In these unprecedented times, we need your support more than ever!
We hope you can join us for WE ACT’s 2026 Annual Gala on Tuesday, October 27th from 6:00-9:00 PM at 583 Park Avenue (at the corner of 63rd Street) for a night of honoring environmental justice champions and celebrating our ongoing work for a more equitable future. You can also support WE ACT by becoming a Gala Sponsor and by purchasing an ad in our Gala Journal. See below for details or contact Gianna Folz at gianna@weact.org or 917-574-8241. Get Tickets
MEET OUR 2026 GALA HONOREES
Susana Almanza
A native of East Austin, Texas, Susana R. Almanza is a long-time community organizer, educator, mother, and grandmother. She is Director of PODER, an environmental social justice organization that has been working for people’s rights for over 30 years.
Almanza is a proven leader and nationally recognized environmental justice activist. She was appointed to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (2021-2024), a Federal advisory committee that was charged with providing independent advice and recommendations on how to address current and historic environmental injustice. Her additional work includes the implementation of key programs including several nationally recognized projects such as the Young Scholars for Justice, Nahui Ollin-Healthy Communities, and the Colorado River Conservancy.
A model of civic engagement, Almanza has spent her life organizing for the advancement of the underprivileged in the neighborhoods of East Austin and beyond. She served on the City of Austin’s Planning Commission, Parks and Recreation Board, Environmental Board, and the Community Development Commission. She continues her struggle for human rights, demanding environmental justice and a better quality of life for people of color, all humanity, and for future generations.
Carl Ferenbach
Carl Ferenbach is Chairman of High Meadows Group LLC, which invests in early-stage companies focused on clean energy and efficiency, and Chairman and Co-founder of High Meadows Foundation, which supports organizations working to address the environmental and societal challenges of our time.
Ferenbach was a Co-Founder of Berkshire Partners LLC, a private equity investment firm based, where he served as Managing Director until retiring and becoming a Senior Advisor. Berkshire has managed 11 private equity investment funds and the Stockbridge Fund. He also served as a director of multiple Berkshire portfolio companies.
He currently serves on a number of boards, including as Chairman, Environmental Defense Fund International; Director, Climate Central; Member, Board of the Centre for Enterprise, Markets & Ethics in Oxford, England; Member, Advisory Board of Private Capital Research Institute at Harvard Business School; and Member, Advisory Board of High Meadows Environmental Institute at Princeton University.
Ferenbach previously served as Chairman of the Board of English Welsh and Scottish Railway Ltd., US Can Corporation, Crown Castle International Corporation, and as a Former Trustee and Former Chairman, Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. He also was a two-term Trustee at Princeton University, where he earned his undergraduate degree before an MBA from Harvard Business School. And he served in the US Marine Corps Reserve.
Jewel Jones
An advocate, activist, and staunch community leader, Jewel Jones has been actively involved in her community over the years. She serves on, and is currently the Chair of the Human Services Committee at Manhattan Community Board 11, which represents East Harlem. She also was the Chair of the Community Advisory Board at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. She is a member of the mid-Manhattan branch of the NAACP, the 23rd Precinct Community Council, and is currently serving on the Community Advisory Board of the Community Research Academy at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Clinical and Translational Science Center.
Jones is also a proud member of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, where she has been active for more than a decade. She has served on several committees over the years, including the Climate Justice Working Group and the Planning Committee. Her connection with WE ACT sprung from an act of advocacy and activism when, as a member of the Community Advisory Board at Metropolitan Hospital, efforts were underway for the relocation of the New York City Department of Sanitation’s Garage at East 99th Street, a dilapidated, unsafe, and problematic structure that has been a bane on the surrounding area and East Harlemites as a whole for decades. She was told to contact the late Cecil Corbin-Mark at WE ACT for guidance and support, as the state of the garage was clearly an environmental justice issue.
Jones has spent most of her career in the field of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). She currently serves as the Chief Diversity Officer/Title IX Coordinator at Guttman Community College, CUNY in Manhattan. She was most recently the Associate Director of Compliance and Diversity/Deputy Chief Diversity Officer/Deputy Title IX Coordinator, at Hostos Community College, CUNY in the Bronx. While working in higher education, she has been instrumental in the creation of EDI and belonging programs, activities, and initiatives – all designed to foster a climate that encourages respect for diversity amongst faculty, staff, and student groups while aligning the objectives of diversity and compliance with the mission of the colleges as a whole.
She was born and raised in New York City, and currently resides in East Harlem. She is a graduate of SUNY Stony Brook with a BA degree and attended Brooklyn College, where she received her Master of Education degree.
Quick Information for Guests
PROGRAM:
6:00 PM – Cocktail Reception
7:15 PM – Seated Dinner Program
• Live Auction in support of the WE ACT Environmental Justice Center
• Presentation of Awards
8:30 PM – Closing Remarks
Dress: Cocktail Attire
SUPPORT OUR WORK
Sponsorship Levels
Environmental Justice Presenting Sponsor – $100,000
Climate Justice Champion – $50,000
Environmental Health Defender – $30,000
Frontline Warrior – $20,000
Environmental Justice Advocate – $15,000
Environmental Justice Changemaker – $10,000
Climate Resilience Ally – $7,500
For more information about Sponsorship Opportunities, please see our Gala Sponsorship Brochure or contact Gianna Folz at gianna@weact.org or 917-574-8241.
Gala Journal Advertisements
1 Front Inside Cover 6″x 8″ ($2,500)
Full Page Ads 6″x 8″ ($1,750) Half Page 6” x 4” ($1,250) Quarter Page 3″ x 4″ ($750)
For more information, please see our Gala Journal Ad Brochure or contact Gianna Folz at gianna@weact.org or 917-574-8241.