board members

 

Vanessa shin, President

Vanessa Shin is passionate about advocating for climate leadership on the local level. As a previous mentor for the Santa Clara Action Team, she brings experience and enthusiasm for climate action plan implementation and community outreach. She graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in environmental science.

 
 
 

kaushik tota, vice president

Kaushik Tota, a student at the California Institute of Technology, strives to address the climate crisis through community engagement, policy action, and technological advancement. His scientific research and admiration for Al Gore fueled his passion for contributing to the fight against climate change. He is also the founder of the Climate Youth Ambassador Program and the former president of the Sunnyvale-based Youth Public Policy Institute, organizations through which Kaushik spreads climate awareness and advocate for environmentally-progressive policies. In his free time, you can find Kaushik playing badminton, video games, or cooking.

 
 
 

Kristen Lyn, TREASURER

Kristen has 20 years experience in professional accounting as well as more than 10 years of supervisory experience and budget development responsibility. She worked at Deloitte for 4 years and helped 4 IPO companies for years afterwards. Additionally, Kristen was a Cupertino School Board Trustee, CUSD designated representative for SSC School Boards Association, Treasurer for Asian Pacific Islander School Board Members Association and CFO for Shin Shin Educational Foundation. Currently, Kristen is the Head of Revenue (Earnings) in a Public company. She is also the Co-President of Asian American Parents Association.

 
 
 

Peter pham, SECRETARY

Peter Pham is a graduate at the University of California, Berkeley where he studied public health and molecular environmental biology. Through Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action, he has served as an advocate for sustainable public transit solutions, decarbonized infrastructure, and clean energy development. He had a concern for the environment since he was a young schoolboy advocating for greener waste management practices in elementary school but became more deeply involved in the youth climate movement after witnessing the destruction of the 2018 California Camp Fire.

 
 
 

Amanda Bancroft

Amanda Bancroft is the Lead Sustainability Specialist at NASA Ames where she consults on environmental policy, facility conservation measures, and organizing Green Team meetings. Prior to that role she led the 350 Silicon Valley chapter of San Jose which entailed educating and empowering residents to advocate for climate action at the city level. Amanda has over 5+ years in the solar marketing sector and is a strong advocate for deploying renewables. She received her degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Sustainability and Social Justice at San Francisco State University. She is ecstatic to be supporting SVYCA's mission to empower youth and young adults to combat climate change through education and policy initiatives!

 
 
 

Dashiell leeds

Dashiell Leeds is the Conservation Organizer for the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter. With a focus on stopping gas pipelines, Dashiell has fought for climate laws in many Bay Area Cities. Along with many other dedicated activists, he supported San Jose’s gas prohibition in new buildings  as well as all-electric new-building codes and Climate Action Plans in over a dozen cities. He loves forests and is passionate about protecting streams and wetlands. He is also a vocal advocate for bird-safe design and policies to reduce light pollution. 

 
 
 

Ze-Kun Li

With over a decade of political experience, Ze has guided California State Senate and State Assembly, Countywide and City Council electoral campaigns to victory, winning 24 out of 26 campaigns to date. Ze is a natural practitioner of the philosophy “people support what they help create.” His innate ability to connect with stakeholders and community members creates campaign momentum when it’s needed most. He got his first taste of political 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.

Ze graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in political science. He was born in China and moved to the Bay Area at age 9. He speaks Cantonese and Mandarin fluently.