Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is a community of diverse practitioners within multiple professional spaces who have come together in avid support of Resource Media. We each bring a fierce commitment to equity and justice and a collective shared humility in our approach to meeting our board responsibilities. Our breadth of career backgrounds and depth of lived experiences provide a unique leadership and agile partnership as board members at Resource Media.

Irwin Batara, Past Chair

Irwin Batara joined Neighborcare Health in September 2021 and is currently the Interim Chief People and Equity Officer. Previously he worked at YWCA as the Chief Human Resources Officer. Irwin also worked in the health care industry for more than 13 years at International Community Health Services and Seattle Indian Health Board as Director of Human Resources and Compliance Officer. He received his bachelor’s from the University of Washington and his master’s in public administration from Seattle University. Irwin is very active in the community and local universities; Irwin has been involved in equity and anti-racism community work for many years. Irwin also has been a consultant for human resources, non-profit and equity issues, and has been involved in the Non-Profit Anti-Racism Coalition and the City of Seattle Human Service Division’s Race and Social Justice change team. In his spare time, he is a Third-Degree Black Belt in Shito-ryu/ Itosu- Ryu and teaches/learns Silat and Filipino Martial Arts.

Jade Begay, Director

Jade Begay, Diné and Tesuque Pueblo, is an Indigenous rights and climate policy expert, organizer, and writer. Jade has partnered with Indigenous organizations and Tribal Nations from the Arctic to the Amazon to develop strategies, create stories, and build campaigns to mobilize engagement and impact around issues like climate change, environmental justice, and Indigenous self determination. Jade is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at NDN Collective and serves on the boards of Resource Media, Amazon Watch and Native Conservancy. In 2021, Jade was appointed by President Biden to serve on the first ever White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

Anna Claussen, Treasurer

Anna Claussen is the founder of Voices for Rural Resilience, a collective of rural connectors facilitating the social change necessary to protect and heal our natural world; empower rural communities to engage in efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change; and advance inclusive climate change policies. A landscape architect by training, Anna bridges years of practice in urban design and planning with a life deeply rooted on her family’s active Minnesota farm. She was recently chosen as a 2017-18 Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellow. Prior, Anna was the Director of Rural Strategies at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a non-profit working locally and globally pursuing cutting edge solutions that benefit family farmers, rural communities, and the planet. Over the last two decades, Anna has focused on creating resilient communities through the design and vision of alternative land-use plans; by advancing market solutions within the emerging bio-based economy; by sitting in tough spaces, wrestling with problems, and believing in the humanity of all people. Anna advises a number of organizations working on rural sustainability issues, including: Advisor to the National Rural Assembly, Advisor to Focus Climate Gap Year, Advisor to Rural Generation, Board Director for Art of the Rural and Department of Public Transformation and alumni of the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership program. Anna has a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Studio Arts from Gustavus Adolphus College and a Master in Landscape Architecture from the University of Minnesota. She’s grounded in Minnesota, where she and her husband and their two young children call home.

Myrian Solis Coronel, Director

Myrian drives Parks California’s equitable access programs through community engagement, storytelling, and collaborations across the state. Prior to joining Parks California, she led REI’s Next Gen Marketing program where she oversaw national partnerships, experiential marketing, and content collaborations. Before joining REI Co-op, she worked at KPBS, San Diego’s local PBS and NPR (National Public Radio) affiliate, where she managed special events and developed media and outreach campaigns. She has been a board member for several organizations including I Love a Clean San Diego and MANA de San Diego. She is also the co-creator of the Latina Giving Circle. In 2013 she was appointed to the California State Parks Commission. She served from 2013 to 2019 and serving the last two years as the Commission’s first Latina Chair. When she is not working, Myrian enjoys traveling the world with her two children and husband, discovering new eateries, and indulging in a new read or podcast. Her outdoor adventures include hiking and chasing water.

Janet Curry, Director

Janet Curry is the CEO of BC&C Integrated Marketing Communications. She holds decades of experience in strategic communications, particularly in ethnic-specific marketing.

