Ze-Kun Li, Executive director

Ze (he/him) got his first taste of community organizing in 2010, when, as a De Anza College student, he helped organize a 15,000-person march in San Francisco to advocate for adequate educational funding. This invaluable experience created a belief in the power of student organizing and motivated him to successfully run for student body president. As student body president in 2011, he led a group of 75+ student leaders to create systematic changes - including a deal with VTA to create the first community college eco-pass, where students now pay only $7.75 per quarter to have unlimited usage of any Valley Transportation Authority bus and light rail.

Prior to joining Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action, he built multi-sector coalitions in the 9 counties of the Bay Area to support the largest affordable housing bond in the country. Before that, he was the Director of Campaign Operations for a leading California political strategy firm, where he guided California State Senate and State Assembly, Countywide and City Council electoral campaigns to victory. He’s won 24 out of 26 campaigns because he values strategic partnerships, coalition building, in-language communication and utilizes polling and data to inform decisions.

Over a decade of experience working with private, public and non-profit stakeholders has taught Ze to prioritize the philosophy of “people support what they help create.” His innate ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders and students creates synergy that turns an idea into a reality. He is passionate about youth empowerment and helping to mentor the next generation of changemakers to tackle the climate crisis, and creating systematic changes in education to level the playing field to green career opportunities.

Ze holds a B.A. in Political Science from Santa Clara University.

Contact: Ze@svyouthclimateaction.org

Christine Zack, Program Manager

Christine Zack is a wildlife biologist, environmental educator, and program manager with over a decade of experience mentoring youth, leading environmental projects, and building community partnerships. She is passionate about empowering young people to take action on climate change and positively impact their communities.

As Senior Education Manager at Environmental Volunteers, Christine redesigned and relaunched the teen docent program in 2019, expanding participation from 1 to 40 by 2023. She created leadership roles, specialized training, and recruitment processes, securing support for expansion through internships and capstone projects. Of the teen docents, 85% decided to pursue STEM majors, and 95% have been accepted to four-year colleges. Students have gone on to become local leaders, founding several youth-led environmental education and conservation organizations.

In recent years, Christine has focused on creating climate change programs and curricula for elementary and high school students. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors bird watching, volunteering with local environmental nonprofits, or relaxing at home watching Netflix with her partner, Jon, and their cat, Gus.

Christine holds a degree in Biological Anthropology from UC San Diego and a Master’s in Biology from Saint Joseph’s University.

Contact: Christine@svyouthclimateaction.org

MJ Sasse, Community Engagement Coordinator

MJ Sasse (she/her/hers) recently graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Social Policy in 2025. MJ has experience in community organizing across many regions of the U.S–from the Bay Area to Upstate New York to Chicago to Washington D.C.. All of these varied experiences have taught her the power of collective action and the vitality of community-driven change. She is passionate about empowering people with the tools and resources they need to fight for essential issues like climate action.

MJ has a background in coalition-building, policy, and grassroots organizing for affordable housing, multiracial democracy, and environmental and economic justice initiatives. MJ had the opportunity to work on environmental justice policy issues at the federal level as a legislative intern for U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley. As a development intern for a nonprofit affordable housing developer, MJ explored the intersection between housing and sustainability; and as an intern for the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, she gained experience organizing coalitions around policy initiatives. MJ also has four years of experience as a volunteer organizer for a nonprofit advocacy organization that fights for economic and environmental justice in Chicago.

In her free time, MJ loves to get outside: hiking, camping, climbing, running, gardening, and farmers-market-going.

Erin Zimmerman, Communications Consultant

Erin Zimmerman (she/her) has been studying the political impacts of environmental change for over a decade. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Adelaide, Australia, in 2013. Her doctoral dissertation examined the influence of non-traditional security issues, such as climate change, on regional governing institutions in Asia. Her master’s thesis, completed in 2010, examined the negative impact of environmentally induced migration on state stability.

As an environmental advocate Erin has been involved with many organizations in Australia, Switzerland and the United States of America. She currently lives in Colorado and, in addition to her work with SVYCA, she also works at the NSF-Funded ASCEND Engine, and focused on fostering the development and deployment of community resilience technologies.

Amiya Bansal, Policy Intern

Amiya Bansal is a freshman at UC Berkeley studying Philosophy and Public Policy. She is from the Bay Area, she has been involved in public service since high school, where she served as a San Jose Youth Commissioner, and interned for the SJ Mayor. She has also conducted research through the Hoover Institution and is currently working for a nonprofit human trafficking law firm.

Amiya is passionate about expanding civic engagement among young people and is excited to contribute to research that advances climate awareness and environmental justice. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature and doing arts & crafts.

Erin Shaotran, Education Intern

Erin is a student at the University of California, Berkeley, double majoring in Society & Environment and Legal Studies, with a minor in English. While at UC Berkeley, she has contributed to research on environmental justice and sustainable energy. Erin currently serves as the Climate Education Intern at SVYCA, where she hopes to support climate education and youth engagement initiatives. She is passionate about environmental justice, eco-literacy, and expanding access to environmental education, and hopes to help empower communities through climate learning and advocacy.

