Empowering children through media to lay a foundation for climate literacy

Katharine Hayhoe (Co-Chair)

Chief Scientist - The Nature Conservancy

Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist whose research focuses on understanding the impacts of climate change on people and the planet. She is the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a Horn Distinguished Professor and Endowed Professor of Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University. She has served as a lead author for the Second, Third, and Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessments and her work has resulted in over 125 peer-reviewed papers, abstracts, and other publications. She is the author of the best-selling book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. She also hosts the PBS Digital Series Global Weirding and is a co-founder of Science Moms. Hayhoe is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Scientific Affiliation, an Honourary Fellow of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, an Oxfam Sister of the Planet, and the World Evangelical Alliance’s Climate Ambassador. She has been named to lists including the TIME 100 Most Influential People and Fortune's 50 World's Greatest Leaders, received a number of awards including the National Center for Science Education’s Friend of the Planet Award, the American Geophysical Union’s Climate Communication Prize and Ambassador Award, and the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award, and is a United Nations Champion of the Earth in Science and Innovation.

Gary Knell (Co-Chair)

Senior Advisor for Media and Social Impact at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Executive Chairman of Common Sense Networks

Gary Knell has been a leader in purpose-driven media for over four decades. Currently serving as Senior Advisor for Media and Social Impact at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Executive Chairman of Common Sense Networks, he is former Chairman of National Geographic Partners, the global joint venture owned by The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, which includes National Geographic television, print and digital assets and related activities and travel and consumer products.

From 2014 through 2018, Knell served as president and CEO of the National Geographic Society, where he oversaw the Society’s vast nonprofit activities in science exploration, education, and media innovation. Prior to that, he served as President and CEO of National Public Radio (NPR), promoting a new era of digital programming and podcasting. He was President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, the worldwide leader in children’s television, focusing on using the power of media to educate children, for 12 years. At Sesame, Knell was instrumental in groundbreaking international coproductions promoting public health, conflict resolution and basic childhood education. He has been a leader in publishing at Sesame as well as Manager Media International , based in Southeast Asia. He also served as Senior Vice President at WNET/THIRTEEN in New York and served as Counsel to the US Senate Governmental Affairs and Judiciary Committees.

Knell currently serves on the boards of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (chair of Nominating and Governance Committee), the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (chair of the Finance Committee), StoryCorps, the Society for Science (owners of Science News and the Regeneron Science Talent Search) and the UC Berkeley School of Journalism. He was a longtime board member of Heidrick and Struggles, the executive search firm, AARP Services, and Save the Children.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in political science (with emphasis in journalism) and a JD from Loyola Law School, as well as honorary degrees from Kenyon College, Mercy University and Franklin University in Switzerland.

Vic Barrett

Network Organizer, Power Shift

Vic is a Network Organizer with Power Shift. Vic witnessed the reality of climate change firsthand, as he was among the many impacted by the climate change fueled superstorm, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which left his family and school without power. Vic became involved in activism in high school by becoming a member of Global Kids, an organization that focuses on developing leadership skills for youth. Barrett then became a Fellow with the Alliance for Climate Education and spoke at the COP21 UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris in 2015, at the age of 15.

Vic is among 21 youth activists between the ages of 10 and 21 who are actively suing the government to take action on climate change in Juliana Vs. United States. The suit states that the government violated youth rights by allowing activities that harmed the climate, and are asking for progressive changes to current carbon dioxide emissions. Most recently Vic spoke at the NYC Climate Strike and told a crowd of at least 100,000 why climate justice needs to be highlighted and black, brown, and indigenous voices centered. Vic is ecstatic he gets to join the team of organizers and educators that developed him into the activist he is today.

Alberto M. Carvalho

Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District

Alberto M. Carvalho has served as Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest school district, since February 2022. He was selected by the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education in a unanimous vote following a comprehensive community engagement process and a nationwide search.

Since starting at Los Angeles Unified, Superintendent Carvalho has led the development and implementation of the District’s unanimously approved 2022-2026 Ready for the World Strategic Plan. Numerous initiatives and ideas have enhanced the plan, including the launch of the STEAM Lab Makerspaces, Education Transformation Office, Cultural Arts Passport, and Family Academy. Through Superintendent Carvalho’s leadership, Los Angeles Unified has also established 12 new education compacts between the District and local municipalities, made tremendous progress toward the “Green Schools for All” plan, and secured upgraded credit ratings, generating millions in savings.

During his 14-year tenure as Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), Superintendent Carvalho garnered local, state, national, and international recognition. His honors include Florida’s 2014 Superintendent of the Year; the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year; the 2016 winner of the Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education; the 2018 National Urban Superintendent of the Year and the 2019 National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) Superintendent of the Year Award, making him the most accomplished Superintendent in America’s history.

