Circularity 25 emerging leaders
Akiera Charles
Akiera is a multi-hyphenated creative, environmental justice organizer and climate communication consultant born in Grenada and raised in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. She loves connecting and weaving networks and co-creating vibrant and blossoming teams. Her work lives at the intersections of brave spaces, circularity and environmental justice.
Akiera is the founder of Bed Stuy Clothes Swap, which is a BIPOC led clothing recycling network based in NYC. She started Bed Stuy Clothes Swap (BSCS) during fall 2018 right in front of her house. A culmination of being priced out of “normal thrift ware prices” and not seeing enough Black women lead in sustainable fashion leadership spaces, inspired Akiera to deepen her knowledge about all the ways fashion impacts frontline communities and uneveningly harm people of color.
Currently, Akiera is a Beauty Justice policy consultant at Consumer Reports; her team most notably published the groundbreaking testing on synthetic braiding hair having cancer causing toxins. Previously, she served as a grant writer at the EPA and as the Climate Justice Hub Advocate between Brooklyn Movement Center (BMC), NYC-EJA and CUNY. Before working at Brooklyn Movement Center, she worked at the Network for Energy, Water, Housing and Affordable Buildings (NEWHAB) as the Sustainability Member Engagement Director. During her time at NEWHAB, she managed its programming teams, co-lead strategic membership engagement projects and network weaved inter-sectoral partnerships amongst large corporate and philanthropic organizations, CBOs and NEWHAB members.
Overall, the breath of her environmental justice and climate work also expands across the Caribbean and to other NYC waterfront EJ communities. Fortunate to have worked directly alongside and for EJ communities of color, a lot of her resiliency offerings move between climate communication consultancy, and community resilience planning. Outside of her resiliency work, she deeply enjoys moments when she gets to practice radical Black joy, and hold space for imagination and dream building. Akiera is also a ceramist and sound designer!
Brighton Kaoma
Founder and Managing Partner of Amano So - a growth stage global Intelligent Opportunity Network using Agentic AI and Human Intelligence to bridge the talent opportunity gap, unlocking career pathways, leadership development, and professional growth with clientele in 10+ countries in Africa, Europe, US, and Canada. Brighton is an experienced multidisciplinary expert with technology, international media, geopolitics, sustainability, and entrepreneurial innovation experience. Previously directed global strategy, policy engagement, and growth-stage startup incubation programs as Global Director of Youth Programs within the United Nations system in New York, deploying catalytic capital to accelerate 250+ startups across 100 countries.
A former Forbes reporter, International Strategy Fellow at Schmidt Futures, and current Perplexity AI Business Fellow( a $9b valuation/ ~$500m VC-backed start-up), Brighton was awarded and recognized by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II(Queen Young Leaders Award) at The Buckingham Palace in London, President Barack Obama in Washington DC, Former Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, Junior Chamber International(JCI Japan Outstanding Young Persons Award) in Tokyo, One Young World in The Hague, WWF International(International President's Award), and UNEP( Young Champion of the Earth) in Nairobi.
He's an M.S candidate in Computer Science Engineering and graduated from Columbia University in New York with the Masters of Public Administration(MPA) in Environmental Science and Public Policy. He has been a frequent contributor to BBC World News, National Geographic, Vogue, and The Guardian Magazine UK.
Daisy Benitez
Daisy is a change-maker passionate about safeguarding the planet and improving the lives of the people on it. She is a proud Dallas native and two-time Trojan with a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from USC. As a Sustainable Packaging Manager for PepsiCo’s Global Sustainability Office, she focuses on establishing cross-stakeholder partnerships along the packaging value chain to accelerate the industry towards innovative, circular solutions where packaging never becomes waste.
Daisy built her sustainability career first as a researcher for Los Alamos National Laboratories, tackling the global climate change challenge through long-term carbon capture and storage. She continued strengthening her technical expertise as a process mechanical engineer for Brown and Caldwell, designing municipal wastewater treatment systems. At EY’s Climate Change & Sustainability Services practice, she connected doing what was right for the planet to what drives business value for Fortune 500 client’s sustainability strategies. Daisy also advises NGOs on environmental justice and equity issues through her consulting group B3 JEDI and sits on the Fellows Advisory Committee of the Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation.
Daisy’s mission is to create impactful change and believes everyone can contribute to making the world a better place, one action at a time.
Danait Issac
Danait Issac is a passionate advocate for environmental justice, dedicated to creating a sustainable and just future for Black and Brown communities. As a Metro Atlanta native and the daughter of Eritrean immigrants, she has a deep understanding of the racial inequities and health disparities faced by communities of color.
With an extensive background in student organizing and community building within environmental justice spaces, her experiences at The Nature Conservancy, The Greenlining Institute, and as a Doris Duke Conservation Scholar have reinforced her commitment to diversifying the environmental field to be more inclusive of BIPOC communities.
As the Community Manager at GPE, she oversees a membership of over 470+ members nationwide, managing events and the community hub to keep Black and brown women connected and thriving in the fight for climate justice—believing that collective healing and liberation can come from building community!
Emily Lin
Emily Lin is a Master of Environmental Management candidate at the Yale School of the Environment, focusing on circular business models and design within the Industrial Ecology and Green Chemistry specialization. She is passionate about transforming our linear economy into a circular one by bridging theory and implementation, approaching solutions from a data-driven perspective, and pushing for change in a systemic and holistic way.
