As a graduate of the University of California Berkeley with a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations, Sierra has cultivated specialized knowledge in the political realm. This includes the assessment and implementation of policy in all fields, the communication channels that exist between local, regional, national, and transnational actors, the behavioral coordination of businesses, governments, citizens, international institutions, and NGOs, the interaction between politics and markets, and the role of political organization in the development and allocation of services. Within this political focus and through her minor studies, she has focused much of her research on renewable energy, environmental policy, sustainable agriculture, and renewable development.
In addition to serving as our policy expert, Sierra has applied her political knowledge in the field by working for the organization One Fair Wage in their legislative policy department. There she was in charge of collecting and tracking 20,000+ pieces of voter and candidate data, labor legislation, and current campaigns across all fifty states, in addition to coordinating outreach with endorsed legislators and candidates for office. Sierra knows what it takes to effect policy change and is willing to do the work to make it happen.
Sierra also obtains practical experience in team management and communication. Through working as a journalist in New York City, she has personally interviewed and published articles about prominent figures such as Monica Lewinsky, Ed Norton, Don Lemon, and members of CNN and Fox, which has given her practical knowledge on how to navigate the social and cultural spheres that impact global decision-making. Furthermore, by working to alleviate food insecurity at UC Berkeley and in the Bay Area, Sierra knows how to confront large-scale issues to promote resource equity, which is important for understanding the current efforts of generating renewable energy independence. Finally, as a team manager and finalist in her case competition at Tesla, Sierra has cultivated experience designing and presenting solutions that will impact the future of clean energy services.
While being born in San Francisco, California, Sierra has also spent half of her life growing up in Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu. From being raised in nature by her family to becoming a marathon trail runner and avid backpacker, she has always known that she wants to dedicate her life to saving the environment and protecting all within it. Sierra currently works in New York City serving as our United Nations Representative and Energy Policy Manager.
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” – Socrates
