From Heat to Hope—Forging Climate Solutions Through Community

SEPTEMBER 12, 2025

SPEAKERS

Debra Hendrickson, MD

Debra Hendrickson, M.D., is a board-certified pediatrician in Reno, Nevada, the fastest-warming city in the United States. She is the author of The Air They Breathe: A Pediatrician on the Frontlines of Climate Change, published by Simon & Schuster in 2024. Dr. Hendrickson is a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, where she lectures on the impact of early childhood experiences (such as poverty and trauma) on long-term health. She has an honors degree in environmental studies from Brown University and was an environmental analyst and planner in New England and Seattle for ten years before attending medical school. Dr. Hendrickson has received many awards for academic achievement and research in both environmental studies and medicine. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of its Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change, and a founding member of Nevada Clinicians for Climate Action. She has 3 grown children and 1 granddaughter.

Amanda Rowoldt

Amanda Rowoldt is the Ohio Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force and a public policy expert with a passion for building common ground to solve tough problems. She’s the founder of Work Family Balance, a nonprofit supporting working parents and child development. As a mom, Amanda saw firsthand how plastic pollution added stress and guilt to daily life and now works to empower families to fight for cleaner, healthier communities.

Joanne Leovy, MD, FAAFP

Dr. Joanne Leovy is a family physician with over 30 years of broad-spectrum primary care practice experience, including 8 years in an urban Las Vegas community health clinic, where she treated many patients with disproportionate exposure to heat and air pollution. She graduated from University of Washington School of Medicine and completed family medicine residency at University of Wisconsin-Madison. She completed a Diploma in Climate Medicine from University of Colorado Anshutz School of Medicine in 2024. As Chair of Nevada Clinicians for Climate Action, she works in coalition to educate and advocate for measures to reduce climate change impacts on health. She also volunteers with as Nevada state co-coordinator of Citizens Climate Lobby.

Jessica Ordóñez-Lancet

Jessica Ordóñez-Lancet is the senior director for Energy and Environment Campaigns at the Center for American Progress. Prior to joining American Progress, Ordóñez-Lancet worked for Climate Power, where she helped position the organization as a pivotal player in Latino media and politics and launched the Climate Power En Acción project. With a foundation in strategic communication cultivated at the National Wildlife Federation and expertise in environmental conflict resolution gained at RESOLVE, her career has been defined by a steady commitment to advancing environmental and climate justice and working toward a more equitable and resilient future for all. Born and raised in San José, Costa Rica, Ordóñez-Lancet holds a master’s degree in global environmental policy from American University and a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Costa Rica. She resides in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Howard Watts

Nevada Assemblymember Howard Watts was born and raised in Las Vegas and is a graduate of the UNLV. He was elected to the Nevada Assembly in 2018 and is now in his fourth term. Assemblymember Watts previously served as Chair of the Committee on Natural Resources and is currently Chair of the Committee on Growth and Infrastructure and the Assembly Majority Whip. He has more than a decade of experience in nonprofit organizations and community engagement, and has focused his time in the Legislature on a wide range of sustainability and conservation issues, as well as those related to consumer protection, social equity, and government modernization. Assemblymember Watts has been recognized for his leadership in sustainability by the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, and the American Water Works Association. He was named one of the Council of State Governments “20 under 40” for 2024.

Mary Wagner

Mary Wagner is a passionate advocate and mother of two, whose journey began when she discovered the power of speaking up for her community—especially after learning how climate change and air pollution were affecting her own son’s asthma. Today, she works across Nevada to mobilize families, raise awareness about the health impacts of pollution, and advocate for clean energy solutions that protect our children and our future.

Cinthia Zermeño Moore

Originally from Jalisco, Mexico, Cinthia and her family moved to Nevada’s District 11 over 30 years ago in pursuit of the American Dream. Her father opening up a small business: a carpentry shop, and her mother was into the service industry as a housekeeper. As a daughter of immigrants and a first generation Latina, she is proud to serve on the State Assembly and address the issues that she sees affecting her community. As a thirty year resident of East Las Vegas, she is proud to run in the community where she grew up and is now proudly raising her son.

Previously, she coordinated the Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition, where she advocated for healthier communities.  She has consistently fought for environmental justice because she believes clean air, clean energy, and eliminating pollution from our community will greatly benefit the health of residents of East Las Vegas.  She has seen firsthand how environmental, economic, and social issues disproportionately affect the residents of AD11, and she is determined to be a steadfast advocate for her community in Carson City.

