Project Jatropha

Tameeka Kelley

 Tameeka Kelley is a fellow environmental enthusiast. She became interested in Project Jatropha in the beginning of 2010 when she was working as a director of Engage Her.org. She recognized the global significance of Project Jatropha and invited Apoorva Rangan, the cofounder of Project Jatropha, to be a keynote speaker in a middle school girl’s leadership conference. Soon after learning about the GCY, the tree planting/fruit orchard program, she offered to help us to go local. Her knowledge and experience in working with local NPOs and high schools is a great asset for Project Jatropha. She has organized and worked progressively in the non-profit sector for 4 years, primarily focusing on multicultural youth. She currently facilitates a government and policy after school program for high school girls. As a director of programs for Engage her.org she has worked closely with several local and national organizations. Tameeka also has extensive experience in managing financial services in real estate loans and sells, ensuring quality service for her clients. After graduating high school with honors, Tameeka had to sacrifice college to help provide for her family. She understands the struggles and hardships many young women face in multicultural communities and has risen to meet the challenges. She is a dedicated wife and mother of three who has found her true passion in making a difference in the world today. She works closely with Apoorva in the GCY. She will carefully choose schools from low income neighborhood from Hayward area and connect with the school staff. She acts as a liaison between the school and Project Jatropha team. She takes an active role in connecting with the youth of Hayward who are passionate about saving environment. For starters, she has connected with Tennyson high school to launch our first local GCY venture. She is also planning a Youth Environmental Symposium this year in the Hayward area to attract and educate the local youth about the dangers of climate change and a dire need for action.