Our Executive Team reflects the diversity of our membership. We bring expertise in climate policy, conservation, clean energy, corporate sustainability, and more.
A native of the Chesapeake Bay, Kiera is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of BlackOak Collective and an MBA candidate and Keller Scholar at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
At BlackOak, Kiera leads the executive team, manages company finances and business administration, and provides strategic direction. Previously, she worked at Ocean Conservancy as the Manager for Program Operations and as a Program Associate at Meridian Institute. Kiera has also conducted research on oyster fishery policy in Maryland, oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay, salt marsh restoration in Virginia, and alternative dietary feeds for farm-raised red drum.
Kiera graduated from the University of Virginia with a double major in Environmental Science and Anthropology.
Hailing from Fredericksburg, Virginia, Wes Gobar is currently a graduate student at the Yale School of the Environment. He is a co-founder of Evergreen Action and currently sits on their Advisory Board after previously serving as Coalitions Lead.
He also serves on the Advisory Board for ClimateVoice, and is a member of the Green Leadership Trust. Wes is a member of the Black Hive at the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), and part of the Policy Table Leadership Team for the broader M4BL ecosystem. Prior to joining the climate movement, Wes was an aide to Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring and graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor's degree in history. His interest in advocacy began in Charlottesville as a racial justice student organizer at UVA. Wes’s writing has been published in Vox and the Washington Post. In 2022, Wes was named to the Grist 50 Climate Fixers list of emerging climate leaders working on real world solutions to our planet's biggest problems.
2022 New Leaders Council Fellow, Sarah Nesbit earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the College of Charleston. She then complete a dual master's program in business at North Carolina State University and The Skema Business School of Paris, where she focused her research on social impact practices for luxury corporations.
She is currently a Principal Risk Associate at Capital One, serving on the Community Advocacy & Risk Team in External Affairs. Previously, Sarah was an Associate at JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPMC), contributing to their Small Business Philanthropy team and Corporate Sustainability team. She also worked at ClimatePower in conjunction with the Center for American Progress and for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 Presidential Campaign.
Sarah is a proud native of Columbia, SC. She was driven to work in the environmental space after experiencing the devastating effects of natural disasters at the home of her Gullah-Geechee grandparents on the coast of SC - where she spent her childhood summers. Environmental Racism has been a reality for many communities of color along the coast of the Carolinas for generations. In her free time, you can find her listening to 90s R&B, teaching classes at PureBarre, or watching anything on Bravo.
A part of a military family, Kelcey Williams was raised in Northern Virginia when her father was stationed at the Pentagon. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she pursued her engineering degree focused in systems engineering and global sustainability.
After graduating, she returned to the DMV to work as a Federal Technical Consultant for Accenture Federal Services; she supported projects under the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Education. During the pandemic, Kelcey expanded her knowledge and passion for sustainability by enrolling in Harvard’s Business School Online and earning her certification in Sustainable Business Strategy. Kelcey is currently located in the Los Angeles area, working as a Salesforce Project Manager for large scale media and entertainment clients. In addition, she serves as BlackOak’s Digital Director & Strategic Partnerships Director. She manages and optimizes business processes through client-focused digital solutions, strategizes to improve BlackOak's digital platforms to increase member and partner engagement, and manages current and potential partner relations.
Miles Braxton is a clean energy enthusiast with over 5 years of professional experience working in solar development and asset management.
He currently serves as the Director of Risk Management at Summit Ridge Energy, managing the company’s insurance program and analyzing corporate and solar asset risks. Miles is formerly an associate at Goldman Sachs Renewable Power and Sol Systems. Miles co-founded BlackOak Collective in 2020 and served as its Director of Partnerships from 2020 – 2022, during which time he helped to launch the Green Gateways Program.
Miles graduated from the University of Virginia in 2018 with a B.S. in Environmental Science as a Rodman Scholar, minoring in Technology Leadership. Miles serves as a board member on the Society of Black Solar Professionals and chairs a committee for his chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Continuing to satisfy his entrepreneurial itch, Miles recently co-founded a ClimateTech startup centered around sustainable solar development.