Yasmin Najjar, EJ & Workforce Dev. Manager, Sustainable Westchester; Kristen Drutman, Founder, Green Jobs Board; and Cat Sayles, COO, Sustainable Westchester

Walking into the 3rd Annual Green Jobs Pavilion at the Javits Center on September 25th, hosted by the Green Jobs Board, the energy in the room was undeniable. Students, young professionals, and climate leaders came together with a shared purpose: to explore what a future in clean energy can look like.

I am Yasmin Najjar, Program Manager for Environmental Justice and Workforce Development at Sustainable Westchester. I had the pleasure of attending the Green Jobs Pavilion with Sustainable Westchester’s COO, Cat Sayles. For me, the Pavilion was more than a conference. It was a reminder of why this work matters and how important it is that equity and access remain central to the clean energy transition.

The biggest highlight was serving as mentors. Cat and I connected with students and emerging professionals who are eager to learn more about climate and clean energy careers. Their energy and determination were inspiring, underscoring why Sustainable Westchester prioritizes workforce development to ensure opportunities in this growing industry are accessible to everyone.

The mentor panel session was especially powerful. Marcus Sibley, Director of Conservation Partnerships for the Northeast Region at the National Wildlife Federation, spoke about how passion is essential for anyone seeking a career. He encouraged participants to take that leap, build meaningful connections, and reach out to others in the space. Those relationships, he reminded us, can help change the world for the better while also securing a stronger future for each of us personally.

We also heard from Isaias Hernandez, environmentalist and educator best known as Queer Brown Vegan. He spoke about the power of making connections and how those relationships can open unexpected doors and pay off in meaningful ways. His journey in creating an independent platform to bring intersectional environmental education to broader audiences was a powerful reminder of how one voice can inspire others and shift the conversation toward inclusion.

The event was hosted by Kristy Drutman, founder of the Green Jobs Board. Kristy shared her own journey of starting this platform as a woman of color searching for her place in the environmental field. Today, she has grown the Green Jobs Board into a climate tech start-up bridging the equity and inclusion gap in the green economy. Her leadership and vision set the tone for the Pavilion, and her team continues to create resources and pathways for more diverse talent to enter sustainability careers.

We also had the chance to connect with Usman Fahimullah, co-founder and tech lead of Green Jobs Board. Our conversations with Kristy and Usman sparked ideas about how we might collaborate on future events and strengthen the support system for people preparing to step into climate careers. Partnerships like these are essential for building a stronger and more inclusive workforce.

Environmental justice and workforce development remain central to Sustainable Westchester’s mission, and events like the 3rd Annual Green Jobs Pavilion remind us that while the challenges are real, progress is possible when we come together with partners, mentors, and future leaders.