Austin, TX - Carmen Dolores Llanes is a community organizer and native of Austin, TX. She has worked with a variety of organizations and coalitions citywide and across the country, including People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER), Marathon Kids, Sustainable Food Center, Southwest Key Programs, Texans United For Families (TUFF), Urban Roots, Austin Fair Trade Coalition, the Southwest Network for Environmental & Economic Justice (SNEEJ), and Alma de Mujer Center for Social Change. Carmen has participated in collaborative struggles and victories in Environmental Justice, Affordable Housing, Immigrant Rights, Neighborhood Development, Food Access, Public Education, Police-Community Relations, Voter Empowerment, and Youth Leadership Development. She graduated A.B. Environmental Studies in 2007 from the University of Chicago, focusing on agricultural and industrial trade policies in the U.S. and Mexico and their immense influence on migration, food production, and the environment. Carmen currently serves on Board of Trustees for Third Coast Workers for Cooperation, an Austin-based organization committed to the development and support of green worker cooperatives. She believes that intergenerational organizing and strong community are some of the most powerful tools for creating real social change.