About Us

I’m Sophia Paul, a lifelong midwesterner, currently living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I work at the University of Michigan researching diversity in environmental organizations and planning a conference for students and young professionals committed to diversity and inclusion in the environmental field. I believe strongly in the importance of diversity and equity to the environmental movement, and I’m particularly interested in creating spaces for people who have been historically underrepresented in conservation movement. Consequentially, I am incredibly excited to be a part of Out for Sustainability, working with my community for a more just and sustainable planet.

I have experience in consensus decision making, collaborative natural resource management, food justice, volunteer coordination, and community gardening. In my free time I enjoy cooking, baking, gardening, reading, spending time with my cat, and occasionally working out.

Leo Goldsmith (he/they) is a Climate and Health Specialist at ICF and is contracted out to the U.S. Global Change Research Program. In this role, he coordinates an interagency working group on climate change and human health, facilitates the implementation and integration of health activities, and is the point person for development of multiple chapters of the Fifth National Climate Assessment. 

Leo’s passion for earth, ecology and nature have inspired him both personally and professionally. As a proud brother and plant parent, the care he shows for others shines through. His passion is also demonstrated in his work in environmental justice and tropical ecology research he has performed in Barro Colorado Island off the coast of Panama. Leo is excited to continue uplifting LGBTQ+ communities and influencing change by bringing his passion and experiences to bear as a member of the Out4Sustainability Board. 

Leo has a BA in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College, and holds a Masters of Environmental Management with a specialization in Climate Change Science and Solutions from Yale. He has been a Yale Environmental Justice and Health Strategic Initiative Fellow, and was a technical contributor for the Fifth National Climate Assessment’s Human Health chapter on LGBTQ+ health.

I am Vanessa Raditz, an environmental health researcher, youth educator, and culture-shifter dedicated to community healing, opening access to land and resources, and fostering a thriving local economy based on human and ecological resilience. I’m working with OUT for Sustainability as part of my Geography Ph.D. program at the University of Georgia.

Prior to my current research, I earned a Master of Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences from UC Berkeley. In addition, I was a founding member of the Queer Ecojustice Project, educating and organizing at the intersection of ecological justice and queer liberation. In 2018, I co-organized the Queers4ClimateJustice contingent to the RISE March for Climate, Jobs, and Justice and continue to engage communities through the Instagram #Queers4ClimateJustice.

I’m also the director of the “Fire & Flood Film”, a documentary about queer resilience to climate change rooted in my lived experience of the 2017 fires in Northern California.In his downtime, Diego is an avid gamer (or interactive novels as he fondly calls them!) and enjoys going out with friends to the park, beach or any yummy brunch spot! He also enjoys spending time in his home country of Mexico. He looks forward to being part of OUT4S Board of Directors to enhance the work already being done to address the impacts of climate change in the LGBTQIA+ community nationally and at multilateral fora. 

Meet our new board member Diego (he/him)! Diego is based in New York City and has a passion for working to address climate change in cities. He's been connected to a number of sustainability and environmental initiatives in both state government and in the private sector at the national and intrenational level. Diego is interested in how the LGBTQIA+ community is included in the eco-discourse.

In his downtime, Diego is an avid gamer (or interactive novels as he fondly calls them!) and enjoys going out with friends to the park, beach or any yummy brunch spot! He also enjoys spending time in his home country of Mexico. He looks forward to being part of OUT4S Board of Directors to enhance the work already being done to address the impacts of climate change in the LGBTQIA+ community nationally and at multilateral fora. 

Brandon Rothrock (he/him) is a queer geographer living in Princeton, New Jersey. He is currently an Assistant Project Manager of Energy Efficiency at TRC Companies, Inc., focused on new construction energy projects across the Garden State. He is also a part-time consultant on the Justice and Equity team at Environmental Defense Fund, heading EDF’s first-ever landscape analysis of environmental justice work organization-wide. He's deeply committed to just and equitable practice in the broader environmental movement and is particularly enamored with work focused on LGBTQIA+ perspectives of climate change. He's honored to be a part of the Out4Sustainability board and facilitating programs that directly engage the community and build resilience. 