Emily Ma, Youth Director

Emily is a senior at Aragon High where she co-leads SVYCA's San Mateo County Team. She is excited to be SVYCA's Youth Director! Previously, she co-led two subcommittees for the 2025 IMPACT Summit, conducted peer-to-peer electrification education in partnership with Peninsula Clean Energy, contributed to developing the Climate Leadership Academy curriculum, and more. She enjoys approaching climate action from a multitude of angles, including everything from science and technology to art to policy. In her new role, she looks forward to introducing students from across the Bay Area to SVYCA and helping them start their journey as youth climate leaders.

Mani Bekele, Youth Director

Mani Bekele (he/him) is one of SVYCA’s new Youth Directors and the Co-Lead of the San Jose team. He also serves on the City of San Jose’s Climate Advisory Commission. In pursuing climate action, he works to support solutions that can bring about broader societal benefits, with a particular interest in agriculture, food systems, and ecological restoration. He grows a large community garden and home orchard in Downtown San Jose and enjoys hiking in the hills surrounding our Valley. Mani recently received the Santa Clara County President’s Community Hero Award—a well-deserved recognition of his leadership, dedication, and impact. He was also recently named Youth Climate Smart Champion of the Year by the City of San José.

Sayana Settipalli, OPERATIONS OFFICER

Sayana is a senior at Washington High School and a co-lead of SVYCA's Tri-City Action Team. Interested in education and climate literacy, Sayana has been involved in various initiatives pertaining to community outreach and building sustainable advocacy in her area. She specifically enjoys learning about the cross section between environmentalism, literature, and politics. Outside of climate action projects, Sayana enjoys creative writing, pop culture media analysis, reading poetry, and snacking on anything with hazelnut chocolate. As Operations Officer, she's looking forward to supporting her fellow members in any way possible and acting as both a contributing leader and committed mentor.

Nova Jayraj, Policy Officer

Nova Jayaraj is a junior at Los Gatos High School and the co-lead of the Los Gatos/Saratoga subteam within SVYCA. Nova is deeply committed to empowering young people to take initiative in their communities—regardless of age, gender, race, or sexuality. She believes that her ability to speak out on critical issues comes with a moral responsibility to advocate for those who cannot. At school, Nova is actively involved in a wide range of activities: she is a cross country runner, the Treasurer of Interact (a student service club), a hardware specialist on the Robotics team, and the President of Vocalis, a mentorship club that helps middle school students explore and develop their passions. With a deep love for her community, Nova is driven by a desire to constantly work to improve it, creating positive change that benefits the future of others.

Rosalía Bacon-Flores, Education Officer

Rosalía Bacon-Flores (She/Her) is a high school junior at Waldorf School of the Peninsula who serves as one of the Education Officers and as the Nature-Based Solutions Team Co-Lead. She enjoys walking through the redwoods as a way to reconnect with our natural roots and enjoys using her artistic skills to paint works as a form of advocacy. She’s passionate about the intersection of climate and health, specifically the exacerbating effect of a warming climate on underserved communities around the world and the injustices suffered by them in this climate crisis. She is incredibly happy and honored to work with SVYCA and is always looking for ways to assist in the continued work in climate policy, advocacy and education to ensure a safe, livable tomorrow.

Charlotte Liang, Education Officer

Charlotte Liang is a rising senior at Mills High School and Co-Chair of SVYCA’s Climate × Health Collaborative. She also serves as SVYCA’s Education Officer, leading climate literacy through student programming, curriculum development, school presentations, the Summer Leadership Academy, and regional outreach.

Since joining SVYCA in 2024, she has developed and delivered clean energy and sustainability presentations through the Peninsula Clean Energy Grant cycle and co-led internal operations for the 2025 IMPACT Summit, supporting a 500+ attendee regional event.

Charlotte is especially interested in using education to bridge awareness and policy, helping young people turn knowledge into action in climate, health, and civic decision-making.

Cynthia Li, Social Media Officer

Cynthia (she/her) is SVYCA’s Communications Officer and is a Co-lead for the Sunnyvale Action Team. She is love to hike, draw, and eat bagels! As Communications Officer, Cynthia is excited to combine both her passion for the environment, and marketing experience to broaden SVYCA’s online presence to impact as many youth as possible. She is hopeful about spreading climate literacy amongst others and sparking crucial conversations about sustainability. She believes that changing our climate begins through communication, allowing everyone to participate in our green revolution.

Hoi Poon, Co-Founder & Senior ADvisor

Ms. Hoi Poon is a public affairs strategist, entrepreneur, and community builder who has spent more than three decades working at the intersection of policy, advocacy, and storytelling. Over the course of her career, she has helped lead and advise campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels, supported nonprofits with marketing and fundraising, and worked alongside community leaders and policymakers to advance meaningful change, especially in education and climate policy.

In 2019, driven by the urgency of the climate crisis and a belief in the power of young people, Poon founded the nonprofit Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action. What started as a local effort has grown into a powerful youth-led movement, engaging thousands of students across the Bay Area to push for real climate solutions. Together, these young leaders have helped pass more than 120 policies at the local, regional, and state levels, and many have gone on to pursue careers dedicated to tackling the climate crisis.

Today, Hoi continues to mentor and support the next generation of climate leaders, both in Silicon Valley and around the world. Through SVYCA’s growing team of staff and youth fellows, she also advises policymakers, advocates, and entrepreneurs working to scale impactful climate solutions. At the heart of her work is a simple belief: when young people are given the tools and support to lead, they can change the future.