Superintendent Carvalho was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Education to serve on the National Assessment Governing Board. He has served as a committee member for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and is currently serving as an Advisory Committee Member to the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance. Superintendent Carvalho is a dedicated member of the Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council, National Board of Directors for Common Threads, the Posse Foundation, and code.org.

Under his leadership, M-DCPS became one of the nation’s highest-performing urban school systems, receiving systemwide accreditation from AdvancEd in 2014. M-DCPS was named as the 2014 College Board Advanced Placement Equity and Excellence District of the Year and the 2012 winner of the Broad Prize for Urban Education. Superintendent Carvalho is now seeking to elevate Los Angeles Unified to the premier spot in American urban education.

Superintendent Carvalho has been awarded many honorary degrees. He has been honored by the President of Portugal with the “Ordem de Mérito Civil,” by Mexico and with the “Ohtli Award.” He was also knighted by King Felipe VI with the Cross of the Orden de Isabel la Católica.

Mark Chambers

Licensed Architect and Climate Policy Leader

Mark Chambers is a national environmental policy leader, advocate for social justice and licensed architect inspired by public service and lessons of collective action. He recently served the Biden-Harris Administration in a Presidential appointment as the first Senior Director for Building Emissions and Community Resilience at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where he led the Administration’s climate policy development for the built environment. Chambers previously served as the Director of Sustainability for both New York City and the District of Columbia, where he led efforts to accelerate climate policy implementation across buildings, food, waste, transportation, health and energy sectors in America’s largest city and the Nation’s capital.

Chambers is a recipient of the Director's Award from the Smithsonian National Design Awards and the Public Architect Award from the American Institute of Architects (NY). Additionally, he lends his expertise on the built environment in his service on the Board of Directors of Second Nature and the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). Chambers speaks frequently on the intersection of climate change, resilient design and environmental justice. His work has been highlighted in the NY Times, the Washington Post, Grist, Architectural Record, Politico, Complex World, and Reuters among others. Chambers holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a MS in Public Policy and Management, both from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA where he is also currently an Adjunct Professor in the School of Architecture.

Amy Friedman

Founder and President of Redhead Consulting

Amy Friedman is Founder and President of Redhead Consulting, a content and brand creation company focused on kids, teens and families. Her work in programming, branding, and pro-social content has earned multiple Peabody, Beacon, Cable Ace, and Creativity Awards over 3 decades. Current client roster includes: The Aspen Institute, Common Sense Media, LionForge Entertainment, and many others.

Friedman most recently (2020-2023) served as Head of Kids & Family at Warner Bros, now Warner Brorthers Discovery. Responsible for the development, production, and strategy for HBO Max (now Max),Cartoon Network and Cartoonito, working in close collaboration with the animation studios, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.

An accomplished veteran of the kids and family media business, Friedman was an early creative architect of Nickelodeon (1987-98), and held senior leadership positions at Noggin (1998-2010), The-N/TeenNick (2004-2010), Scratch (Viacom's in-house Millennial innovation lab)(2010-2016) , Sprout, and Universal Kids (2016-2019). She has worked on channel, show and pro-social campaign launches around the globe, across the decades.

Amy is best known for her mix of sharp strategy and bold creative vision, inclusive storytelling, and leading happy, healthy non-hierarchical teams through disruption to growth.

A founding Board Advisor to The Children’s Media Association, Friedman also sits on the board of The Power to Decide, The Forward Association and the Montclair Film Festival Emerging Fillmakers project. She was recently recognized as a Cablefax Most Powerful Women honoree.

Amy enjoys spending time with her family and deliciously cute dog, Rosie, in Montclair, NJ.

Amara Ifeji

Director of Policy, Maine Environmental Education Association

Amara Ifeji is an internationally awarded non-profit leader in climate and environmental justice. Since high school, the barriers she faced in accessing environmental experiences fostered her commitment to securing environmental education and equitable access to the outdoors for all. As the Director of Policy with the Maine Environmental Education Association, Amara leverages grassroots advocacy to advance state and federal policy solutions. She served as the lead coordinator for Maine's first statewide Climate Education Summit, mobilized a youth-led movement that resulted in Maine adopting a historic $2+ million climate education program, and was appointed to the Maine Climate Council as the Youth Representative. She is a National Geographic Young Explorer, GRIST 50 Fixer, and Brower Youth Awardee. Amara is currently pursuing a Political Science degree at Northeastern University and was recognized as a 2023 Truman and Udall Scholar for her public service leadership.

Susie Jaramillo

CEO of Encantos

Susie Jaramillo is an Emmy-nominated director, artist, storyteller, and entrepreneur.

She currently serves as Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer of Encantos. She has won multiple awards from Kidscreen, Cynopsis Media, publishers weekly, and more.

She is also the creative heart of Encantos, creating the vision and setting the bar for brilliant stories with captivating, diverse characters that will endure the test of time.

