Environmental Justice and Advocacy Symposium

Jake Deighton, ’17, ’19
Jake is an Environmental Safety Specialist with a drive to advance environmental and public health. A graduate of UC’s Environmental Studies program, Jake has cultivated extensive experience in the environmental sector, holding positions at the Ohio EPA, the Cincinnati Health Department, and the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati. As a Registered Environmental Health Specialist with an OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER certification, Jake possesses a comprehensive understanding of environmental regulations and compliance. He earned a master’s degree in geology at UC, where he developed expertise in air pollution and later in solid and CD&D waste management while in the governmental sector of the environmental field. Currently, Jake specializes in the pretreatment of industrial wastewater and the research of PFAS in the local wastewater collection system, with a goal of addressing critical challenges in environmental and public health.  

Dr. Julianne Fernandez ’17
Dr. Julianne Fernandez is an atmospheric methane researcher currently serving as an airborne data scientist at Scientific Aviation of ChampionX. Previously, she was the Chief Scientist for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Atmospheric Research Observatory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station during the summer of 2023. As a Marie Curie Fellow, she conducted her PhD research at Royal Holloway University of London, focusing on identifying urban methane emission sources through high-precision stable isotopic measurements and mobile techniques. While at UC, Fernandez was a geology major and examined methane and nitrous oxide emissions from surface waters of Lake Erie. 

Rob Gioielli, PhD, ’08 
Rob Gioielli is Associate Professor of Environmental Humanities and History at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, where he also directs the KTH Environmental Humanities Laboratory. His research and teaching focus on urban environmental history, particularly the intersections of race, sustainability and environmental justice. A native Cincinnatian, he earned his master’s and PhD in history from UC, and taught history at UC Blue Ash College for more than 10 years. 

Mackenzie Mason ’24 
Mackenzie Mason is a graduate of Environmental Studies at the University of Cincinnati. She works as a Community Organizer for the Devou Good Foundation, supporting a campaign to end the highway expansion of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor. Through her work, Mackenzie engages the community in various ways, ranging from personal conversations to large public meetings, to find a better solution to the highway project that will improve air quality, reduce noise pollution, and improve safety for communities. Mackenzie was previously President of UC Students for Burnet Woods and currently sits on the Preserve Burnet Woods Board of Directors.

Jennifer Tomak ’24
Jennifer Tomak is a fourth-year at the University of Cincinnati, graduating in December 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies. She is president of UC Students for Burnet Woods, a member of liberal arts and sciences honors society Phi Beta Kappa, and has completed three co-ops. She is also an environmental science intern with national environmental engineering firm Brown and Caldwell, where upon graduation she will work full-time as an Environmental Scientist in the Compliance and Permitting division.