NEWS RELEASE: July 19, 2021
Contact: Brian Gumm
Center for Progressive Reform
(202) 747-0698 x2
Center for Progressive Reform Expands Staff of Policy Analysts
New staff to focus on advancing worker and environmental justice in the face of climate crisis
The Center for Progressive Reform (CPR) is pleased to announce that it is expanding its staff to strengthen policy expertise and advocacy work in the areas of climate change, worker justice, and equity. M. Isabelle Chaudry and Catalina González joined the organization in mid-July and bring strong policy and social justice experience to CPR. Their unique perspectives will enrich and strengthen the organization’s work at the intersection of racial justice and a sustainable planet.
“I’m so pleased that Isabelle and Catalina are joining our team of insightful, top-notch policy experts,” said CPR Executive Director Minor Sinclair. “Both bring crucial experience in policy advocacy and work with frontline communities, and they’ll be key to the success of our efforts on climate and worker justice. Welcoming them to CPR is also crucial to our efforts to grow and strengthen our impact as we enter our third decade.”
Chaudry joins CPR as its Senior Policy Analyst for Worker Justice. Over the course of her career, Chaudry has held positions in Congress, labor unions, and nonprofit organizations, including the AFL-CIO, the National Education Association, and the National Lawyers Employment Association (as a Peggy Browning Fellow). Prior to joining CPR, Chaudry served as a Senior Policy Manager with the National Women’s Health Network, where she developed and led their consumer safety policy efforts, with a particular focus on toxic chemicals in cosmetics and their impact on marginalized communities. She holds a law degree from Howard University School of Law where she served as an editor for the Human & Civil Rights Law Review.
“I am excited to join CPR!” Chaudry said. “For too long, working families have been denied their rights and opportunities to share in the prosperity of this country. I’m looking forward to collaborating with our staff, our scholars, and our partners on crucial issues impacting workers’ rights.”
González joins the organization as its Climate Justice Policy Analyst. She brings experience advancing equitable climate solutions, and she’ll focus on climate justice governance in California. Prior to joining CPR, González spent five years with community-based nonprofits leading advocacy, community engagement, and capacity-building efforts to empower disadvantaged communities of color to advocate for environmental public policies, land uses, and community improvements to address disparities in public health and respond to climate change. She served communities throughout the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California as Environmental Policy Director at Day One and as an advocate for safer, more reliable, and sustainable transportation systems with Active San Gabriel Valley. González received her Master’s degree (ALM) in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University.
“I am honored and thrilled to be joining CPR to further support environmental justice advocates and scholars in advancing climate justice,” González said. “Frontline communities of color, youth, women, and grassroots advocates are experts on the needs of their communities, and their voices and participation in the policymaking process are needed to ensure climate policies and investments prioritize the needs of communities that have suffered a multitude of harms from environmental racism.”
More information on CPR’s staff is available on our website, as is more on our workers’ justice and California climate justice work.
Through the expertise of our 60+ scholars and staff, the Center for Progressive Reform creates powerful tools and strategies for policymakers and the public to advance policies and processes that ensure the health and well-being of people, their communities, and our environment.
Pursuing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice is a moral imperative for CPR. We are committed to working with communities that experience disproportionate harm from existing and emerging environmental hazards. By incorporating these principles into our work, we will position ourselves to most effectively and thoughtfully protect and strengthen health, safety, and environmental safeguards and empower the people whose lives depend on them.
Read CPRBlog and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
