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Organizational Support Team
Lil Milagro Henriquez
She/Her
Founder & Executive Director
Lil Milagro Henriquez, M.A., is a New Orleanian whose family survived Hurricane Katrina—one of the nation’s most infamous climate-change-related disasters—and a 20+ year veteran of social and environmental justice activism working on a myriad of issues. She served as a founding Board of Directors member for Planting Justice and The People’s Conservatory. She was also as the founding Director of Organizing for Roses in Concrete Community School. In 2017, she founded Mycelium Youth Network. Mycelium has been named as one of the only organizations actively preparing young people for climate change in the United States (International Transformational Resilience Coalition press release). She currently sits of the Advisory Board of the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, as well as the Center for Regenerative Solutions and is a fellow of the National Academy of Medicine's Climate Communities Network. ​
In a zombie apocalypse, I would love to have Katniss Everdeen level archery skills that will help us sustainably hunt when the supermarkets shut down. My hope is that will balance all of the amazing gardeners that I'm in community with at a larger level.
Kevin Simmonds
He/Him
Programs & Grants Manager
I specialize in power-building among community-based organizations, and my efforts have led to increased investments in the arts, international education, LGBTQ+ rights and reimagining the criminal injustice system.
I'd last five minutes in a zombie apocalypse because, despite all the cautionary tales of movie and TV, I'd try and reason with the undead. May I be remembered fondly.
Indigo Mateo
She/Her
Communications & Individual Giving Manager
I'm so happy to be working with Mycelium Youth Network because of the cutting-edge nature of the work that's being done here. I see a road map to a better world and a better, more holistic life for myself.
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I will definitely be getting dirty and working with my hands a lot during the 'lypse but also I feel like I would be that person singing a wistful tune at the fire after a long, crisis-ridden day. Something to meet us where we're at and provide some reprieve with a glimpse of hope. We can never lose our art!
Rachel Hunt
She/Her
Financial Manager
In a dystopian world full of pessimism, Mycelium Youth Network propagates hope for the next generation by providing and leading STEAM education while evoking and contending global warming. The culture of inclusivity, learning, and all-around fun at Mycelium is unparalleled.
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In a zombie apocalypse, my role would likely be someone that strategically locates and procures the best locations to build strongholds and shelters with optimal security for preservation and ample resources; such as water supply, proper soil for growing food and medicinal herbs, building stockpiles, and providing a safe space for survivors.
Jessica Levya
She/Her
Virtual & Administrative Assistant
I love working with Mycelium Youth Network because I'm supporting an organization that focuses on teaching youth the importance of preparing for climate change and the impact that we each can make as individuals. We will continue to work united to take care of our beautiful planet and make a difference for the generations to come.
Education Team
Andrew Yeung
He/They
Educational Director
I'm excited to work with Mycelium Youth Network to co-create climate resilient futures alongside young folks, seeding today what other worlds are possible tomorrow. I'm excited to deepen our collective toolbox for and beyond survival, dreaming and building towards a tomorrow where land and liberation are inseparable.
My role in the zombie apocalypse would be a collector of stories, weaving together the memories, histories, songs, and recipes of our survival into a living tapestry that will warm our communities — and definitely cooking in a collective kitchen!
Kunal Palawat
They/She
Climate Research Organizer
I am excited to join the Mycelium team in order to co-create an anti-colonial way to engage with data, rooted in different Indigenous technologies, youth experiences, and community needs! I trust that we will cultivate an empowering experience connected to climate apocalypse, science, art, diaspora, and Land.
My role in the zombie apocalypse would be as a first responder to jump into action and protect the group in crisis! I like to think I'm quick on my feet and very competitive, but I am asthmatic, so who knows if I could beat a zombie...
Ashia Ajani
They/Them
Resilient Communities Educator & Resident Researcher
I'm excited to start this role because of the unique assortment of knowledge climate resilient schools has to offer Bay Area communities. I am particularly excited to dive back into my research bag and gather important, archival knowledge regarding climate resilience, adaptation and community organization.
My role in the zombie apocalypse would be as an anthropologist, retracing our steps and collecting important artifacts that need to be preserved for future generations.
