2021 Conference Dedication

Shalanda H. Baker is the Deputy Director for Energy Justice and Secretary’s Advisor on Equity for the U.S. Department of Energy. She is also Professor of Law, Public Policy, and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. Deputy Director Baker is truly the embodiment of our conference theme, “Rebirth,
Renewal, and the Rise of Our Power.”

A 2005 graduate of the Northeastern University School of Law, Deputy Director Baker has a long history of seeking justice for marginalized communities. A former officer in the U.S. Air Force prior to her honorable discharge, she became a vocal advocate for the repeal of the then “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. She later worked with indigenous communities in Mexico who were impacted by the displacement, environmental harm, and unfair contracts brought on by the clean energy sector. Her career took her to the University of Hawaii before she joined the Northeastern University faculty in 2017. While at Northeastern, she co-founded the Initiative for Energy Justice, which provides technical law and policy support to minority communities on the front lines of climate change. In her scholarship, as well as in her current role in the Department of Energy, Deputy Director Baker focuses on racial and social justice within U.S. energy systems.

We had the honor to work closely with Shalanda when she served as co-chair of the 2019 Women of Color in the Academy Conference. As with her other professional endeavors, Shalanda quickly became not only a critical part of conference planning but an exemplar of authentic and socially-engaged academic leadership. And while we miss our colleague’s local allyship and mentorship, we are excited that she will continue to be a powerful model for many others as she works to bring energy justice to bear on public policy and the wider world.