Denise G. Fairchild, PhD, is president emerita of the Emerald Cities Collaborative and leader of the Ubuntu Climate Breakthrough Initiative, which focuses on designing a cultural response to the unsustainable economic growth, production, and consumption systems driving climate change, having co-edited an acclaimed book on the issue. From 2010 to 2022, she served as the inaugural president and CEO of Emerald Cities, a national non-profit organization dedicated to greening cities across the US, building resilient local economies, and ensuring equity and inclusion in both the process and the outcomes of a green and healthy economy. In that role, she built community-led partnerships with labor, environmental, and business organizations to increase energy efficiency, clean energy, sustainable foods, and clean water, with a focus on low-income and communities of color. Prior to joining Emerald Cities, Denise was on the faculty of Los Angeles Trade-Technical College for 15 years, where she founded and led the Community Planning and Economic Development Program, training community residents in real estate, organizing, and economic development skills to revitalize their neighborhoods. From 1989 to 1995, she was director of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation in Los Angeles, where her work on workforce development and health promotion earned an award from the National Community Development Initiative. She has a BA from Fisk University, a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She has a number of academic distinctions, including serving as a senior fellow at UCLA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and serves on several boards.