Staff

Malaika Elias

Organizer, North Atlantic and Chesapeake
Since November 13, 2017

Malaika joined Waterkeeper Alliance in November of 2017 and currently serves as an Organizer for the North Atlantic and Chesapeake regions. Malaika supports the Organizing Department in strengthening and amplifying the voice of Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates through capacity-building, advocacy, communications, and fundraising. Coming from a diverse academic and professional background, Malaika has experience working on environmental, gender justice, and human rights campaigns with notable organizations including Amnesty International and most recently the Women’s Environment and Development Organization.

Malaika began drawing the link between human rights and the environment after traveling to the Brazilian Amazon in 2014 to learn from Indigenous leaders and witness rainforest destruction and hydroelectric dam-induced displacement provoked by profit-hungry extractive industries. She has since involved herself in environmental justice campaigns domestically to empower communities into taking action for the protection of their environment and health.
Malaika recently graduated from NYU’s International Affairs Master’s program with a concentration in Environmental Policy. Awarded with a Green Grant from NYU’s Office of Sustainability, Malaika collaborated with a research capstone group of three to create a solar-powered atmospheric water condenser to provide a technological fix for water insecurity globally. With her spare time, Malaika enjoys utilizing her second-degree black belt in Karate by teaching free self-defense classes for the community.