Sarra Tekola

Dr. Yeshaq Sarra Tekola stands out as the visionary founder and executive director of Addis Alem Consulting, bringing over ten years of experience in activism, organization, and policy development. Holding a PhD in Sustainability from Arizona State University, Dr. Tekola's dissertation explored the interplay between climate change, colonialism, and the failures of Western society to tackle the climate crisis, a concept they refer to as “the pathology of modernity.”

A dual force in academia and decolonial climate activism, Dr. Tekola plays a pivotal role in several initiatives. They are a member of the design team and current board member of the Hive Fund for Climate & Gender Justice. Additionally, they serve on the Wisdom Council aimed at establishing a Black and Indigenous fund for organizers in Arizona with the Wend Collective and are involved with the Reclaiming STEM Institute, which supports BIPOC individuals in the STEM fields.

As a co-founder and strategic leader for Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro, Dr. Tekola has been instrumental in community organizing efforts. Their work includes co-founding the Phoenix Environmental Justice Coalition and engaging with Indigenous land defenders in the Navajo/Hopi Nations since 2018. Notably, they were a key organizer in the successful campaign that led the University of Washington to divest from coal and spearheaded the “Block the Bunker” initiative in Seattle. Their impactful activism has garnered attention from prominent media outlets, including Democracy Now, CNN, and Rolling Stone, and they were recognized by Outside Magazine as one of the “30 under 30” in 2016. Dr. Tekola also held a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship from 2018 to 2021.