Audrey Peral

Audrey Peral is the Program Director for Chispa Nevada, where she leads community driven initiatives focused on environmental justice, advocacy, and leadership development. With a strong background in community organizing and a deep commitment to uplifting underrepresented voices, Audrey works to build grassroots power among Latino communities across Nevada. Her work centers on empowering individuals through education and civic engagement to drive lasting, systemic change.

Pam Covarrubias

Pam Covarrubias is a double Certified Life and Business Coach, Certified Clinical EFT Practitioner, Speaker, Podcaster, and Recovering Procrastinator. Grounded in liberation principles and trauma-informed practices, she supports first-generation women and femmes in the US. Rejecting Calladita Culture®, she advocates against silencing and submission. As the host of the globally acclaimed podcast, Cafe con Pam®, Pam shares candid, thought-provoking insights from diverse voices, offering valuable resources for mental health, business success and community-driven positive change.

Silvia R. González

Silvia R. González, PhD directs climate, health, and environmental justice research at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI). Her current projects focus on advancing environmental sustainability and disaster resilience for Latina-owned businesses, and leading the development of the Latino Climate and Health Dashboard, a new data platform that helps frontline Latino communities access and use environmental health data to drive policy change. Raised in the Northeast San Fernando Valley and Guanajuato, Mexico, Silvia brings a deep commitment to addressing inequality in the communities most impacted by climate change. Her work centers racial and gender equity, with a focus on how women are leading efforts to protect the human right to water and promote sustainable, community-led climate solutions. Before joining LPPI, Silvia was the founding assistant director of the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge where she led projects to document gentrification and anti-displacement policies, and co-led environmental equity projects at the Luskin Center for Innovation. She holds a PhD in urban planning, a master’s in urban and regional planning, and a BA in geography and environmental studies—all from UCLA.

Flor Diaz

Flor Diaz is an economics major with a minor in political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is passionate about creating change, advocating for immigrant communities, and ensuring that young people have a voice in shaping their future. Over the past year, Flor has organized with youth, led community campaigns, and empowered others to speak up and take action. She is deeply committed to advocacy and continues to seek opportunities to stay engaged and uplift her community.

Isaias Hernandez

Isaias Hernandez is an environmentalist, educator, and creative devoted to improving environmental literacy through content creation, storytelling, and public engagements. Isaias is more commonly known by his moniker, Queer Brown Vegan: the independent media platform he started to bring intersectional environmental education to all. His journey to deconstruct complex issues, while centering diversity and authenticity, has resonated with a worldwide audience. He also collaborates with other leaders from the private and public sectors to uplift and produce stories of change for his independent web series, Sustainable Jobs and Teaching Climate Together. He is currently writing his first-debut book, Dear Environmentalist, published with Hachette Working Group coming out April 2027.

Jannelle Calderón

Jannelle Calderón is The Nevadan / El Nevadense newsletter editor. A bilingual storyteller, she’s passionate about highlighting the human side of policy and showcasing Nevada’s vibrant cultures. She previously reported for The Nevada Independent and is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jannelle also writes Vegas Somos, a weekly Spanish-language newsletter dedicated to breaking down the issues that matter most to Nevada’s Latino communities.

Emilia Pablo

Emilia Pablo hosts Desde Nevada (From Nevada), the only independent weekly Spanish-language TV & radio program broadcasting in the Silver State that highlights success stories and provides community information.

Emilia was born in Oaxaca, Mexico and raised in Oxnard, California. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications. She became the first in the family to attend college. In 2006, she received a master’s degree in journalism from U.C. Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. Her TV class produced Emmy award winning newscasts. Emilia is trilingual.

Emilia was a fellow for Dateline NBC. She was then hired as an associate producer and contributor for PBS’ Frontline/World, where she collaborated on documentaries produced worldwide. In 2006, Emilia joined Univision TV in Nevada. In 2010 she was appointed speechwriter and press aide to President Barack Obama’s Administration.

Isabel González Whitaker

Isabel González Whitaker is the Associate Vice President for Moms Clean Air Force and the Director of EcoMadres. Earlier this year she was named a 2025 Parents Magazine Next Gen winner alongside Michelle Obama and others for her advocacy work and in 2024 she was named People En Espanol’s “Top 20 Most Powerful Latinos Fighting Climate Change.” 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 was also the Deputy Editor of Billboard and a Features Editor at InStyle, and wrote for Time, the New York Times, the Hollywood Reporter, the Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, and Refinery29. In 2023, she gave a TedXAtlanta Talk on the power of civic engagement to improve community and sustain democracy.