About Us

As the founder of GridEquity, Robert Gudea is deeply committed to advancing community-driven, evidence-based energy and environmental justice. His work centers on understanding and prioritizing the expressed needs of the communities served, ensuring that initiatives effectively address the immediate challenges faced by those most impacted by climate change. While many communities are eager to explore clean, renewable energy solutions, they often confront pressing issues such as poor air and water quality, toxic runoff, noise pollution, and flooding. Robert strives to address these urgent concerns while facilitating pathways to renewable energy, creating a framework where both community needs and sustainable solutions can thrive together. In his work, Robert confronts the issues of greenwashing and astroturfing within the energy sector. These tactics are particularly evident in discussions surrounding biomass, biofuels, wood pellets, carbon credits, and carbon sequestration, where misleading marketing practices exaggerate environmental benefits. Greenwashing can portray these energy sources as sustainable despite their potential to contribute to pollution and deforestation. Meanwhile, astroturfing creates a false sense of grassroots support, obscuring the true impact of these technologies and undermining genuine efforts toward sustainability. By addressing these challenges, Robert aims to ensure that the ongoing energy transition is transparent, equitable, and genuinely beneficial to communities.

Myroslava is an incoming third year undergraduate at UC Berkeley pursuing a simultaneous degree in Society and Environment and Slavic Language and Literature with a Ukrainian concentration, as well as a minor in Public Policy. Following undergrad, she hopes to pursue graduate studies in law, focusing on environmental policy with goals of working in government or as an environmental lawyer. On campus, Myroslava is involved in organizations ranging from the SDG Undergraduate Research Group to student government. Growing up in the Bay Area, she has witnessed the firsthand effects of climate change on various communities and is passionate about engaging everyone in the fight for climate justice. Outside of classes, Myroslava enjoys volunteering and spending time in and around nature.

Donna is a passionate project manager committed to driving social and environmental change through sustainability. With a strong background in data science, she excels at leading initiatives that make a positive impact. Donna has managed diverse projects at the World Resources Institute, developed strategies for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and collaborated with the UN on sustainability policies. Her career has taken her from advising on waste management programs in Nepal to the picturesque landscapes of Salzburg.​​

Emily Mathias is a PhD Candidate at the University of South Carolina researching institutional language use, specifically institutional commitments. With degrees in Philosophy and training in Mathematics, Emily brings over a decade of experience in policy analysis and reform. She has worked on environmental issues and helped organize the Climate Ready Columbia coalition. Currently, Emily resides in South Carolina with her family, including 3 dogs. She is passionate about helping others, especially if the environment’s welfare improves as well.

Eric brings over a decade of experience in energy efficiency design and project management, delivering sustainable solutions across the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean. Specializing in optimizing HVAC, lighting, and water systems, he has spearheaded energy efficiency projects for municipalities, schools, hospitals, and commercial facilities. He has helped these institutions significantly reduce energy consumption, while enhancing performance and cost-effectiveness. Eric’s approach to energy conservation goes beyond technical fixes, creating lasting, scalable improvements that benefit both the environment and the communities he serves. Throughout his career, Eric has managed the entire lifecycle of energy conservation projects, from conducting preliminary assessments to overseeing construction completion. He seamlessly manages contractors and provides expert engineering support during site audits, construction bids, walk-throughs, and project development. Eric’s leadership in energy audits has shaped the priorities of his clients, guiding them toward the most impactful conservation measures. He also conducts comprehensive measurement and verification reviews to ensure that the implemented solutions deliver on expected savings.

Commissioner Erniko Brown is the Founder and CEO of Organized Uplifting Resources & Strategies (OURS), an environmental organization based in McCormick, South Carolina, dedicated to advancing community-driven, evidence-based environmental justice in rural, historically marginalized communities. Her work focuses on addressing urgent challenges, such as poor air and water quality, food insecurity, and housing disparities, while fostering sustainable, long-term solutions that uplift and empower the communities she serves. As the Environmental Justice & Disaster Management Executive Chair for the South Carolina NAACP State Conference, Commissioner Brown plays a pivotal role in leading statewide efforts to ensure equitable access to environmental resources and enhance disaster preparedness for vulnerable populations. Her leadership is critical in shaping policies that prioritize marginalized communities disproportionately affected by environmental injustices.