She received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Davis, and has had supplemental education in communications, business, management, and marketing from UCLA and USC. She has served as a member of the Black Journalists Association of Southern California, NAACP, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, National Urban League, Southern National Association of Female Executives, and Women of Color. She has implemented nationally recognized social justice, health, and education campaigns.

Over the last ten years, she has been a leader in the airport advertising industry while continuing to work full-time with advertising and communications clients under BC&C-IMC. Incorporating digital media as part of the airport display inventory has made this advertising vehicle a valuable, underutilized marketing tool, especially for small and medium-sized businesses unfamiliar with this media channel.

Janet is an advocate for equality. Having experienced racism and discrimination firsthand, she has dedicated her life and professional career to ensuring resources are provided to underserved communities. Her philosophy aims to develop “win-win” scenarios to deliver clients’ objectives and make the world a better place for us all.

Rachel Dearborn, Secretary

Rachel Dearborn (she/they) is a communications consultant and brand strategist with over 15 years of experience working with social justice organizations in the US and globally to build powerful, meaningful brands and strong networks. As principal for Dearborn Strategies, Rachel helps help nonprofits and mission-driven companies solve their communications challenges and advance durable, positive change.

Previously, Rachel led communications for Tides, a global public foundation and nonprofit accelerator. While at Tides, Rachel led the forty-year-old organization through a rebrand while rebuilding the communications function from the ground up. Prior to Tides, Rachel led digital campaigns for Upwell, a nonprofit startup that pioneered a “narrative weather service” for ocean conservation issues. She built a network spanning disciplines and geographies and ran un-branded, distributed campaigns to measurably increase attention to critical issues like overfishing and ocean acidification. Rachel also spent four years at Spitfire Strategies, providing communications strategy and implementation to various nonprofit and foundation clients working on a range of issues, from children’s healthcare to sustainable seafood to arts philanthropy.

Rachel’s work is driven by a commitment to anti-racism and advancing social justice. She lives with her wife, Gina, and husky, Simone, in Portland, OR.

Debra Jones, Director

Debra Jones has worked as an Environmental and Transportation Planner/Project Manager for over 40+ years. She has provided transit and transportation planning, federal and state environmental review, and compliance services for several transit agencies throughout the country, primarily in the Northern California region. She considers transit a social justice issue because providing transportation access enables people to reach destinations that could have significant impacts in their lives.

She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Urban Studies from San Francisco State University and an M.S. in Civil Engineering – Transportation Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Debra values being innovative, collaborative, and passionate about her work in transit justice. Now, she views the most significant accomplishment in her life through her children and grandchildren. She sees the impact these good humans make in the lives of the people they meet daily and knows she’s done good in the world.

Jorge González, Director

Jorge González is the Director of Civic Engagement at the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. He has a deep background in community organizing and civic engagement, and supports voter engagement and community leadership across the San Diego area.

Jorge holds a B.A. from UC Davis and an M.A. in Latin American and Iberian Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Jorge has nine years of experience in background-building advocacy for communities of color in San Diego and the Western States. He served as a Regional Community and Civic Engagement Organizer at the Environmental Health Coalition. He has dedicated his life to advocating for social justice issues, including immigration reform, criminal justice, voter empowerment, and environmental justice. He is passionate about community-based building solutions and data-driven strategic planning.

Jorge González is passionate about our interconnectedness and shared humanity in this struggle we call social justice. He is a father, friend of many, an Epicurious of sorts, loves gardening, is a passionate cook, and is committed to his community.

José G. González, Chairperson

José G. González is the Founder of Latino Outdoors. He is an experienced educator as a K-12 public education teacher, environmental education advisor, outdoor education instructor and coordinator, and university adjunct faculty. He is also an illustrator and science communicator.

His commentary on diversity and environmental/outdoor equity has been featured by High Country News, Outside Magazine, Earth Island Journal, and Latino USA, among others. He engaged in collaborations with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Department of Interior, and the National Park Service during the Obama Administration. He also represented Latino Outdoors in several coalitions including the Latino Conservation Alliance, the Next 100 Coalition, and California Parks Now. He has been recognized with several honors, including the National Wildlife Federation Environmental Educator Award, Grist Magazine “Grist 50”, and The Murie Center Spirit of the Muries, among others. You may have also seen him in various outdoor spaces or read his poetic musings.

