Our People

Manisha Rattu (she/her) sees herself as a weaver, visionary, builder, and storyteller, according to the Social Change Ecosystem by Deepa Iyer. She works to center equity, uplift environmental justice principles, and strive toward a just future through climate policy development at the city and community level. Manisha co-leads a youth grassroots organization in her hometown called Pittsburg Youth Action and is working on a children's book that centers the narratives of BIPOC in outdoor spaces, particularly with a focus on Yosemite. Manisha is a 2016 UCSC Doris Duke Conservation Scholars alumni and holds a BS '19 and MS '20 in Earth Systems from Stanford.

Manisha Rattu

Collaborator

Kim has 18 years of experience in public service and grassroots development spanning youth and adult economic development, racial equity, sustainability and climate justice, food justice, health equity, affordable housing, restorative justice and international development. Previously, Kim served as the Executive Director of Puget Sound Sage, an environmental justice organization, and as the Director of Sustainability for Multnomah County. She was also the lead co-author of the nationally recognized WA state ballot initiative 1631, a unique carbon pricing initiative that brought together environmental justice, labor, conservationists, and a host of other interest groups and stakeholders, which influence aspects of the Green New Deal.

Kimberly Powe (she/her)

Collaborator

Desirée founded Kapwa Consulting as a means to advance healing at the intersection of equity, sustainability, and community. Leveraging 20 years of systems transformation work across all sectors, her unique interdisciplinary approach combines organizational development, change management, and social justice organizing. She has become nationally renowned for developing strategies that move organizations and teams towards equitable solutions - solutions that reclaim our human connection with one another. From helping government staff to see dismantling institutional racism as a performance strategy to dismantling internalized oppression as a community empowerment strategy, her role is to help others navigate towards sustainable solutions that build a better future.

Desirée Williams-Rajee (she/her)

Founder & Principal

Jeremy is the former executive director of Green For All, a national nonprofit he helped found in 2008 with the civil rights leader and now CNN host, Van Jones. His consulting practice draws on years of experience working with diverse stakeholders to design and implement equitable models of economic and workforce development in the environmental sector. In his nonprofit career, Jeremy worked with scores of cities and communities across the country to pioneer inclusive approaches to creating shared prosperity and healthy communities.

Jeremy Hays (he/him)

Collaborator

Brittany joined the Kapwa team in 2021 as the Executive Assistant to Desirée Williams-Rajee. Brittany is responsible for administrative duties, general business, and special project support. She is driven to help organizations thrive, and has a proven record of devising systems, building successful teams, and implementing office wide sustainability practices.
Brittany is an avid backpacker and her world travels have expanded her awareness of the impact of human intervention and has aligned her with a mission to live in close harmony with Mother Earth as an advocate for climate change. Brittany advocates for forward thinking, human equality, consciousness shifts, and positive change – and that is what has brought Brittany to Kapwa.

Brittany Parriett (she/her)

Executive Assistant

Minna comes to consulting practice with a background in city-community relationship building, environmental literacy and education, and environmental justice. She has experience working for both local government and community-based organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area where she was born and raised. Her work spans intersections of health, climate change, housing, gentrification, energy, and beyond. Minna was a 2020 Fellow at the Center for Whole Communities and Urban Habitat's 2019 Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute. She is driven by a deep familial lineage of justice work and love for our people, planet, and future.

Minna Toloui (she/they)

Collaborator - Project Management