MEET OUR TEAM
Janis Bookout
Formerly the Outreach Manager for the previous organization, Janis has stepped into the role of Executive Director. She brings a background in environmental organizing, climate leadership, small business development, elementary education, and over 20 years of experience in event planning and team management. Janis has a BA in English and Anthropology from Trinity University and was a Texas certified elementary teacher. She is also Vice Chair of the Board of Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance.
Liz Belete
Liz has worked from the beginning with Janis to incorporate and formulate Earth Day Austin as a new nonprofit. She is the award-winning co-founder and organizer of the 2017 March for Science - Austin, as well as a senior volunteer Crew Manager for SXSW. She also has more than nine years of experience in Project Management. She has a BA in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.
Shane Johnson
Shane returns to Earth Day Austin following a stint last year as a Program Coordinator for the festival, bringing with him the experience of weaving together entertainment and educational elements relevant to Central Texas community members. He works tirelessly as a community organizer, with over 7 years of experience, and is adept at balancing the needs of an array of different communities and organizations through focusing on equity and justice. Shane is an Austin-area native, has a BS in Engineering Physics from Stanford University and is also a board member for Indivisible Austin and on the policy team of Austin Justice Coalition (AJC).
Fatima Mann
Fatima, co-founded of Austin Justice Coalition (AJC), an Austin based social justice organization. She also co-founded and served as the Executive Director of Counter Balance: ATX (CBATX) a self-care and social justice organization, and recently founded the Community Advocacy and Healing Project after graduating from Southern University Law Center (SULC). She has been nominated twice for Austin’s 40 under 40, she’s received the New Leaders Council first Progressive Leadership Award in 2017, the 2017 Capitol Area Democratic Women Leadership Champion, and the Louisiana State Bar Student Pro Bono 2018 Award and the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership award from DivInc. 2019. She guides people in honoring themselves through yoga and meditation, and cultivates culturally mindful, healing and human-centered resources and supplies during disaster recovery efforts through Community Restoration Project which she founded in 2017 during Hurricane Harvey.
Jeff Dye
In addition to his role at Earth Day Austin, Jeff is Managing Partner of Blackbriar Holdings and Co-Founder of LoCap Energy, a startup company developing the next generation of low-cost, high-impact, modular thermal energy storage systems for commercial refrigeration, heating OR cooling applications. Jeff joins us having had five years of experience in event organization and partnership development in his previous role at EarthX. Jeff has a BA in Environmental Studies and Sustainability from SMU.