He received his B.A at the University of California, Davis, and his M.S at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & Environment. You can connect with him on social media @JoseBilingue.

Roy Gundy, Director

Roy Gundy is the Director of Operational Technology (OT) Cyber Security in Supply Chain at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals. He is a senior-level executive who combines global business acumen with manufacturing and IT leadership expertise and is committed to ensuring everyone has access to excellent education and job opportunities.

He has extensive experience in business and technical strategy, informational technology infrastructure, operations, communications, and change management. Roy holds an MS in Engineering Management and BS in Commerce & Engineering Sciences from Drexel University, with additional education in strategic marketing and senior executive management from the Wharton School of Business, Aresty Institute of Executive Education, University of Pennsylvania and the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Executive Education, New York University.

Roy is a leader who wants to give back to underserved communities by creating an environment that helps people who have been oppressed, underrepresented, and overlooked the opportunity to improve so they can have a seat at the table instead of only having the option to serve the people at the table.

Elizabeth Lunney, Vice Chair

Elizabeth Lunney is an accomplished nonprofit and community leader, with deep roots in the outdoors and conservation sectors, where she has helped build and expand the capacity of nonprofits around the country for more than 25 years. She leads by listening and empowers those who find their voice. She works collaboratively on road maps to create change, putting into writing the inspiration, ideas, and actions that bring people together. She is deeply committed to expanding the role of community and social justice within the environmental movement, and in breaking down origin stories that bypass questions of settlement and land ownership. Elizabeth was the executive director for Washington Trails Association for more than a decade, and has served as interim executive director for a number of conservation organizations, including the Mountaineers and the Northwest Natural Resource Group. She is a consultant with the Valtas Group, where she specializes in interim executive support, organizational assessment and transition planning. She serves on boards for the Mountains to Sound Greenway, The Mountaineers and Braided River, a conservation imprint of Mountaineers Books. When she is not having to sit still for a meeting, you’ll find her running around outside.

Carolina Martinez, Director

Carolina works together with residents in low-income communities of color in the San Diego Region to advocate for climate and land use policies that respect their priorities, improve health, and are consistent with the environmental justice principles. She is the Climate Justice Campaign Director at the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), an environmental justice community-based organization in the San Diego/Tijuana border region. Where for 8 years, she worked with National City residents implementing a comprehensive community plan that phased out polluting industries out of a residential neighborhood and built affordable housing. Currently, she is working on a community led effort to transform San Diego’s transit system into one that feeds the region’s livelihoods, reduces air pollution, and threads communities together via the San Diego Transportation Equity Working Group and the 10 Transit Lifelines.

Caro is a proud Colombian immigrant who enjoys working at the intersection of liberation, race, culture, gender, civic engagement, environmental issues, health and city planning in the struggle for environmental justice. Carolina has M.A.s in Urban Planning and Latin American Studies and spends her free time learning to play Son Jarocho and dance Puerto Rican Bomba.

Annette Rizzo, Vice Chair

Annette Rizzo has over two decades of nonprofit leadership with experience leading strategic planning, facilitating convenings, designing domestic and international programs, and coaching executives and teams. Helping organizations evolve, while inspiring its people to thrive motivates Annette. Whether crafting lobby strategies, building strategic plans or employing her chaos whispering savvy to facilitate conversations that matter, she seeks to synthesize her experiences into meaningful impact in the world. Her scientific roots lend a unique analytical perspective to finding solutions, while her diversity, equity, and inclusion values lead to innovative and equitable approaches to designing organizational change. Annette now uses these skills and experiences to both help organizations and individuals adapt to change and to help them transform to meet their visions through her work consulting with TRizzo Consulting.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Transylvania University in Kentucky and a Master of Environmental Science degree from Miami University of Ohio. Annette enjoys landscape photography, traveling to spend time with family or recharge in nature, reading for hours by a fire or by water, and putting her chemistry and art to work in the kitchen.