In this episode, Bard MBA student Seamus Heady interviews Kristy Drutman, founder of Brown Girl Green and Green Jobs Board, about using creative storytelling to make climate work feel human, joyful, and actionable. Kristy explains why leaning into joy and community helps sustain activism and prevent burnout, and how creators are becoming trusted intermediaries between insular institutions and wider audiences. She makes the case for bridging digital organizing with in-person "third spaces," from climate drag shows to her Green Jobs Pavilion Summit, and encourages aspiring storytellers to stay persistent and treat their work as a growing portfolio rather than chasing virality.
Kristy Drutman
Kristy Drutman is an environmental educator, speaker, media producer, and founder of Brown Girl Green, a platform that uses storytelling to make climate issues more accessible, inclusive, and action-oriented. She is also the co-founder of Green Jobs Board, a climate tech startup connecting diverse talent with opportunities in the growing green economy. Through her work at the intersection of media, environmentalism, and equity, Kristy has reached hundreds of thousands of people with educational content, workshops, and public speaking.
Seamus Heady
Seamus Heady is a documentary filmmaker and MBA in Sustainability student at Bard College. With a background in visual storytelling and digital media, his work has focused on creating educational documentaries and exploring storytelling as a tool for civic engagement. He is currently combining his passion for filmmaking with his studies in sustainability, exploring how documentary storytelling can advance circular economy solutions and inspire systems change. You can find his work at https://flashvalleyfilms.com/
J. Renay Loper
Renay is a Clinical Faculty in Organizational Leadership for the Bard MBA in Sustainability, where she focuses on justice-centered transformation in the workplace. Previously, she was the Vice President of Program Innovation at PYXERA Global where she served on the Executive Leadership Team, led five country offices, drove the development of new business and programs, co-led the organization's work on inclusive circular cities, and advised corporate clients on their social impact strategies. Renay also led the organization’s ARC (Antiracist Collective) initiatives, which included internal and external efforts toward dismantling unjust systems. To this end, Renay created Rhetoric to Action, a series of conversations to bridge sectors toward collective action around social and racial justice.
Prior to PYXERA Global, Renay led the grassroots exchange and education grant portfolio at the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, and has served in a variety of leadership roles in higher education, nonprofit, and business prior to that. Renay is an avid speaker and facilitator, has authored and edited numerous publications, including a resource journal, Student Affairs Professionals Cultivating Campus Climates Inclusive of International Students (Jossey Bass). Renay serves on the board of directors of nonprofits including Community Change, Harpswell Foundation, and Girl Rising.