We Are Still In Presents its Leaders Circle

We Are Still In welcomes the first twelve individuals and organizations who have joined a newly formed Leaders’ Circle. The Leaders’ Circle includes representatives from each sector participating in the coalition. The first twelve organizations and individuals include the following:

Governors:

  • Governor Kate Brown, Oregon
  • Governor Jay Inslee, Washington

Mayors:

  • Mayor Jim Brainard, Indiana
  • Mayor Jeri Muoio, West Palm Beach
  • Mayor Lionel Johnson Jr, St. Gabriel 
  • Stephen Benjamin, Columbia, South Carolina 

Businesses:

  • McDonald’s
  • Mars
  • Microsoft
  • Clif Bar
  • New Belgium Brewing
  • Walmart

Tribes:

  • President Fawn Sharp, Quinault Indian Nation

Cultural Institutions:

  • Director of Global Change Initiatives Patrick Hamilton, Science Museum of Minnesota

Faith:

  • Bishop Marc, Diocese of California  

Higher Education:

  • President Janet Napolitano, University of California
  • President Dianne Harrison, California State University-Northridge
  • President David Finegold, Chatham University
  • President Mark Mitsui, Portland Community College
  • Sylvia Burwell, American University 
  • Michael Crow, Arizona State University 


As members of the Leaders’ Circle, these representatives have agreed to:

  1. Serve as an ambassador for American climate action, and the We Are Still In coalition.

  2. Announce and champion the recently launched ‘We Are Taking Action’ campaign with the public and other We Are Still In signatories. Including through making early contributions of their own in the early stages of the campaign that detail existing and new climate actions they can undertake.

  3. Participate, if available and interested, in delegations organized by WASI to attend major climate events like the Global Climate Action Summit and the next major UN climate talks in Poland this December.

The Leaders' Circle elevates the voices of a geographically diverse group of leaders on the issue of climate change from across society at a historical moment when the American public and the international community are increasingly looking towards state and local governments, the private sector, and other non-federal actors to lead the U.S. in taking climate action. This group of leaders will help drive We Are Still In’s mission and deliver on the coalition’s three core objectives:

  1. building confidence in American climate leadership at home and abroad,
  2. broadening political support for climate action, and
  3. driving increased ambition in the United States.

In the coming weeks, additional representatives will be joining the inaugural set named above, particularly from the higher education sector and local government. As new sectors join the We Are Still In coalition, the membership of the Leaders’ Circle will expand accordingly.