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Bios

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75 Word Bio:

From 2001 to 2008 she was Executive Director of the non-profit she founded: Sustainable South Bronx – where she pioneered green-collar job training and placement systems in one of the most environmentally and economically challenged parts of the US. This MacArthur “genius” is now president of her own economic consulting firm, a co-host on Sundance Channel’s The Green, and host of a new special public radio series called, The Promised Land (thepromisedland.org).

125 Word Bio:

Majora Carter simultaneously addresses public health, poverty alleviation, and climate change as one of the nation’s pioneers in successful urban green-collar job training and placement systems. She founded Sustainable South Bronx in 2001 to achieve environmental justice through economically sustainable projects informed by community needs. Her work has earned numerous awards including a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, one of Essence Magazine’s 25 Most Influential African-Americans, and one of the NY Post’s Most Influential NYC Women. She is a board member of the Widerness Society, SJF, and CERES; and hosts a special national public radio series called “The Promised Land” (thepromisedland.org). Her work now includes advising cities, foundations, universities, businesses, and communities around the world on unlocking their green-collar economic potential to benefit everyone as President of the Majora Carter Group, LLC.

200 Word Bio:

While the term “green-collar jobs” gains more press and pundits daily, very few people have actually marshaled the resources to get unemployed Americans trained and placed on pathways out of poverty in this growing economic sector. Majora Carter has. Born, raised, and continuing to live in the South Bronx, her work takes her around the world in pursuit of resources and ideas to improve the quality of life in environmentally challenged communities. She founded Sustainable South Bronx in 2001 and by 2003 had implemented the highly successful Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training (BEST) program— a pioneering green-collar job training and placement system — seeding communities with a skilled workforce that has both a personal & economic stake in their urban environment. She is currently president of the green-collar economic consulting firm the Majora Carter Group, LLC.

Her vision, drive, and tenacity earned a MacArthur “genius” Fellowship. Newsweek named her one of “25 To Watch” in 2007, and one of the “century’s most important environmentalists” in 2008. She a board member of the Wilderness Society, SJF, and CERES. She host a special national public radio series called “The Promised Land” , and “Eco-Heroes” on the Sundance Channel.

285 Word Bio:

Majora Carter was born, raised, and continues to live in the South Bronx. Her career has taken her around the world in pursuit of resources and ideas to improve the quality of life in environmentally challenged communities. She founded Sustainable South Bronx in 2001 after writing a $1.25M Federal Transportation grant to design the South Bronx Greenway with 11 miles of bike and pedestrian paths connecting the rivers and neighborhoods to each other, and to the rest of the city. That project secured over $20 million in funds for first phase construction and serves as alternative transportation, economic development anchor, storm water management infrastructure as well as healthy recreation.

She has been instrumental in creating riverfront parks, building green roofs, working to remove poorly planned highways in favor of positive economic development, and successfully implementing the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training (BEST) program— a pioneering green-collar job training and placement system — seeding a community with a skilled workforce that has both a personal & economic stake in their urban environment.

These accomplishments grow from her notion that self-image is influenced by surroundings—so those surroundings should be beautiful! Her vision, drive, and tenacity earned her a MacArthur “Genius” Grant. She started 2007 as one of Newsweek’s “25 To Watch”, ended the year as one of Essence Magazine’s “25 most Influential African Americans”. She has been named one of the “50 most influential women in NYC” by the NY Post for the past two years, and “NYC’s most influential environmentalist” by the BBC World Service. Majora is president of the Majora Carter Group, LLC, a board member of the Widerness Society, SJF, and CERES; and host of a special national public radio series called “The Promised Land”.

360 Word Bio:

Born, raised, and continuing to live in the South Bronx, Majora believes you shouldn’t have to move out of your neighborhood to live in a better one, and that this notion has environmental and economic implications that span the globe.

In 2001, after successfully shifting the Giuliani administration’s plans from more municipal waste handling to positive economic development, she founded the non-profit environmental justice solutions corporation, Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx). Her first major project was writing a $1.25M Federal Transportation planning grant for the South Bronx Greenway with 11 miles of alternative transport, local economic development, low-impact storm-water management, and recreational space. This led to the first new South Bronx water front park in over 60 years.

While needed parks are highly visible manifestations of her work, the real focus is creating intensive urban forestation, green roofing/walls, and water permeable open spaces. This robust horticultural infrastructure cleans the air, reduces urban heat island effect, efficiently manages storm water run off, calms the soul, and creates jobs – reducing poverty.

In 2003, SSBx opened the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training program (BEST): one of the nation’s first urban green-collar job training and placement systems. After 5 years it boasts an 85% employment rate with 10% now in college. Many of these success stories were formerly incarcerated, and all of them were on some form of public assistance before completing the nationally recognized 10-week course. Her local and global environmental solutions rest on poverty alleviation through green economic development, because the local jobs they create can empower communities to resist bad environmental decisions.

Majora Carter is a 2006 MacArthur “genius” Fellow, one of Essence Magazine’s 25 most influential African-Americans, one the NY Post’s 50 Most Influential Women for the past 2 years, co-host of the Green on the Sundance Channel, a board member of the Widerness Society, SJF, and CERES, and host of a special national public radio series called “The Promised Land” (thepromisedland.org). She is currently president of the green-collar economic consulting company, The Majora Carter Group, LLC.

One Page CV

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Life-long resident of the Hunts Point community in the South Bronx

• 2008 – Present President, the Majora Carter Group. A Green Collar Economic Consulting firm.
• 2001 – 2008: Founder and Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx: achieving Environmental Justice Solutions through innovative, economically sustainable projects, informed by the community needs. Accomplishments include:
  • Conceived/Secured funding for the South Bronx Green & Cool Roofs Demonstration Project, the first such project in NYC.
  • Implemented B.E.S.T. (Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training) one of the nation’s first green-collar job training and placement systems.
  • Convened S.W.I.M. (Storm Water Infrastructure Matters) coalition of over 50 regionally active organizations which worked together to pass NYC Local 5 and a $4.50 per sq ft green roof tax abatement.
  • Conceived/Secured Funding/Implemented the Greenway Stewards system through the Clinton Global Initiative Commitment system to put urban horticultural engineers to work in the South Bronx.
• 1997-2001: Project Director/Assoc. Director, Community Restoration the Point CDC, South Bronx. Wrote successful $1.25M proposal for planning funds to design the South Bronx Greenway. The plan now has $20M in secured funding.
• Co-founder of the Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance, a grassroots campaign to Decommission the Sheridan Expressway and replace it with local value driven developments.
• Founding Chair: Bronx River Working Group (later formalized as the Bronx river Alliance) – community organizations, governmental agencies, businesses and other interested parties working to restore the Bronx River watershed.
• Conceived/Secured funding: Hunts Point Riverside Park: first South Bronx waterfront park in 60 years.
• Co-designed and sponsored Greening for Breathing, a community greening project; and air quality study, Air Pollution and Truck Traffic, with Columbia University and City College, CUNY.
• Designed Hunts Point Community Composting Project: community waste reduction project.
• Organized letter-writing campaigns, and testified before public agencies on environmental policy.
• 2002 Representative Organization of Waterfront Neighborhoods.

Education: Bronx High School of Science 1984; BA Wesleyan Univ. 1988; MFA New York University 1997

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