Sandhya Nath
She/They
Youth Leadership Educator
The thoughtfulness and groundedness in the organization makes me excited to make my mark and also grow within the org. I believe my radical imagination can thrive here resulting in nourishing the youth I work with. Thus in turn resulting in a symbiotic relationship of growth and trust.
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My role in the zombie apocalypse would be a community organizer and urge my group of trusted friends and family to stick together. However, I might end up actually being a zombie and then infect my community so we can survive as zombies!
Maya Salsedo
She/They
Curriculum & Evaluation Manager
What excites me about my work at Mycelium is the opportunity to center indigenous knowledge, and plant medicines while troubling the binary of nature and people. I look forward to uplifting indigenous and transformational pedagogies through development of curriculum which honors the great resilience of youth, the resilience of our earth systems, and the equally great challenge posed by climate change. Through an intersectional lens I am hopeful to assess program impact and educational equity in Mycelium Curriculum design and implementation.
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My role in the zombie apocalypse would be to grow food, pick food, cook food, tell jokes and instigate little games. And of course quoting Octavia Butler.
Jomar Rodriguez Ventura
He/Him
Climate Resilient Communities Coordinator
I am excited to work with Mycelium Youth Network because we are approaching climate change readiness through youth engagement and leadership. I also enjoy teaching about gardening, reconnecting with traditional ancestral knowledge, and climate change science.
My role in the zombie apocalypse would be fruit and veggie gardener for building community and self-sufficiency.
René Revolorio Keith
They/them
Educator
I am excited to work at MYN because I believe in the restorative power of creativity and critical pedagogy in shifting culture around the land and our responsibility to repair the harm that we have inflicted. I am eager to learn from and with the youth at Pear Tree Elementary School and collaborate with the amazing team at MYN this year. I hope that the youth I work with will leave with the understanding that we are better together when we are in service to all that nourishes us.
My primary role in the zombie apocalypse would be as a farmer of food and herbal medicine, but I’m not afraid to swing a machete and chop some heads.
Gaming for Justice Team
Marcy Brown
She/Her
Lead Storyteller & Game Designer
I am excited to work with Mycelium Youth Network because of the harmonization of climate science, practical resiliency skills, and joyful visioning of the future that the Network achieves. We can connect through distance and time with stories, and when we weave narratives with each other, we can create powerful bonds that inspire creativity and curiosity.
In our campaigns, players navigate through new and strange worlds while working together to confront injustice, organize action, and create genuine connections within the party and with characters they meet along the way. The adventures center around environmental justice topics such as community care and protection, food deserts, pollution, industrial development, health, and more.
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My role in the zombie apocalypse would be as a mender and recycler. I would help people patch/repair clothes and gear as well as uncover new uses for items found by the gatherers of the community.
Sebastian Ellington Flying Eagle Ebarb
He/Him
Gaming for Justice Artist
Sebastian Ellington Flying Eagle Ebarb (Choctaw-Apache) is an Associate Professor at Northeastern's Art + Design department, as well as an award-winning graphic designer. He is an avid Dungeon Master and battle map maker. He lives with his family near Boston.
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In the zombie apocalypse I would be the hunter-gatherer finding and growing food to keep the team strong and healthy.
Tao Qi
They/Them
Gaming for Justice Storyteller
As an educator, I believe adults have a sacred responsibility to support kids in their basic human need to play. I'm so grateful to be working at an org that takes this responsibility as seriously as I do. Through play, kids try on futures and see how they feel. Through play, they imagine themselves taking bold and compassionate action.
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Our adventurers live in a far flung fantasy future. They grapple with the material and spiritual consequences of planetary devastation. The adventurers travel through earth's memories to heal the traumas of the past and weave a new harmony between all the life beings of earth.
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My role in the zombie apocalypse would be mediator, facilitator, healer with a shotgun.
Zhanne Easter
She/Her
Gaming for Justice Artist
Zhanne is an illustrator with a lifelong dedication to the visual arts. She has used her creative and unique aesthetic to give a voice to diverse and underrepresented groups. Zhanne aims to create spaces for love and understanding with her bright and bold illustrations and is excited to forward a new generation of social and climate champions.
My role in the zombie apocalypse would be to start an orphanage and school to make sure education continues.