Community Change Grant Technical Assistance
Led community-centered technical assistance and grant development for frontline communities in St. Thomas, USVI and Northwest Roanoke, VA to support applications to the EPA’s Community Change Grant program. Serving as Plan & Engage Lead, I coordinated sustained engagement across community-based organizations, residents, designers, engineers, and federal partners facilitating regular planning meetings, site visit preparation, and design charrettes to translate community priorities into grant-ready, place-based climate resilience projects.
This work advanced community-led planning, grant readiness, and implementation capacity, with a focus on climate action and pollution reduction strategies including resilience hubs, green infrastructure, healthy and energy-efficient housing, heat and flood mitigation, workforce development, and environmental health. Through structured technical assistance, I supported communities in shaping competitive grant narratives, aligning design and engineering concepts with lived experience, and navigating complex federal requirements, strengthening local capacity to pursue long-term investment and sustain climate resilience efforts beyond a single funding cycle.
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Served as Plan Engage Lead, coordinating technical assistance, community engagement, and grant alignment under Adaptation International.
Facilitated multi-stakeholder meetings with CBOs, residents, designers, engineers, and EPA technical staff.
Led and supported site visits and design charrettes to assess climate risks, assets, and project feasibility.
Guided communities in aligning project concepts with EPA Community Change evaluation criteria, including equity, engagement, and climate impact.
Supported development of design narratives, co-benefits, and engagement strategies suitable for federal grant submission.
Role
Climate Resilience Specialist & Plan Engage Lead,
Adaptation International
Year
2024–2025
Location
Remote | St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands & Northwest Roanoke, Virginia
Client/Funder: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Community Change Grants (IRA)
Partners
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands: We Grow Food Inc., Worcester Polytechnic Institute as part of the Caribbean Climate Adaptation Network, ONE Architecture & Urbanism; Elevate Engineering
Northwest Roanoke: Northwest Roanoke Residents, The Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum (MRNF), The Hope Center, Antwyne Calloway, Virginia Tech, City of Roanoke, Roanoke Redevelopment Housing Authority, ONE Architecture & Urbanism, Farr Associates, Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc. (JMT)