Equity, Advisory and Action Committee
The Equity, Advisory and Action Committee (EAAC) provides support to the Governance Board on implementing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in Great Lakes work, and advocates for the concerns of communities harmed by pollution. Members of the committee guide outreach to community organizations for submitting content to the annual Great Lakes Conference, and partner with state leads to uplift and elevate the voices of frontline communities with Members of Congress.
Huda Alkaff
Founder and Director, Wisconsin Green Muslims
Huda Alkaff is an ecologist, environmental educator, environmental justice activist, and the founder and director of Wisconsin Green Muslims, a grassroots environmental justice group formed in 2005 connecting faith, environmental justice, sustainability, and healing through education and service. Huda’s higher education degrees are in Conservation Ecology, Sustainable Development, and Science/Environmental Education from the University of Georgia.
For over two decades, she advocates for environmental justice, initiating Muslim and Interfaith programs on energy democracy and water equity. Huda received several awards and recognitions including from the 2015 White House Champions of Change for Faith Climate Justice Leaders by President Obama.
Huda is a Program Manager at Milwaukee Environmental Consortium and the Coordinator of Wisconsin Faith Communities for Equitable Solar Initiative and Wisconsin Faithful Rainwater Harvesting (FaRaH) that connect with over 8,000 people from 19 different faith traditions, spiritualities and various backgrounds.
Crystal Davis
Senior Director, Midwest, National Parks Conservation Association
Crystal M.C. Davis leads policy and advocacy efforts related to Lake Erie, and manages the Alliance’s Ohio office in Cleveland as Policy Director. Prior to the Alliance, Crystal spent eight years in government relations with Kent State University (KSU). Most recently, she served as the federal relations director for KSU’s Office of Government & Community Relations. Based in Washington, D.C., she established the university’s office on Capitol Hill and was the liaison between KSU, members of Congress, their staffs, key executive agencies, the administration and national associations. Immediately prior to assuming that role, Crystal worked as KSU’s senior legislative officer for state government relations. Based in Columbus, Ohio, she was the university’s chief strategist on all matters related to advocacy, public policy analysis, legislative involvement and management of relationships with elected officials. She has extensive experience in government and external affairs having also worked for the Ohio House of Representatives, the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Crystal is a graduate of Kent State University.
Monica Lewis-Patrick
President and CEO, We the People of Detroit
Monica Lewis-Patrick (aka The Water Warrior) is a mother, educator, entrepreneur, and human rights activist/advocate. She is co-founder of We The People of Detroit and became President & CEO of the organization in 2014. Through her work with We the People, Lewis-Patrick has set up emergency water stations, opened hotlines, delivered water, provided education, and conducted community research to raise awareness about water shutoffs and water affordability in Flint and Detroit.
She is one of the leaders at the forefront of the water rights struggle in Detroit and beyond and is also the visionary, co-designer and co-author of the We The People of Detroit-Community Research Collective that published and released “Mapping the Water Crisis: The Dismantling of African-American Neighborhoods in Detroit” (August 2016) as volume one of a three-part series documenting the effects of austerity and its relationship to race in Detroit.
She is also an active member of the People’s Water Board Coalition, US Human Rights Network, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Flint Strong Stones (Co-founder), Freshwater Futures/All About Water (Advisory Committee), Detroit Equity Action Lab (Fellow 2016) and was named to the World Water Justice Council in October 2015.
Lewis-Patrick, attended the historic Bennett College, is a graduate of East Tennessee State University where she earned a BS degree in Social Work and Sociology; a Masters degree in Criminal Justice/Sociology and Public Management; and was a Ron McNair Scholar.
Alicia Smith
Executive Director, Junction Coalition
Alicia Smith is the cofounder and Executive Director of Junction Coalition, a community organization that started as an opportunity to help the community help themselves through partnering with others to address social, economic, peace and environmental issues and improve the community’s quality of life. During the 2014 Algae Bloom (Outbreak), Junction Coalition was pushed into environmental action. Families needed support, information, and education not just for the few days of the crisis but a continuum of support and interaction for safe, clean, and affordable drinking water.
Prior to this role, she served as the Executive Director of Youth Commission and Manager of Youth and Manager of Recreation for the City of Toledo. Alicia has served the central city community for over 15 years in a variety of organizations such as the Wayman Palmer YMCA, Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG) and Grant Fundamentals working with inner-city youth teaching the skills of healing community trauma through improving listening and critical thinking skills. Alicia is focused on skill development and training for community to ensure the success of community workforce and wealth building.
She started her professional career in Detroit as a kindergarten teacher, later serving as a school principal and currently serves on the board of several local, regional and federal organizations such as Healing Our Waters Coalition, Toledo Sister Cities, Lourdes Parent Institute, EPA National Children Protection Advisory Council and The Ohio Equity Table.
Alicia’s doctoral studies at the University of Toledo focus on the educational development of youth of color within low socioeconomic and disenfranchised communities. She acquired a Bachelor of Arts in education and counseling, as well as a Master of Arts in criminal justice and juvenile law from the University of Toledo.
Alicia was awarded the 2022 Community Change Agent Award by the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the 2021 Ohio Women in Conservation Award by National Wildlife Federation and the Environmental Justice & Equity Expert Award by the Urban Waters Learning Network in 2020.
Alicia and her family reside in Toledo, Ohio, and she is a proud native of Detroit, Michigan. Alicia’s passion flows from her belief that all citizens need information to thrive. As such, she works to build the capacity of each family. She believes that Justice work is not limited to the environment but touches on issues of social and economic justice with the goal of promoting peace, public health, and a better quality of life for all citizens.
Harshini Ratnayaka
Advocacy Coordinator, Save the Dunes
Harshini grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. She holds a B.S. in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana and a J.D. in Comparative Law from Louisiana State University Law Center. She also was a legal intern for Louisiana Sea Grant, where she was able to work on several environmental policy projects. With degrees from both the natural science and legal sectors, Harshini combined her love for protecting the environment with helping others in her community. Harshini was previously the New Orleans Group leader for a non-profit group called Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonpartisan grassroots advocacy climate change organization focused on national policies to address the climate movement. Currently she is the Advocacy Coordinator for Save the Dunes, an environmental nonprofit organization in Northwest Indiana.