Celeste Sanchez is the new Director of Environmental Justice at the Bronx River Alliance. Celeste is a proud native New Yorker, bringing her efforts back home to the Bronx where her family grew their roots. Celeste worked 4 years at the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA), as Policy Organizer and then State Climate Policy Manager; tracking and defending the the NYS Climate Leadership and Protection Act (CLCPA), demanding co-pollutant reductions and direct investments to historically overburdened communities of color. Celeste is very passionate about equitable and sustainable waste management policies and programs. 

Prior to this, Celeste has dedicated time to her ancestral lands of Puerto Rico, participating in reclamation efforts of abandoned schools devastated by Hurricane Maria to serve as community e-libraries and disaster relief shelters. 

Celeste received a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Science from Pace University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University at Albany. She had previously worked as an intern with NYSERDA’s NY Sun team, focusing on programs impacting disadvantaged communities.