Role Draws Upon Her Deep Commitment to Women’s Activism and Civic Participation
CONTACT: Sarah McBride
Program Coordinator, Media and Public Engagement
smcbride@momscleanairforce.org
617-918-7241
July 6, 2023, Washington, DC – Moms Clean Air Force, a program of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), is delighted to announce the appointment of Isabel González Whitaker as Associate Vice President for Public Engagement. She will work on behalf of Moms Clean Air Force and as Director of EcoMadres, leading media initiatives, overseeing membership growth, and spearheading website development. She will also serve as an advocate, representing Moms Clean Air Force and EcoMadres to legislators on Capitol Hill and before key federal agencies, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Isabel will draw on her many skills —and her deep passion for achieving justice through civic engagement —to become a powerful voice with legislators and community members alike in our fight against climate pollution, air pollution, and toxic chemicals, on behalf of our children’s health,” said Dominique Browning, Director and Co-Founder of Moms Clean Air Force.
Isabel González Whitaker was most recently the Chief Operating Officer of All in Together, a leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing women’s leadership through civic participation. Previously she was Principal Advisor, Executive Strategic Communications, for ALSAC, the $2B+ annual fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital headquartered in Memphis.
Isabel moved to Memphis from New York City where she was Deputy Editor of Billboard and, prior to that, Features Editor at InStyle. During her 18-year career as a journalist and editor, she wrote numerous cover stories and produced profiles on a range of people from President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Representative Veronica Escobar, to Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez. She also wrote news stories on major events. Isabel continues to freelance as a writer covering a wide array of topics with her work appearing most recently in Elle. She also has been published in Time, The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, and Refinery29.
In 2018, Isabel was selected a Presidential Leadership Scholar, a social-impact leadership program established by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. As a scholar, Isabel designed and opened a multi-purpose park named after her mother. The Sara J. González Memorial Park is the first memorial and park in the State of Georgia to be named for a Latino individual. Of the park, President Clinton wrote “it will have a lasting positive impact on the community [and] inspire all those who visit it in the years to come.”
Born in Cuba, Isabel’s mother Sara arrived in the US in 1960 having fled threats against her family during the Cuban Revolution. Sara dedicated her life to the ideals of democracy and became a leading immigrant and Latino rights advocate in the South. The award-winning park Isabel established is dedicated to the values inspired by her mother’s work: diversity, inclusion, dignity, and equity. These themes are demonstrated through pan-generational, community-centric programming and all-abilities green space features that improve social and health outcomes of the community the park serves. For her efforts with the park, Isabel was named a Trust for Public Land Hero.
“My mother’s commitment to uplifting others was inspired by her journey of sacrifice, vulnerability, and ultimately achievement” said Isabel, who first explored advocacy as a teen through the lens of environmental action, specifically participating in community efforts against the use of polystyrene foam as a single-use plastic. “From an early age, I saw my mother fight for her children, for women, and for the voiceless, committing herself to equality and equity before those words became the rallying cries they are today. It’s that bold history, and my dedication to children’s health and civic engagement, that I bring to my role fighting for clean air and a stable climate at Moms Clean Air Force.”