Community Colleges and Climate Futures

Ryan Mann-Hamilton

LaGuardia Community College

Ryan Mann-Hamilton is an Associate Professor of Anthropology in the Social Science Department at CUNY LaGuardia. He also serves as a faculty member in Earth and Environmental Sciences at the CUNY Graduate Center. He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology with a concentration in Africana Studies from the CUNY Graduate Center and holds both an M.S. in Environmental Systems and a B.A. in International/Global Studies from Humboldt State University. 

With extensive experience in land and marine conservation projects throughout the Caribbean, Dr. Mann-Hamilton actively engages in social and environmental justice activism across the Americas. He has contributed to the preservation and study of the history of African American immigrants in Samaná, Dominican Republic, through the We Choose Freedom digital collection, which includes a curated selection of bibliographies, correspondence, photographs, documents, and manuscripts spanning from 1824 to 2024.

His academic work explores topics such as migration, tourism, development, environmental justice, community-centered research, climate change, coral reef conservation, fisheries management, environmental justice and appropriate technologies. Additionally, he is a founding member of the AfroLatin@ Forum, and the Institute for Socio-Ecological Research (ISER Caribe).

Lalitha Jayant

Borough of Manhattan Community College

Lalitha Jayant is a Professor at Borough of Manhattan Community College’s (BMCC) Science Department with more than 18 years of teaching and mentoring experience. From 2009 to 2014, she served as Director of the Collegiate Science and Technology Program (CSTEP) and has held roles as Private Investigator (PI) and Co-PI for multiple federal and state grants. She has extensive experience in recruiting, retaining, and training students in STEM research programs. During her tenure at BMCC, she has mentored many students whose work, supported through CUNY Research Scholars Program and Brutten Family Foundation grants, have been presented at national and international conferences. Her current work explores the effects of moringa leaf extract on the viability of sea urchin eggs.

Preethi Radhakrishnan

Director of Environmental Science, LaGuardia Community College

Professor Preethi Radhakrishnan is Co-Program Director of Environmental Science at LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC). Under her leadership, the program has grown to include two new academic tracks: Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Animal Science. She also led the design, build, and ongoing development of La Finca Florecita, LAGCC’s Urban Farm. Supported by the Sherman Fairchild Foundation, the farm serves as a living laboratory for experiential learning in regenerative agriculture, sustainability, and food justice in the heart of Queens. Preethi holds a bachelors in zoology and plant science, a masters in biotechnology from the University of Madras, Chennai, India and a PhD in animal behavior and integrated pest management from Macquarie University, Australia. Her research examines how urban ecosystems adapt to environmental stressors and how communities can harness nature-based solutions for resilience. In New York City, she studies native pollinators in community gardens and explores the role of oysters in wastewater remediation and ecosystem recovery in Newtown Creek, a designated Superfund site, through oyster metagenomics. These projects reflect her broad interest in climate adaptation, ecological restoration, and the role of biodiversity in building resilient cities.

Carrie Roble

Hudson River Park Trust

Carrie Roble (she/her) is an aquatic ecologist, science communicator, STEM mentor, and life-long water adventurer. As the head of Hudson River Park’s River Project, Carrie leads complex coastal resiliency projects, cross-sector research partnerships, place-based environmental education, and interdisciplinary teams. She dedicates her work to improving the health of urban waterways and empowering local communities through participatory science. Carrie holds an M.S. in aquatic science and environmental justice from University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability and is a proud Bowdoin College polar bear.

Robert Zandi

Associate Director of Renewable Energy Programs, Kingsborough Community College

Robert Zandi has over 20 years of experience developing, implementing, and overseeing programs in renewable energy, conservation, ecological restoration, and sustainable technology education. He currently serves as the Assistant Director of Renewable Energy Programs at Kingsborough Community College and Lead Director of the Offshore Wind Advisory Network, a consortium of four City University of New York schools. Robert is committed to helping educate and empower environmental justice and disadvantaged communities in New York City and beyond to become a vital part of the renewable energy and sustainable technology workforce.

Chester B. Zarnoch

Baruch College, CUNY

Chester B. Zarnoch is a Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology at Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY), and is Graduate Faculty in the Biology Program at CUNY’s Graduate Center. He also serves as affiliate faculty at the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay and Director of the CUNY Climate Scholars Program. Chester has been an active researcher in marine ecology and aquaculture since 2001, with published papers on shellfish biology, sediment nitrogen cycling, salt marsh ecology, and intensive aquaculture. His current research aims to evaluate nature-based solutions for improving water quality in aquatic ecosystems and building urban shorelines resilience. Chester earned his PhD. in biology from the CUNY Graduate Center.