From community leaders, to industrial engineers to entrepreneurs, CoRE Change Agents are thought leaders committed to accelerating our clean energy economy through more inclusive innovation. These include official CoRE partners (LINK) and team members (LINK), as well as people in the community, government and industry who are working with us to define a new approach to civic entrepreneurship and development of a regenerative economy.

“Leadership is the art of giving people a

platform for spreading ideas that work.”

Seth Godin

What Change Agents Do

Change Agents are typically visionary, holistic, systemic thinkers who have hands-on experience and expertise in a specific field, and are willing to embrace innovation and, of course, change. Through partnerships and collaborations, CoRE will build a team of with national and local change agents. Their leadership will be critical to helping CoRE achieve its goals (LINK TO GOALS) by:

Defining a new approach to civic entrepreneurship (LINK) and industrial innovation
Researching, analyzing and implementing new solutions in the solar industry
Assessing viability of best practices (locally and globally) on clean production
Creating working relationships across community, academic and industry leaders
Making connections among individuals and organizations working toward similar goals
Reviewing the risks and cost-benefits of proposed solutions
Determining the most effective ways to put new processes and strategies into place

Key leadership attributes include:

Interest in/willingness to explore collaboration with large institutions (public, private or non-profit) through civic entrepreneurship
Commitment to systems level change that leads to measurable impact towards health, well-being, and environmental sustainability
Commitment to repositioning science and technology to better serve the public good
Trusted leader and voice for their community
Ability to drive change / agenda in their own agency / community
Commitment to inclusivity and equity
Knowledge expert in relevant area
Solution oriented

Meet the leaders who are co-developing CoRE's Change Agent Program:

Tyra Johnson

As an entrepreneur, business owner and well-respected consultant in the green construction industry, Tyra has considerable expertise in workforce development, sustainable building practices and other areas. Her role includes:

Analyzing best practices for workforce development
Identifying partnership opportunities
Assessing the socio-economic needs of the local communities
Working with industry to develop more effective approaches to workforce development in Buffalo-Niagara
Advancing inclusive innovation
Co-creating the CoRE civic entrepreneurial program

Antonina Simeti

Antonina works closely with environmental and social justice leaders in business, government and community-based organizations in order to create new models for sustainable development. She currently serves as the executive director of The Western NY Environmental Alliance and Groundwork Buffalo. Her role includes:

Identifying best practices and effective models for community engagement with the public and private sectors
Promoting social justice, equity and diversity throughout the community
Facilitating engagement with youth fellows working on climate science, climate justice and youth empowerment programs
Co-creating the CoRE civic entrepreneurial program