Dr. Yeshaq Sarra Tekola, a visionary leader and renowned expert in sustainability, is the founder and executive director of Addis Alem Consulting, a position they have held for over a decade. With a Ph.D. in Sustainability from Arizona State University, Dr. Tekola's dissertation research delved into the intricate connections between climate change, colonialism, and Western society's inability to address the climate crisis, a concept they termed "the pathology of modernity."
As both an academic and decolonial climate activist, Dr. Tekola has been instrumental in various initiatives and organizations. They are a member of the design team and currently serve on the board of the Hive Fund for Climate & Gender Justice, a pioneering organization dedicated to addressing the intersections of climate justice and gender equity.
Dr. Tekola is also a member of the Wisdom Council, a collective effort to establish a Black & Indigenous fund for organizers in Arizona, in collaboration with the Wend Collective. Furthermore, they are a board member of the Reclaiming STEM institute, a trailblazing initiative aimed at supporting and empowering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the STEM fields.
In addition to their academic and professional pursuits, Dr. Tekola is a co-founder, co-director, development director, and policy strategist for Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro. They are also a co-founder and facilitator of the Phoenix Environmental Justice Coalition, and have been actively involved in solidarity work with an Indigenous group of land defenders on contested land in the Navajo/Hopi Nations since 2018.
Dr. Tekola's impressive activism has been featured in prominent media outlets, including Democracy Now, CNN, Rolling Stone, and was recognized by Outside Magazine as one of the "30 under 30" in 2016. They were a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow from 2018-2021, a testament to their dedication and commitment to their work.
