Michelle Romero is the deputy director of Green For All, a DreamCorps initiative founded by CNN commentator and former White House advisor on green jobs, Van Jones. In her role, Michelle leads a national team to implement Van's vision of an inclusive green economy that actually lifts people out of poverty. She believes everyone should have clean air, clean water, a safe environment for their kids, AND good jobs. It's really not too much to ask, and through smart policy design and innovative solutions, her work is making that possible. Michelle leads Green For All's work to put a price on pollution and invest in green jobs and sustainable infrastructure in low-income communities. She also co-leads a new initiative mobilizing women and moms around the country to fight for the future our kids deserve. One of the things she is most proud of is the organization's work in Flint. A year ago, Michelle organized a celebrity bus tour with actor Mark Ruffalo, businessman/philanthropist Tom Steyer, and Van Jones to call attention to the city in Michigan suffering the effects of lead-poisoned water, failing infrastructure, and a lack of investment. Since then, she's helped raise thousands of dollars to fix the pipes and elevate the voices of people who continue to struggle to this day without clean water. Michelle has published research on civic engagement topics, advised state and local governments on best practices to engage communities of color in decision-making that affects their lives, and championed several policy initiatives to make way for solutions that create opportunity for all.

Prior to joining Green For All, Michelle held positions in the Issues Management and Policy Analysis unit for the President of the University of California system Janet Napolitano; and spent five years leading the Claiming Our Democracy program at the Greenlining Institute in California.

Taj Ahmad Eldridge is a 25+ year investment professional whose career has included high level executive roles in banking, asset management, alternative investments, and entrepreneurship. 

Taj serves as Managing  Director of Climate Innovations at Jobs For The Futures (JFF) where he’s leads a cross collaborative team focusing on the intersection of climate and workforce. The first project under Climate Innovations is the $25M 5 year project CREST funded by the Ares Managemrnt Foundation.

As a cofounder of Include Venture Partners , Taj focused on investing in diverse founders and fund managers who want to create innovative ecosystems in their areas - as geographic diversity is just as important as racial and gender diversity. Previously Taj served as Senior Director of Investments at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), Taj has built a long standing career with expertise in the fields of fintech, media, energy, transportation, and the circular economy. 

At LACI, Taj helped establish both the LACI Impact Fund I (LIF I) and the LACI Debt Fund to allow cleantech companies to grow with diverse capital. These funds utilize an equity impact lens to encourage invested companies to have environmental, economic, and social impact - particularly on increasing the number of underrepresented voices in the cleantech industry. In addition, Taj created programs such as LACI Investor Talks (LIT), the LACI Investor in Residence program, and the Player to CEO Athlete-Investor Impact Summit Series with JP Morgan Chase. Taj has been named one of the 53 Investors to Watch in 2021 by Pitchbook & 101 Black Titans in Tech while nurturing and building a team of investment activists.

Prior to LACI, Taj was the Director for the Incubator at the University of California in Riverside, California. During his tenure as Director, Taj’s team brought a $10M venture fund (Highlander Fund) to the Inland Empire - the first for the region.  Because of Taj’s focus on blending entertainment, policy, and entrepreneurship, the region was named the #4 city in the United States for minority entrepreneurs via Entrepreneur Magazine.

Taj began his career as a banker and economist with Wells Fargo Bank, UBS Investment Bank, and TRW Investments. Taj has also been a Founder, Board Member, and Investor in companies such as NCX, Bevy, BlocPower, ILTG Media, Boswell Official Apparel, Voter, Xtopoly, Rookielook, iListen, KYC Hospitality, KIGT, Majira Project, CleanTek Capital and ConCreates. Taj also serves on the Climate Finance Advisory Team of the Community Investment Guarantee Pool (CIGP), the Executive Board of the Homeboy Ventures Fund, The Majira Project, and Advisory Board of VC Include.

Taj has been profiled in publications such as Impact Alpha, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pitchbook, Forbes, GreenBiz, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more regarding his tireless efforts on achieving alpha while also advancing equity. 

Taj has undergraduate degrees in poetry & literature and graduate geopolitical economics from Texas A&M University-Commerce, Pepperdine University, and Claremont Graduate University. Taj also studied abroad at The Universidad Adolfo Ibanez in Santiago, Chile, The Universidad Do Porto in Porto, Portugal, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in Hong Kong, China. 

Taj is an avid audiobook bibliophile and a lover of music of all genres.

Chante Harris is a champion of social and financial innovation. Throughout her career. she has successfully scaled nationwide campaigns, technologies, and ideas for the Obama Administration, Fortune 500 companies, and startups. Her writing and work have been featured by ImpactAlpha, Business Insider, The Milken Institute, and other notable publications.

As an operator, she has secured and effectively deployed millions of dollars for the implementation of climate projects and energy-efficient technologies. In 2020 she built a $10 million early stage climate tech venture studio in the U.S. focused on global companies deploying technologies across mobility, buildings, agriculture, waste, water, materials, and carbon. Chante recently completed a residency with Schmidt Futures and is now developing new financial and deployment models with a broader group of catalytic funders to address the funding gap for hard tech and material science climate technologies at the critical early infrastructure project stage.

Named by Forbes as a 30 Under 30 in the Energy Category, Nasdaq as a Woman to Watch in 2022, ACEEE as a Champion for Energy Efficiency, GreenBiz as 30 Under 30 Leader, America on Tech as an Innovator and Disruptor, and Women Enews as a Pioneering Woman in Sustainability, Chante is at the helm of driving climate innovation and advancing the energy transition across the globe. Chante has traveled the world to speak at global events like COP, GreenBiz, and TechStars.

In addition to her work leading in climate tech and investment, Chante launched and built the only global digital collective and community that is 100% dedicated to advancing women of color working across the sustainability industry. Since its launch in the summer of 2019, the community has brought together over 5,000 women of color through virtual and in-person events, social media channels, a digital community, and online publication. 

Chante is on the advisory committee for the first-ever global Climate Center being built on Governor's Island in NYC and sits on the Board of Summit Impact. She is a lover of nature and music, an avid meditator, and a poet.

Ahmad Thomas is the CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG), one of the nation’s most dynamic business associations.

He has catalyzed industry-leading initiatives with global technology brands to operationalize change around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from the Boardroom to the C-suites and beyond.

As a change agent and next generation business leader, Thomas partners with SVLG’s nearly 400 member companies to promote entrepreneurial solutions to strengthen Silicon Valley business competitiveness, bolster its innovation ecosystem, and create shared economic value throughout the greater Bay Area and California.

A former investment banker and senior Congressional aide, Thomas brings nearly 20 years of experience working both in and on behalf of businesses, social enterprises, and governments, where he has honed a deep understanding of the essentiality of public-private partnerships and the intersection of equity, policy, and technology that drives Silicon Valley’s innovation infrastructure.

Thomas managed over $15 billion in public infrastructure, social impact (ESG), and development project offerings across multiple sectors including most notably executing the first ever Social Bonds issuance for a non-profit in the U.S. municipal bond market.

His cross-functional skill set is grounded in purpose driven growth and strategy, with a deep working knowledge of the practice and application of ESG principles.

Thomas serves on several boards aligned with his core passions around technology, sports and adventure, and helping those in underserved communities.