Jay is a coastal geographer and Ph.D. candidate at the University of South Carolina who bridges the worlds of science and real-world impact. His research combines geomorphology, ecology, and geospatial analysis to understand how coastal landscapes respond to environmental change. Jay has worked on field and remote sensing monitoring projects along the South Carolina coast, developing methods to assess dune and shoreline dynamics under various management approaches. With experience spanning both the U.S. and South Korea, Jay brings an international perspective and systems thinking approach to coastal research. He's passionate about translating complex science into actionable insights and building tools that support nature-based shoreline management and community resilience. His work helps coastal communities prepare for and adapt to the challenges of our changing environment.

With over ten years in property preservation and program operations, Jessie Counts has built a career streamlining processes and supporting mission-driven organizations in energy efficiency and weatherization. As a senior consultant with Greenbound Consulting and formerly with Community Housing Partners, she has strengthened federally funded programs through process redesign, and compliance. Jessie has managed multimillion-dollar budgets and cross-functional teams, helping organizations deliver measurable impact. She is passionate about using data-driven, collaborative approaches to promote sustainable, equitable housing solutions.

Monai joins GridEquity following completion of her B.A. in English from Georgia Southern University where she studied postcolonial writing, U.S. literary and oral traditions, research methodologies, and philosophy. As an undergraduate student, Monai analyzed American mass media with respect to the climate emergency and wrote extensively on society and "the environment" in contemporary Southern literature. Her interdisciplinary academic pursuits stem from her interest in equitable access to nature, biodiversity in the U.S. South, and a childhood spent as a voracious reader in southeast Georgia. Monai is invested in alleviating environmental injustice in the South and beyond through building external systems of accountability, resilience, and progress. Above all else, she believes in the power of storytelling to amplify the voices of those traditionally omitted from mainstream environmentalism and its ability to connect with communities facing similar challenges, far beyond these artificial borders

Mwangi Chege is an independent researcher based in Nairobi, Kenya. His research focuses on how flows of finances, resources, and information are reshaping relations to land and agricultural production in contemporary Kenya. He has previously worked with private and multilateral organizations across Africa in research and advisory positions in East Africa focused on infrastructure development, agricultural transformations, and environmental sustainability. He completed his PhD in Geography at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts

Nikki Weiss is a biocultural anthropologist specializing in mixed methods research who currently serves the Center for Public Health Systems at the University of Minnesota. She completed her undergraduate education in biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and she earned her master’s and doctorate in anthropology from Ohio State University. Before arriving at CPHS, Nikki worked for the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health – Great Lakes Hub, as well as for the CDC Foundation. Her research interests include health equity and making health care accessible and attainable for all.

Virginia Sanders is a former National Sierra Club Organizer who worked in the Richland and Marion Counties of South Carolina. Her work to further environmental justice includes fighting for her community’s right to access clean water. Virginia and the Sierra Club were instrumental in stopping developers in 1999 who had purchased land near the Congaree River to build a gated community in the floodplain. She knew that if they succeeded, they would divert flooding waters into a low-income Black community in Lower Richmond. With help from the Sierra Club, Virginia rallied volunteers to educate the community and fight the development, and they won. Virginia's tireless efforts continued in 2018 when a uranium and acid leak from a Westinghouse nuclear facility, located five miles from her home, posed a threat to the community's water source. Additionally, Virginia has organized bus riders in the city of Columbia to advocate for improvements to transit services and investments in walking and biking infrastructure. She serves on the Richland County conservation commission as well, all in an effort to improve the quality of life for the people of Richland and Marion Counties.