He has extensive experience in environmental outreach, communications, education, and engagement across a plethora of audiences in higher education, non-profit, and private settings. He has spent most of his life living in New Jersey, where he enjoys visiting the shore with his family. He has also lived in Cairo, Egypt in between graduate school, working at The American University in Cairo (AUC) in their sustainability office. During his free time, he enjoys hiking, reading, and attending outdoor concertsHome is the most important place for Whitley and translates to her passion for family and community. She is very proud that she can spend more time with her team since COVID. She is dedicating time to building the culture and community across the team and foster an environment of togetherness. Whitley is similarly excited to build connections and foster community among the Board and across Out4Sustainability. 

Whitley is a graduate from University of North Texas with a BS in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and Mathematics. She also earned an MS in Operations Research and Logistics Systems Engineering from Southern Methodist University, and has done continuing education in the fields of technology strategy, digital and data analytics leadership, and innovative strategyIn his downtime, Diego is an avid gamer (or interactive novels as he fondly calls them!) and enjoys going out with friends to the park, beach or any yummy brunch spot! He also enjoys spending time in his home country of Mexico. He looks forward to being part of OUT4S Board of Directors to enhance the work already being done to address the impacts of climate change in the LGBTQIA+ community nationally and at multilateral fora. 

Whitley Poyser (she/her) is a director at Lockheed Martin Space, working in digital technologies. In this role, Whitley is responsible for establishing strategies, implementation of capabilities and empowerment of a digital culture that enables a digital environment within Lockheed Martin Space and across Lockheed Martin.

Home is the most important place for Whitley and translates to her passion for family and community. She is very proud that she can spend more time with her team since COVID. She is dedicating time to building the culture and community across the team and foster an environment of togetherness. Whitley is similarly excited to build connections and foster community among the Board and across Out4Sustainability. 

Whitley is a graduate from University of North Texas with a BS in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and Mathematics. She also earned an MS in Operations Research and Logistics Systems Engineering from Southern Methodist University, and has done continuing education in the fields of technology strategy, digital and data analytics leadership, and innovative strategyIn his downtime, Diego is an avid gamer (or interactive novels as he fondly calls them!) and enjoys going out with friends to the park, beach or any yummy brunch spot! He also enjoys spending time in his home country of Mexico. He looks forward to being part of OUT4S Board of Directors to enhance the work already being done to address the impacts of climate change in the LGBTQIA+ community nationally and at multilateral fora. 

I’m Vicki Carberry, and I’m so excited to be part of the OUT4S board and larger community! I was first connected to the organization through the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) Senior Fellowes network and felt immediately drawn to the organization’s approach to sustainability, placing great weight on working from an intersectional framework and being a lead voice for the LGBTQ+ community in the environmental movement.

Over the last 8+ years, I’ve worked as an educator and facilitator in a variety of formal and non-formal educational settings. Most of my work has been at the nexus of education, environmental advocacy, and strengths-based youth leadership. I believe by using the power of creative facilitation, dialogue, and brave spaces we can create a more just and empathetic planet. I also feel that this work is necessary as we work together to dismantle institutionalized oppression and create equitable solutions to address climate change both locally and globally.

In my moments of free time, I enjoy being in and building community with friends and family, paddling with an outrigger canoe club, connecting with nature, reading, and looking at cute baby animal photos.He has extensive experience in environmental outreach, communications, education, and engagement across a plethora of audiences in higher education, non-profit, and private settings. He has spent most of his life living in New Jersey, where he enjoys visiting the shore with his family. He has also lived in Cairo, Egypt in between graduate school, working at The American University in Cairo (AUC) in their sustainability office. During his free time, he enjoys hiking, reading, and attending outdoor concertsHome is the most important place for Whitley and translates to her passion for family and community. She is very proud that she can spend more time with her team since COVID. She is dedicating time to building the culture and community across the team and foster an environment of togetherness. Whitley is similarly excited to build connections and foster community among the Board and across Out4Sustainability. 

Whitley is a graduate from University of North Texas with a BS in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and Mathematics. She also earned an MS in Operations Research and Logistics Systems Engineering from Southern Methodist University, and has done continuing education in the fields of technology strategy, digital and data analytics leadership, and innovative strategyIn his downtime, Diego is an avid gamer (or interactive novels as he fondly calls them!) and enjoys going out with friends to the park, beach or any yummy brunch spot! He also enjoys spending time in his home country of Mexico. He looks forward to being part of OUT4S Board of Directors to enhance the work already being done to address the impacts of climate change in the LGBTQIA+ community nationally and at multilateral fora.