Jalonne White-Newsome facts for kids

Jalonne White-Newsome is an important leader who works to protect our planet. She is a program officer and a lecturer. She also champions environmental justice, which means making sure everyone, no matter where they live, has a healthy environment.

Jalonne White-Newsome's Early Life and Education

Jalonne White-Newsome grew up in Detroit, Michigan. She has always been interested in how our surroundings affect our health.

She started her journey by earning a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. This was in 1999, from Northwestern University. After college, she worked as an engineer at U.S. Gypsum.

She then went back to school to learn more about the environment. In 2003, she received her master's degree in environmental engineering. This degree was from Southern Methodist University.

Before returning to Michigan, White-Newsome worked for the Maryland Department of the Environment. She moved back to Michigan with her husband. While on maternity leave, she decided to apply for graduate school again.

In 2011, she earned her Ph.D. in environmental health sciences. This advanced degree was from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Her special research focused on how people are affected by heat waves. She studied how people react and protect themselves during very hot weather.

Her Career and Work for Environmental Justice

Jalonne White-Newsome has worked in many important roles. She worked at a community group called West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. (WE ACT for Environmental Justice). There, she led their federal policy efforts in Washington, D.C.

She was also the first post-doctoral Kendall Fellow. This role was with the Union of Concerned Scientists. She focused on how climate change affects public health.

Since 2016, White-Newsome has worked at Kresge Foundation. As a program officer, she helps manage grants. These grants support projects that create water systems that are fair and can handle climate change.

She also teaches as a lecturer at the Milliken Institute School of Public Health. This school is part of George Washington University.

In 2022, Jalonne White-Newsome was chosen for a very important role. She became the Senior Director for Environmental Justice at the White House. This means she helps guide the government's efforts to make sure everyone has a healthy environment.

Research on Environment and Health

Jalonne White-Newsome's research looks at how the environment and our health are connected. She especially studies climate change and health equity. Her work helps us understand how communities can deal with extreme heat events.

She strongly supports fair environmental policies. She has spoken to members of Congress about her research. She explained how different groups of people, like African Americans, Latinos, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans, are often exposed to more air pollution.

Important Reports and Publications

Jalonne White-Newsome has contributed to many important projects. She was part of a special panel for the American Society for Landscape Architecture. This panel studied climate change and how to be ready for it. Their ideas were shared in a report called Smart Policies for a Changing Climate.

She has also written many papers about environmental science. Some of her topics include:

• "Climate change and health: indoor heat exposure in vulnerable populations"
• "Assessing heat-adaptive behaviors among older, urban-dwelling adults"
• "Geostatistical exploration of spatial variation of summertime temperatures in the Detroit metropolitan region"
• "Preventing cold-related morbidity and mortality in a changing climate"

Awards and Special Recognition

Jalonne White-Newsome has received many honors for her important work:

• Federal Chief Environmental Justice Officer at The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
• Senior Director for Environmental Justice at the White House
• She was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences Board on Environmental Change and Society from 2017 to 2022.
• In 2017, she was named Michigan League of Conservation Voters' Advocate of the Year.
• She received The Environmental Management Association's Environmental Achievement Award in 2019.
• She received the Kingdom Living Temple “Friends of the Environment Award” in 2017.
• Grist Magazine called her “The Clean Power Plan Enforcer” in 2016.