairs and Climate Policy from Trinity University.