Iris Gonzalez is the Director of Capacity Building for the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA), a national coalition of almost 100 grassroots organizations driving environmental justice and Just Transition work across the country. Iris is responsible for program strategy and implementation of technical assistance offerings to grow the short and long term capacity of CJA’s alliance membership. Prior to this role, Iris served as Senior Program Officer of Capacity Building for CJA through the Thriving Communities Grantmaker program, a $60M grantmaking program that was moonlit after a loss in federal funding. Before that, Iris was a political appointee in the Biden-Harris administration where she served as Chief of Staff for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 office. At EPA, Iris led environmental justice policy interventions, created staff training curricula, designed a new program to enhance community engagement and moved the Dallas office towards a deep culture change. Iris also served as the founding Executive Director for The Coalition for Environment, Equity and Resilience (CEER), a new grassroots collaborative advocating for environmental justice policy solutions in the greater Houston region in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. During her time at CEER, Iris led the coalition to obtain several policy wins, including the passage of the landmark Harris Thrives Resolution, an ordinance that establishes a framework for equitable flood protection in Harris County. Before taking the helm at CEER, she served as Community Development Officer for the Houston office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) where she managed a $3 million place-based comprehensive community development program to improve quality of life in underinvested Houston communities.
Iris has over 15 years experience in nonprofit program management, training, coalition building, community engagement, grant-making, and fundraising. Iris is a skilled facilitator who has led advocacy campaigns around water justice, environmental health, and climate justice. Though she grew up in Texas, Iris has deep ties to the Midwest, where she led environmental organizing efforts in predominantly Latinx neighborhoods facing chronic flooding on Milwaukee’s southside. Iris currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Outside of work, Iris enjoys kickboxing, cooking, gardening and cuddling with her two kitties.
Iris has a B.A from Marquette University and is a graduate of the inaugural Leadership in Action certificate program from Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. She is a 2018 alumna of the Houston New Leaders Council program, the largest progressive leadership training in the US, and served as Chapter Co-Director of the New Leaders Council-Houston Chapter. Iris was named one of the Houston Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business” 2020 awardees. She is the recipient of the 2021 Hal Suter Award from the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, which recognizes persons who have helped further environmental goals through collaboration with other individuals, groups, or entities. She served on the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Air Quality Subcommittee and was appointed by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo to serve on the Harris County Flood Resilience Community Task Force, an innovative body that gives communities of color and disinvested neighborhood leaders a seat at the table to address flood mitigation. Iris served on the National Advisory Board for the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice.