Team

Dr. Tony G. Reames, Director

Dr. Reames is the Tishman Professor of Environmental Justice and Director of the U-M SEAS Detroit Sustainability Clinic. Dr. Reames is former Biden-Harris Administration appointee in the US Department of Energy. He conducts research in the field of energy justice, investigating the fair and equitable access to affordable, reliable, efficient and clean energy, and seeks to understand the production and persistence of spatial, racial, and socioeconomic residential energy disparities. He has a PhD in public administration, a Masters in engineering management, and a BS in civil engineering. Dr. Reames is also a licensed professional engineer and a US Army Officer veteran.

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Olivia David, Doctoral Candidate

In her research, Olivia is interested in how policy processes and outcomes can advance social and environmental justice and the role of activism in policy-making, with a focus on drinking water policy and politics. Her work draws on and integrates scholarship from multiple fields including environmental justice, policy studies, science and technology studies, and political ecology. Her dissertation research investigates the politics of drinking water policy and infrastructures, using cases of severe water access inequality in Detroit, Michigan and Cape Town, South Africa.

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Kyla T. Smith, Doctoral Student

Kyla’s (she/they) research as a scholar-activist focuses on community control of energy systems and resources. She prioritizes Community-based Participatory Action Research methods in her co-investigations of energy systems change with Black communities. They are also a member of the NAACP WI Environmental and Climate Justice Committee and Blacks for Political and Social Action of Dane County. Academically, she has a Masters in Environment and Resources with a certificate in Energy Analysis and Policy and a Bachelors in Biology with an emphasis in Cellular Biology and Physiology. Kyla is a U-M Rackham Merit Fellow.

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Cooper Sykes, MS Student

Cooper’s (he/him) research focuses on analyzing land agent and landowner perspectives of renewable energy and carbon capture and storage projects in the midwestern United States from an energy justice and spatial lens. Cooper has a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental and Sustainability Studies with a concentration in Sustainable Energy, Resources, and Climate and a Bachelor of Science in Geography with a concentration in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing. He works as a GIS Analyst for New Era Land Services and Trigen Energy, a renewable energy and carbon capture and storage company based in Indiana.

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JoAnn Ransom, MS Student

Joann Ransom is an environmental justice researcher, strategist, and systems thinker focused on shaping the future of energy, infrastructure, and emerging technologies. As a graduate researcher at the University of Michigan, she examines how major infrastructure decisions, from energy systems to artificial intelligence, reshape communities and influence environmental equity. Her work combines rigorous research, strategic leadership, and systems thinking to develop solutions that strengthen institutions while protecting historically overlooked populations. Having led large-scale national initiatives that connect universities, industry, and government, Joann brings both vision and execution to every endeavor. She is committed to ensuring that the future of innovation is defined not only by technological advancement, but by equity, accountability, and lasting public impact.

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