Communities in Arizona and Mexico have been leading on environmental, justice issues for over 30 years. They have also raised new generations to lead these efforts as they pass the baton. Join us to hear Denise Moreno Ramírez’s story about stepping into
second generation environmental leadership on the local and global stage.

Denise Moreno Ramírez is the assistant director of The Earth League Secretariat at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.

Moreno Ramírez’s received her Bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University and her Masters and PhD in Soil, Water, and Environmental Science at the University of Arizona. Her research spans 24 years and includes a
President’s Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Arizona, designing virtual reality public-facing products with rural museums, making them hubs of local climate knowledge (Climate Heritage ILLuminated in Arizona), preserving oral histories of individuals living in hazardous contaminated spaces (Voices Unheard: Arizona’s Environmental History); understanding how volatile organic compounds interact in workplace air and impact low-wage workers in beauty salons and auto shops; developing peer education modules for Mexican Community Health Workers to devise environmental health programming at the community level; and partnering directly at hazardous contaminated sites (Superfund Sites) to establish community-led environmental research projects. She has received prestigious awards, such as the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (T32) and the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice Fellowship from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, a recognition that underscores her significant contributions to the field of environmental justice. Her research has been featured in national and international media, including The Guardian, Environmental Health News, Inside Climate News, and SXSW.

Now, she has set her sights on the global stage, working internationally with the Earth League, where she is utilizing her skills to support research translation and science communication efforts.