Gabriela Rodriguez

Gabriela is committed to bettering our energy systems and our response to climate change for those who need it most by connecting them and supporting them with opportunities. Specializing in thoughtful stakeholder engagement, capacity-building resources and events, and strategic program design and delivery, Gabriela has contributed to program, policy, and advocacy efforts across government, nonprofit, and academic spaces - all with one common goal: helping everyday communities achieve a more sustainable and equitable future.

Gabriela is currently the Network and Engagement Manager at UndauntedK12, a national nonprofit working to ensure that every student has the opportunity to attend a safe, healthy, and resilient school. With Undaunted, Gabriela is helping advance climate-resilient infrastructure in U.S. public schools, increase climate literacy across the country, and help students build a more sustainable future for themselves.

Prior to this role, Gabriela worked on historic, federal programs in clean energy and environmental justice. She was a Program Analyst at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office and Office of Energy Justice and Equity. Gabriela assisted with the administration of the Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program (established by the Inflation Reduction Act) by leading the program’s stakeholder engagement arm and contributing to program management. She also supported the development of the groundbreaking Regional Energy Democracy Initiative (REDI) program and supported DOE’s efforts to engage communities on other federal opportunities. As an ORISE Fellow, Gabriela assisted in developing a stakeholder engagement strategy for the Department’s implementation of the Justice40 Initiative.

Gabriela’s work began in her community. Before DOE, Gabriela was a Program Coordinator at The CLEO Institute (CLEO) in her home city of Miami, Florida, where she played a large role in developing and managing Climate Resilient Schools, a community-based program that brought much-needed climate change education and advocacy skills to underserved high school students. Moreover, she was a leader of CLEO’s youth advocacy arm, helped run CLEO’s Climate Action Lab and Teachers’ Network, and helped create and co-hosted CLEO’s podcast, “House on Fire”. Gabriela was also a local climate justice organizer, where she helped advance local climate legislation and contributed to national get-out-the-vote campaigns.

In 2023, Gabriela graduated from the Yale School of the Environment with a Master of Environmental Management, specializing in People, Equity, and the Environment. There, she worked closely with the Yale Center for Environmental Justice and the Yale Center for Business and the Environment on various university programs and research projects. In 2022, Gabriela was named a Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation Fellow to support her graduate studies. Gabriela received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies, a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability and the Environment, and a Minor in Communication Studies from Florida International University.