Meet the Team

TEAL is powered by a network of community leaders, educators, organizers, and practitioners working together to advance environmental stewardship, food justice, and community sovereignty.

Leadership

Nonprofit Board of Directors

The Environmental Action Lab, Inc. is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors responsible for guiding the organization's mission, ensuring accountability, and stewarding programs that strengthen communities through environmental action.

Gabriela Miranda-Diaz

Co-Founder & Project Lead

Gabriela co-founded TEAL and launched its first community learning farm in Brooklyn, NY. She leads place-based education, youth engagement, and public events such as Earth Week and the Westside Harvest Fest, collaborating with local coalitions including Take Back the Streets and FAHNN. Gabriela holds a BA in Environmental Sustainability from CUNY.

Ciana Perez

Co-Founder, Treasurer & Renewable Energy Lead

Ciana, a SUNY-ESF alumna, serves as Treasurer and Co-Founder. She works as an Electric Distribution Planner in New York State and leads TEAL’s net-zero energy and sustainable technology initiatives. With expertise in AutoCAD and GIS, she promotes equitable access to clean energy.

Clare Carney

Secretary & Grants Administrator

Clare is Secretary and Grants Administrator for TEAL and currently serves as the Community Forester for the City of Syracuse. An ISA Certified Arborist with experience in environmental education, urban forestry, and municipal sustainability, she manages grant writing, reporting, and program development to support financial sustainability and community-aligned initiatives.

The Environmental Action Lab, Inc.

Programming

•

Grants

•

Community Initiatives

TEAL Farm LLC.

Member Development

•

Artisan Enterprise

•

Community Ownership

Cooperative Leadership

The LLC serves as TEAL's business arm, supporting dues-paying members through artisan enterprise, cooperative development, and initiatives that advance community sovereignty.

Board Chairwoman & Community Program Director

Victoria Blair

Victoria “Tori” Blair has over a decade of experience in education and childcare and has spent nearly two decades advocating alongside marginalized communities as both a community and labor organizer. Growing up on a farm in rural Texas, she developed a deep appreciation for small-scale agriculture and the value of hard work.

As a queer and neurodivergent advocate, Tori has long been committed to uplifting others through service, activism, and organizing. Now based in New York, she continues to advance workers' rights, build community power, and support movements for equity and justice.

Looking Toward the Future

TEAL's leadership is actively exploring innovative approaches to community ownership and resilience, including the potential development of a community land trust that would expand opportunities for affordable housing, stewardship, and long-term neighborhood investment.

Be Part of the Solution

Join our mission to create sustainable communities and environmental justice through education, restoration, and community empowerment.

Explore Our Projects

Donate

Rooted in community. Growing toward sovereignty.