A fireside chat with Martha Guzman Aceves, former U.S. EPA Region 9 administrator, and Justin Ángel Knighten, former FEMA associate administrator, this event is hosted by the School of Social Ecology, Social Impact Hub and the UC Irvine Climate Collaboration, and moderated by Michael Méndez, UC Irvine associate professor of urban planning and public policy.
Aceves has more than 25 years of experience in state and federal government, where she has focused on developing and implementing equity-based solutions in the energy, water, agriculture and environment sectors. As regional administrator for the U.S. EPA, she led efforts to protect public health and the environment for the region spanning Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the U.S. Pacific Islands territories, and 148 Tribal Nations. She led the listing of the first superfund site on the Navajo Nation’s- the Lukachukai district, coordinated the EPA clean up and recovery efforts in Maui, and led the enforcement efforts in Oahu requiring the Navy to shut down the 250 million gallons Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
Knighten is a nationally recognized public affairs, communications and political strategist with expertise in national security, climate resilience and sustainability, and community engagement. Based in Washington, DC, he is co-founder of Pinnacle Collective Public Affairs and serves as Executive Advisor with LA-based Mozaic Media + Communications. Knighten served as a senior official in the Biden-Harris Administration as FEMA Associate Administrator directing the Office of External Affairs, which included congressional affairs, media relations and social media, Tribal affairs, crisis communications, intergovernmental affairs, partnership development, and the nation’s Ready Campaign. From 2021 to early 2025, he served as lead communicator for all presidentially declared disasters, directing strategy, messaging, and engagement at The White House and across the federal government.
Méndez, a UC Irvine Chancellor's Fellow and visiting scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, was the Pinchot Faculty Fellow at the Yale School of the Environment before joining UC Irvine's faculty. His first book “Climate Change from the Streets,” published through Yale University Press (2020) was the winner of the Harold and Margaret Sprout Award, sponsored by the International Studies Association and the Association for Humanist Sociology’s Betty and Alfred McClung Lee Award. In 2022, he was awarded the Carnegie Fellowship.
MEDIA: Members of the media who wish to cover this event should contact Mimi Ko Cruz at mkcruz@uci.edu or 714-932-8589.