At Yale, she co-leads the Industrial Ecology and Green Chemistry community, where she develops academic and career development events and workshops and serves as the primary liaison between students and faculty. She served as a Teaching Fellow for Industrial Ecology, helping forty students master foundational knowledge in industrial ecology tools to analyze and measure holistic environmental impacts. She was also a Program Developer for UNIDO Global GreenChem Innovation and Network Programme, Career Pathways Coordinator for Yale’s Center of Business and the Environment, and was part of the 2024 Climate Innovation Intensive cohort at Tsai City for Innovative Thinking.
In addition to her studies, she works with Cotopaxi to advance its sustainability and circular efforts for its outdoor apparel and backpacks. Her projects include collaborating with the Circularity Operations team to analyze its end-of-life solutions, carbon emissions reporting, and EPR packaging disclosures. Her latest endeavor includes authoring the Circularity section of Cotopaxi's 2024 Impact Report.
She holds a Bachelor of Science with High Distinction in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University and studied abroad at the University of Cambridge, where she wrote two dissertations analyzing international politics in the era of climate change and transformative frameworks required for a sustainable future. In her free time, she loves rock climbing, throwing clay on a pottery wheel, and reading sci-fi novels in queer cafes. During her time off work, she can be found outdoors on adrenaline-filled adventures, from skydiving in New Zealand to white-water rafting in Iceland.
John Williams
My name is John Williams and I'm the owner of WasteWell, a company committed to promoting sustainability and reducing waste. Since taking the helm, I've successfully diverted over 200,000 pounds of food scraps from landfills. WasteWell provides accessible composting solutions for individuals and businesses lacking the time or space to compost themselves. I'm also currently serving as Supervisor at Bennett Compost in Philadelphia, where I oversee daily compost collections for over 6,000 residential and commercial customers, coordinating pick-up routes that successfully divert 4,000,000 pounds of food waste annually. I manage a team of 15 employees, ensuring efficient operations. I'm dedicated to community education and sustainability, regularly educating the public about composting at local farmers' markets and organizing compost drop-off sites. Previously, I was Head Site Operator for the Prison Compost Program, where they collected and processed food scraps from four correctional facilities.
Justin Langan
Justin Langan, a 26-year-old Métis leader from the rural community Swan River, Manitoba, Canada is dedicated to empowering Indigenous youth and fostering community development. A graduate of the University of Manitoba with a degree in Political Studies and Philosophy, Justin founded O’KANATA, a federally incorporated non-profit led by Indigenous youth, providing educational, cultural, and career opportunities. His impactful leadership earned O’KANATA international recognition, including the 2024 Small Business Champions Award. Justin’s work includes launching the Indigenous Film Archive and an Indigenous youth-centric podcast, as well as founding Heartwarmers, a business contributing to community initiatives. He has received numerous accolades, including the Indspire Métis Youth Award and CBC’s Future 40 Under 40. A 2024-2025 Parliamentary Intern, Justin is preparing to pursue graduate school to advocate for Indigenous and human rights globally.
Miranda Jackson
Miranda Jackson is a passionate environmentalist, waste enthusiast, and a lifelong ocean advocate. She studied at the University of Florida in Environmental Management of Natural Resources with a minor in mathematics. She also holds a Master of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, which allowed her to take a deep dive into ocean conservation, aquatic animal health, and sustainable fisheries.
After gaining a well-rounded education in environmental science, Miranda moved to Southern California to fulfill a long-held dream of living on the West Coast. She is currently an Environmental Sustainability Analyst at The Walt Disney Company, where she collects and analyzes environmental data with a focus on waste, water, single-use plastics, and sustainable seafood. Her work synthesizes her passions for the environment, playing with numbers, and creating a meaningful impact for both animals and people. Before this position, she worked to reduce waste, mitigate emissions, and enhance reuse on film and television sets.
Outside of work, Miranda enjoys going to the movies, singing and musical theater, and tidepooling along the coast. She makes sustainability content for her co-founded social media account, @SustainablyManaged, where her and her best friend teach their followers about nature and showcase how they live as imperfect environmentalists. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her boyfriend and their dog, Souffle.
Saxon Metzger
As the President of Eighth Generation Consulting, Metzger specializes in full lifecycle solar and storage installations. Eighth Generation delivers project and construction management, community benefit management, and grant writing and administration focusing on sustainability and renewable energy projects. A member of ASES, Metzger also works as an instructor of sustainable business and economics at Wilmington University. He serves on the PV RESOLVE board at the federal level as well as the Renewable Energy Component Task Force for the State of Illinois to make photovoltaic energy more efficient, effective, affordable, and resilient.
Treijon Johnson
Treijon Johnson is currently the Director of Sustainability at the Accredo Packaging. He is responsible for building upon the sustainability foundation at Accredo by refining and delivering the company’s sustainability strategy. Prior to Accredo, Treijon spent the previous 7 years developing breakthrough sustainable packaging between Mars Wrigley and Unilever Global R&D. In both experiences, Treijon worked to develop and deliver key innovations necessary to drive these brands toward their respective 2025 sustainable packaging goals