Encantos produces world-class entertainment brands for children inspired by a world of cultures and was listed as one of Fast Companies World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2021. The company’s family brands include the Emmy-nominated and 2x Kidscreen award-winning preschool brand Canticos; Tiny Travelers, designed to introduce children to the countries and cultures of the world; and Skeletina, a book series about a little girl who lives in the In-Between world and helps children deal with their nightmares.

J.J. Johnson

Partner, Exec. Producer Sinking Ship Entertainment

J.J. Johnson is the creative force and founding partner of Sinking Ship Entertainment. He is a four-time Emmy-winning executive producer, three-time Emmy-winning director, CSA and WGC award-winning writer, and best-selling author. J.J. has created over 17 series including Dino Dana and Annedroids (Amazon Prime), Endlings (Hulu) and the Ghostwriter reboot (Apple TV+). Most recently he created Jane (Apple TV+), an environmental action-adventure series produced alongside the Jane Goodall Institute. His upcoming originals include Dino Dex (Amazon Prime), the third spinoff of his global hit Dino Dan franchise.

J.J. actively lends his perspective within the media industry, academia, and beyond. He has co-authored multiple academic papers and has been a guest speaker at the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the International Communication Association, and the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva. He is also a member of the Planet Media Task Force with the Aspen Institute which is committed to harnessing the influence of media to support children and their families in building scientifically grounded awareness and understanding of climate science and solutions.

Michael H. Levine

Senior Vice President at Paramount

Michael H. Levine is Senior Vice President at Paramount, where he drives learning and social impact for Noggin, the interactive early learning platform. During his tenure, Noggin has grown markedly in reach, revenue and impact and is recognized as an industry leader. Dr. Levine spearheads the company’s research, analytics, partnerships, thought leadership and DEIB work. Previously, he was Chief Knowledge Officer and the Founding Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, an innovation R&D and field-building organization, based at Sesame Workshop. Levine has led national and global initiatives on early learning, new school development, media creation and strategic communications that catalyzed major program and policy reforms. Prior to his recent posts as a media executive, Levine was Vice President for Asia Society, managing the global nonprofit's policy, language and educational initiatives to promote knowledge and understanding of other world regions and cultures. He also led Asia Society’s award-winning digital media web team. Levine oversaw Carnegie Corporation of New York's groundbreaking work in early childhood and brain development, educational media, and school reform, and was a senior advisor to the New York City Schools Chancellor, where he directed dropout prevention, afterschool, and early childhood initiatives. Levine is an advisor to numerous grant-making philanthropies and non-profits, and is often consulted by the White House and the U.S. Department of Education. He is the author of over fifty published articles and commentaries in academic and popular media outlets, and often keynotes conferences on child development, learning and digital media. Levine is the co-author of Tap, Click, Read: Growing Readers in a World of Screens (Jossey Bass, 2015) and was named by Working Mother magazine as one of America's most influential leaders in family and children's policy. He serves on several non-profit organization boards, (Digital Promise, JumpStart, Saga Education, We Are Family Foundation, Sirius Thinking Ltd, and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Literacy), and mentors social impact founders. Levine received his Ph.D. in Social Policy from Brandeis University's Florence Heller School and his B.S. from Cornell University.

Anna Robertson

Co-Founder, Head of Content & Partnerships for The Cool Down

Anna Robertson is the co-founder and head of content and partnerships for The Cool Down, the first mainstream climate brand, reaching over 25 million people a month. Robertson is an Emmy Award-winning executive and producer who has shaped media brands and built content that speaks to Americans. Prior to The Cool Down, she served as Vice President for Content & Partner Innovation for ABC's Owned Television Stations where she prioritized climate coverage and executive produced the special “Our America: Climate of Hope.” She was a significant contributor to the Yahoo News brand, leading Yahoo Studios and becoming Yahoo's Head of Video. Anna began her career at ABC News, first as Diane Sawyer’s producer and then as a senior producer for Good Morning America. She lives in Park City, Utah with her husband and two children and is very involved in local sustainability efforts.

Brad Roth

Co-founder of Known and President of Known Originals

Known Originals is led by longtime entertainment and advertising executive and Known co-founder Brad Roth. Roth, President of Known Originals, is producing an impressive output of documentaries, feature films, and original series, including the recently announced Amazon Prime feature documentary film Meal Ticket about the history of the McDonald’s All-American Games currently in production. Other Known Originals credits include Countdown: Inspiration 4 Mission to Space, a five-part docuseries for Netflix; the Emmy-nominated Jeen Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy for Netflix; season one of One Burning Question, Hulu’s first-ever after-show, which was paired with its hit series The Handmaid’s Tale; and Future Legends of Advertising, a podcast series with iHeartMedia, in its second season. Known has won multiple Emmys, Clios, Webbys and Peabody Award.