Salote is an I-Taukei from the Fiji Islands and an American immigrant with 16 years of professional experience in the field of environmental management and climate justice and a lifetime commitment to upholding the human rights of those who are unjustly experiencing the effects of environmental degradation and the climate crisis. As Senior Partnership Officer for Climate Justice and Crisis Response at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Salote leads a human rights portfolio focused on advancing human-rights based responses to issues affecting grassroots and frontline communities experiencing the risks of climate-forced displacement. Salote’s thought leadership on this issue is grounded in UUSC’s partnerships with those who are most affected, and which Salote plays a critical role in developing. Her role also includes setting programmatic strategy, grantmaking and partner support, policy analysis and advocacy and community organizing. Before joining UUSC, Salote worked as a regional program coordinator in water equity and climate justice for the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water (EJCW), where she worked in collaboration with leaders from various environmental justice communities in the San Francisco Bay Area to advance water equity and climate justice. Prior to moving to the United States, Salote was an environmental scientist and an environmental impact assessment consultant in Fiji, ensuring the protection of Fiji’s natural resources and the country’s vision for sustainable development. Salote attained her undergraduate degrees from the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand and the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. She also holds a master’s degree in environmental management from the University of San Francisco. Salote’s inspiration for her work comes from the courage and determination of frontline communities, like her own, who work tirelessly to protect their homes and their loved ones. Salote dreams that her son and future descendants will be able to set foot on their ancestral homelands, where they can experience the beautiful mana of his vanua.