Akilah Banister

President

Akilah’s love and concern for the environment began at a young age. Growing up in Trinidad & Tobago, she always found it concerning that beautiful beaches existed alongside oil refineries with drilling in the ocean. Fast forward to now, she lives in Rochester with her husband and two little ones and works in the field of disaster preparedness. The last couple of years have shown that the pandemic and impacts of climate change are public health crises, and both require us to think very differently about how we live, work and play in order to reduce our risk, adapt and become more resilient.

Akilah continues to work with the Accelerator because they prioritize equity by focusing on climate solutions that increase access to affordable clean energy, improve the health and efficiency of low-income housing, create green jobs, build a robust, efficient and accessible public transit system, support local food initiatives, and forge a healthcare system that recognizes the intersections of health, equity, and climate.