Join Climate Resolve for our annual gala and awards ceremony, Coolest in LA 2022!
 
On Thursday, March 17, Climate Resolve’s annual Coolest in LA gala returns—a fun and flashy evening that honors dynamic climate leadership. This year, we’re looking forward to coming back together for an in-person event at the Los Angeles Football Club’s Banc of California Stadium.
 
We’re excited to honor the following climate leaders:
 
  • Assemblywoman Luz Rivas • D-Pacoima • Ms. Rivas is the legislature’s leading champion on “cool” solutions
  • Emile Haddad • Chairman Emeritus, FivePoint • Mr. Haddad has created new environmentally responsible housing developments in California
  • David McNeill • Executive Officer, Baldwin Hills Conservancy • Mr. McNeill is creating a first-of-its-kind climate resilience project in urban parklands
  • GAF – Community Matters Program • GAF’s products include cool roofs, cool pavements, and photovoltaics, which are today cooling down LA schools, streets, and homes
 
To buy tickets, click the button below. To sponsor this year’s event, please scroll down for further details.

HONOREES

Luz M. Rivas was born in Los Angeles to an immigrant family and grew up in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. She attended LA Unified schools before earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from MIT and a master’s of education from Harvard. Prior to her career in public service, Luz worked as an electrical design engineer at Motorola before founding DIY Girls, a nonprofit that encouraged young girls to pursue careers in the STEM field.

 

Luz was elected and sworn in to the California State Assembly in June 2018. Since then, Luz has been appointed as the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources and currently serves on the Assembly Committees on Budget; Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Resources and Transportation; Health; Local Government; Revenue and Taxation; and the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. She is also the Chair of the Select Committee on the Non-Profit Sector.

 

During Luz’s time in the Assembly, her priority has been to uplift and empower underrepresented communities. She has been extraordinarily successful as a leader in delivering substantive policy, such as reforming the state’s response to homelessness, providing universal school meals to all K-12 students, creating the California Youth Empowerment Commission to increase youth civic engagement, and advocating for environmental justice through her role as the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources. Luz believes it is her highest honor to represent the community she grew up in.

Rivas
Emile

Emile Haddad is Founder and Chairman Emeritus of FivePoint Holdings, LLC (NYSE: FPH). FivePoint, headquartered in Irvine, California, designs and develops large mixed-use communities in Orange County, Los Angeles County, and San Francisco County that combine residential, commercial, retail, educational, and recreational elements with public amenities, including civic areas for parks and open space.

 

Prior to founding FivePoint, Mr. Haddad was the Chief Investment Officer of Lennar Corporation, one of the nation's leading homebuilders, where he was in charge of the company's real estate investments and asset management. Mr. Haddad was a founding member of Lennar in California and was instrumental in its growth.


Mr. Haddad has over 30 years of development experience in the United States and overseas. Prior to joining Lennar, Emile was a senior executive in charge of land for Bramalea, which was part of the Canadian real estate conglomerate in the 80s and early 90s.

 

To address issues and propose solutions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Haddad was appointed to the California Business and Jobs Recovery Task Force by Gov. Gavin Newsom, where he also serves as Co-Chair of the Capital Markets & Infrastructure subcommittee.

 

Mr. Haddad has received numerous honors, including the UCI Center for Real Estate Lifetime Achievement Award, the Chapman University Argyros Medal, the Boy Scouts of America Construction Industry Good Scout Award, and the American Diabetes Association Father of the Year Award. In 2017, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, presented annually to American citizens whose accomplishments in their field and inspired service to the United States are cause for celebration. Mr. Haddad holds a civil engineering degree from the American University of Beirut.

David McNeill is the Executive Officer of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, which operates under the Natural Resources Agency for the State of California. He oversees the long-term acquisition and planned development of approximately two-square miles of oil drilling fields into much needed parkland for urban Southwest Los Angeles County. 

 

With over 20 years of real estate, public outreach, and administration experience, Mr. McNeill has helped re-imagine the outdoor landscape in underserved communities. Since 2001, he has led a wide range of land acquisition, planning and design efforts culminating in the creation of community-based pocket parks, citizen science, habitat restoration and multi-benefit water quality projects, regional recreation facilities, as well as miles of trails providing access to parkland for the most diverse and densely populated neighborhoods in the State. 

 

As a founding member of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, and Nature Nexus Institute, he has been a driving force behind implementing urban environmental initiatives such as the City of L.A.’s landmark Walking to the Park Report and L.A. Audubon Society’s Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Internship Program. Through his work, Mr. McNeill strives to bridge community, public and private partnerships to help sustain new park projects and inspire the next generation of open space stewards. 

 

David is a graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication and a minor in Human Services. He has served as a member of the City of Los Angeles Recycled Water Advisory Group, South Coast Air Management District Environmental Justice Advisory Group, L.A. County Appointee to the Community Advisory Panel for the Baldwin Hills Community Standards District Overlay Zone, Board of Directors for the California Invasive Plant Council, Walk n’ Rollers and the Fulcrum Initiative.

McNeill v2
GAF

GAF, a Standard Industries company, is North America’s largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer. For more than 130 years, GAF has been trusted to protect what matters most for families, communities and business owners with its innovative solutions and focus on customer service.  GAF’s products include a comprehensive portfolio of roofing, waterproofing and pavement coating solutions for residential and commercial properties as well as for civil engineering applications. GAF's leadership extends to its commitment to making a positive social impact in the communities it serves. Through the GAF Community Matters initiative, GAF contributes its time, talents and financial resources to help build resilient communities. GAF is partnering with Climate Resolve, the Global Cool Cities Alliance and others to establish a Cool Communities Initiative to help improve urban heat reduction and create improved environments for social engagement. 

Lynn Jochim is responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of fully integrated, multi-generational communities at FivePoint Holdings, LLC, a leader and collaborator in the creation of cities of the future within California.

 

Jochim has been a key member of the leadership team at FivePoint since its inception and has worked together with the team for more than 20 years.

 

Previously, Jochim served as Regional Vice President of Lennar Homes in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to joining Lennar, she worked for Ernst & Young San Francisco Real Estate Consulting.

 

In the early 1990’s, Jochim founded and was president of a minority and woman owned business that contracted with the Resolution Trust Corporation and successfully managed and disposed of a large portfolio of commercial and hotel assets and loans.

 

Jochim currently serves on the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate Executive Committee. She also has also served on the board of the Oakland Children's Hospital and as a president and board member of the Building Industry Association (BIA) in northern California. In addition, Jochim founded the BIA Women’s Education Council. Jochim has received numerous honors, including being named as one of the Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business by the San Francisco Business Times, a Women in Business Award by the Orange County Business Journal and the International Women’s Day Award by the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce for her contributions to her industry and community.

 

Jochim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from California State University, Sacramento with an emphasis in real estate, land use and finance.

Jochim
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

To become a partner of Coolest in LA 2022, please contact:

Mayra Catalán-Orozco
Development Manager
development@climateresolve.org
(213) 634-3790 X405

logo-white
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Linkedin

COVID-19: Climate Resolve and our events team will be following of-the-moment COVID safety guidelines to provide our attendees with the most comfortable and enjoyable experience possible. We’re excited about gathering safely to celebrate a better future together!