Priya Mulgaonkar is an organizer, advocate, and urban planner with experience developing grassroots campaigns and community-informed policies for environmental justice and equitable climate resilience. As a Project Manager at Hester Street, she supports a range of projects addressing equity, climate, public health and community development. She brings a background in coalition-building, policy development, strategic research, and facilitation.
Priya previously worked as the Resiliency Planner for the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, a citywide network of 11 grassroots organizations serving low-income communities and communities of color on the frontlines of the climate crisis. She represented NYC-EJA and its members in coalition efforts that led to the passing of the historic NYC Waste Equity Law in 2018 and the NYS Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019. She previously organized a solar campaign for Environment America and supported post-Superstorm Sandy research efforts at Rebuild By Design.
Priya serves on the Local Land Use and Government Advisory Group informing the implementation of the CLCPA, and was named a 2020 GreenBiz 30 under 30, recognized for her work with the NY Renews coalition. She also serves as Board Secretary for BK Rot, New York City’s first community-supported, bike-powered, BIPOC-led, fossil fuel-free food waste hauling and composting service.
Priya holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Sociology from New York University, and is completing a Masters in Urban Planning at Hunter College in May 2021. She loves making all things fermented and dabbling with watercolors.