Wawa Gatheru is a Gen Z climate activist and Rhodes Scholar passionate about cultivating a climate movement that is made in the image of all of us. She is the founder and Executive Director of Black Girl Environmentalist, the only national organization dedicated to addressing the pipeline and pathway issue for Black girls, women, and gender-expansive individuals in the climate sector.

In addition to her role at BGE, Wawa sits on boards and advisory councils for Greenpeace USA, EarthJustice, Climate Power, Sound Future, National Parks Conservation Association, and Nest Climate Campus. Wawa is also an inaugural member of the National Environmental Youth Advisory Council of the U.S. EPA — the first federal youth-led advisory council in U.S. history.

For her work, Wawa has been recognized as a Glamour College Woman of the Year, a L’Oréal Paris Woman of Worth, a 2025 Trailblazer by the Sierra Club, and a Climate Creator to Watch by Harvard. She has been named to several notable lists — including Forbes 30 Under 30, Ebony Power 100, Harper’s Bazaar Japan’s Most Powerful People, The Independent’s Climate 100, Grist 50, and AFROTECH Future 50.

Wawa is an established public speaker who has presented at Harvard University, The Washington Post Summit, and The New York Times Climate Forward. She most recently featured on the January 2023 digital cover of Vogue alongside Billie Eilish and seven other climate activists. In Shift magazine, Billie Eilish named Wawa as one of the three women who inspire her.