Cesia Kearns has worked for over twenty years in human rights, and environmental and energy issues - specifically addressing climate change through grassroots powerbuilding in the Midwest and has since spanned the West Coast, Intermountain West, the Gulf Coast, and Alaska, including collaborations with Tribal leaders and international partners. She is a former Regional Director for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, she endeavored with partners in the Western U.S. to transform the electric sector to clean, renewable, and equitable energy, and to stop harmful fossil fuel extraction and transport.  Her roots as a theater designer underscores how critical storytelling is in any project in order to succeed, and how art can remind us to wonder. Growing up in a military family traversing many geographies taught her the importance of community, culture, and place - and the responsibility of leaders at every level to prevent harm. Cesia works as a consultant for public-purpose business strategy, regenerative economics, culture-building, organizational development, and public-interest campaign strategy.  She aims to put her creative and campaigner background to work to transform our economic systems and institutions into ones that center people and the planet. She holds a BFA in Visual Art and a multi-disciplinary BS in Anthropology, Ethnic Studies, and Theatre Design from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and an MBA from Willamette University.

Deric Gruen is the Co-Executive Director of Front and Centered for Policy and Programs and has been instrumental in shaping the most significant climate and environmental justice policies in Washington State, including the Health Environment for All Act, Move Ahead Washington, the Clean Energy Transformation Act, Initiative 1631 and and Climate Commitment Act; both exposing false promises and facilitating a Just Transition to a sustainable economy.  Deric initiated and led the team that developed the Environmental Health Disparities Map, used widely across state government. He co-founded Front and Centered, the People’s Economy Lab, the Office of Sustainability at Bellevue College, and Critical Mass - Beirut, Lebanon, the ‘old country’ of his mother’s parents.  Deric was born and raised in Washington State where he graduated Garfield High School and received his master’s from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance.  Deric was previously a Fellow at the Sightline Institute, a board member of the national Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative (SCORAI) and an Alumni of the Transatlantic Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy network (ELEEP)