Alanis Allen is a Research Analyst in the Office of Climate Planning at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). Originally born and raised in Brooklyn, New York she moved to Connecticut for college, where she studied climate change, environmental justice and public health. During her studies she was a Student Associate for the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health and contributed to a project providing technical assistance to an environmental justice community in Alabama. The project propelled her to devote her senior essay to exploring the history of environmental justice progress in the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Economics from Yale University. After graduating, she found her current position at DEEP where she works on various climate change-related projects and programs including the Governor’s Council on Climate Change and the newly formed Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

Yaprak Onat is the Assistant Director of Research for the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA). She coordinates the planning, development, design, implementation, and evaluation of flood risk mitigation projects for coastal resilience and engages in workshops and training to improve science communication for capacity-building activities.

Her goal is to increase the adaptive capacity of coastal regions via hazard management strategies to develop the most optimal approaches for the sustainability of the coastal communities. Her outreach interests focus on improving the learning environment and teaching techniques for STEM students.

Alycia Santilli, MSW, is the Director the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) at Southern Connecticut State University. Alycia received her Master in Social Work with a concentration in Community Organizing from the University of Connecticut. She worked as a community organizer for several years, organizing people to influence state policy. Recognizing the link between policy change and research, she became interested in public health research as a means for advancing public policy. A dedicated resident of New Haven, CARE provides a unique venue for Alycia to combine her community organizing background with her research skills to improve the health of New Haven.

Sydney Seldon is currently a freshman at the University of Connecticut pursuing a bachelor's in environmental science and will soon declare a double major in economics. Sydney is passionate about environmental justice and is confident that her education at the University of Connecticut and her involvement in the Office of Sustainability as an EcoCaptain will dutifully prepare her to promote sustainable change in the world.

Savannah Cruz lives in New Haven, CT and attends Southern Connecticut State University as a senior Environmental Science, Systems, and Sustainability major. Her studies are focused on coastal marine systems. She hopes to attend Graduate school next semester, studying coral reef management and conducting research on restoring tropical coral reefs