Features Overview

2024 Keynote Speaker: Joe Toolan

Joe (he/him/el) leads the Justicia Y Equidad Program at GreenLatinos. His team will award $22.5 million dollars in funding in 2024 to projects enhancing urban tree work in Latine communities and support urban sustainability initiatives nationally. He has a background in philanthropy, community stewardship, behavior change, and building capacity of individual organizations and networks of nonprofits. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Geographical Sciences with a concentration in Environment Systems and Natural Resource Management from the University of Maryland, College Park and an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University.

Joe, born in Guatemala, was adopted in the 90s and grew up in Maryland. He identifies as a queer, latine, indigenous, transracial international adoptee (and adoption educator) and environmentalist. Joe is the Chair of Annapolis Pride, a Commissioner on the State of Maryland Commission for LGBTQIA+ Affairs where he served as the first Chair from 2021—2023, a Senior Fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program, a Planning Committee Member for the Naturally Latinos Conference and the Chesapeake Watershed Forum, and serves as a mentor in the Young Professionals of Color program with the Choose Clean Water Coalition. Joe also serves on the board of Adoptees with Guatemalan Roots, and Out for Sustainability. Joe was also named Best Advocate in Anne Arundel County in 2023.