Hosted by FracTracker Alliance and Halt the Harm Network
The next Sentinel Awards event will be in 2026 – and I’ve recently organized a collection of previous event recordings here in HHN. If you missed the chance to tune in, here’s a produced video from the live event last year in Pittsburgh, PA that brought together many leaders from the network to celebrate the hard work and efforts of respected peers.
Keynote Speaker, Carolyn Finney
Carolyn Finney (), PhD is a storyteller, author and a cultural geographer who is deeply interested in issues related to identity, difference, creativity, and resilience. Grounded in both artistic and intellectual ways of knowing (pursuing an acting career for eleven years and backpacking around the world before returning to school to complete three degrees), she is passionate about interrogating our past and dreaming a future that is liberatory, just and green. Along with public speaking nationally and internationally, writing, media engagements and consulting, she served on the National Parks Advisory Board and is the author of numerous publications, most notably her first book, Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship between African Americans and the Great Outdoors (2014). She was a Fulbright Scholar, a Canon National Parks Science Scholar and has received two Mellon Fellowships, including a residency at the New York Botanical Gardens. She is currently working on her second book and is a scholar/artist in residence in the Franklin Environmental Center at Middlebury College. Photo credit Nicholas Nichols.
Guest Speaker, Eddie Mitchell
Eddie Mitchell () is a farmer from the west of Ireland who became deeply involved in environmental activism when fracking was proposed in the Lough Allen gas basin in 2011. The campaign in Ireland was informed about the negative health impacts associated with unconventional gas development, by listening to personal testimony coming out of affected communities in North America.
As a spokesperson for Love Leitrim, Eddie helped build awareness, resistance, and cross-party political support for legislation that banned fracking on the Irish onshore in 2017. He built on that momentum and in 2021 the Irish government put in place a world first ban on fracked gas imports. However the campaign incurred a serious setback in 2023 when a Green Party Minister proposed a LNG terminal in Ireland citing energy security concerns. The supply of LNG into Ireland will come from Pennsylvania via a LNG terminal proposed by New Fortress Energy on the Shannon Estuary. The communities that fought fracking in Ireland understand that as long as there is gas in the ground beneath us, we need to remain vigilant and continue to fight against fracking everywhere. We are fighting now to protect the people up stream because we know if we accept fracked gas imports we will suffer a similar fate.
Presentation of Awards, 2024 Sentinels
Here are the photos and bios of this year’s recipients.
NaTisha Washington (she/her/hers)
Introduced by: Debra Smit, Breathe Project
NaTisha is the Communications Manager at the Breathe Project, where she works with over 60 partner organizations to inform residents about air quality and petrochemical issues. Previously, she was the Environmental Justice Organizer at 412 Justice, advocating for EJ communities, and the Green Initiative Coordinator at Operation Better Block, leading youth programs focused on urban farming and community engagement. NaTisha is the founder of Washington Green Solutions, co-owner of Just by Nature, and serves as a Council Member for Wilkinsburg Borough, advocating for equitable, safe, and healthy communities.
Roishetta Sibley Ozane (she/her/hers)
Introduced by: (Potentially) Stacey McConnell
Roishetta is the founder, director, and CEO of The Vessel Project of Louisiana, providing mutual aid and environmental justice services to vulnerable communities. She co-directs the Gulf Fossil Finance Hub, working to defund fossil fuels and invest in communities. Roishetta is an internationally recognized environmental justice advocate, speaking on behalf of Black, Indigenous, and other communities for clean air, water, and sustainable living. She holds degrees from McNeese State University, is a PhD candidate at Walden University, and serves on various boards. Roishetta is a mother of six and grandmother of one.
Andrea Pierce (she/her/hers, we/us/our)
Introduced by: (Potentially) Jessica Berger
Andrea Pierce is a citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB) and a passionate advocate for environmental justice and Native rights. She serves as Policy Director at the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition and as a lead organizer of Idle No More Michigan, where she works to protect tribal lands and treaty rights, including efforts to shut down Line 5 and stop the Enbridge tunnel. Andrea co-founded the Anishinaabek Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party and has held leadership roles, including DNC Delegate and Chair of the LTBB Election Board. She is committed to protecting tribal lands and treaty rights and serves on the Washtenaw County Environmental Council and the Great Lakes Water Protection Action Network. She is also a mother, grandmother, and activist.
Emerging Leader
Quinn Eide (they/them/theirs)
Introduced by: (Potentially) Miguel Alatorre
Quinn Eide is the Executive Director of Fossil Free California, an organization focused on divesting California’s two largest pensions, CalPERS and CalSTRS, from fossil fuels. They work with union members, students, and Californians to achieve divestment through union pressure, state legislation, and direct board action. Quinn is also a 2024 Environmental Leadership Initiative Fellow. In their free time, they are involved with Rich City Rays, a Richmond-based “kayactivism” group working to shut down the Chevron refinery by combining direct action with community engagement through kayaking.
People’s Choice Award
Patricia Popple (she/her/hers)
Introduced by: Ted Auch, FracTracker Alliance
Patricia is driven by a deep desire to care for others, teach, learn, and use her problem-solving and leadership skills to improve conditions for all living things. After retiring from 37 years in education and caring for her mother for seven years, Patricia found her calling when she became involved in opposing a proposed frac sand processing plant in her neighborhood. Her efforts have since focused on addressing the fossil fuel industry’s impact on conservation, the environment, and public health. Sixteen years later, she continues to advocate for justice, both locally and globally.
Recognition of all 33 Sentinel Award Nominees:
- Alyssa Portaro
- Andrea W Pierce
- Bev Reed
- Christina “Chris” “PK” DiGuilio
- David Hess
- Deirdre Lally
- Frank Rocchio
- Hilary Flint
- Jami Wallace
- Jess Conard
- Jessica Sims
- Junior Walk
- Kevin Chan
- Lucy Molina
- Marsha Goldsmith Kamin
- NaTisha C Washington
- Patricia Garcia-Nelson
- Patricia J Popple
- Randi Pokladnik
- Randy Willard
- Roishetta Ozane
- Russell Chisholm
- Sandy Field
- Stacey Magda
- Yvonne Taylor
- Emmy Scott
- Erica Brown
- Katelyn Johnston
- Kayley Shoup
- Keith Moore
- Mariah Clay
- Quinn Eide
- Sam Shores
- Shayla Roberts-Long
Honoring the Legacy of Heroes
The Legacy of Heroes honors environmental advocates who have recently passed on. We pay our respects to:
- Ashby Berkley
- Bob Nelson
- Christopher Shepard
- Courtney Miller Fish
- David Braun
- Debby Lee Cohen
- Klee Benally
- Laurel Gulla
- Peter Dykstra
- Sreedhar Ramamurthi
- Teresa Mills
- Willam “Bill” Limpert
Thank you to our judges!
Brett Nadrich, US and Canada Communications Officer, Break Free From Plastic
Chante’ Davis, Youth Organizer, Sunrise Movement and former Sentinel Awardee
Martha Dina Argüello, Executive Director, Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles
Anne Rolfes, Director, Louisiana Bucket Brigade
Learn more at https://www.fractracker.org/sentinels
Thank you to our partners and sponsors
- The 11th Hour Project/The Schmidt Family Foundation
- The Heinz Endowments
- Beyond Petrochemicals
