Join us in welcoming Eric and Katrina, who joined Puget Sound Sage’s team this summer! They talk bowling, blueberries, and the necessity of building rooted, intergenerational communities.
Eric Opoku Agyemang (he/him/his) is the Program Manager of the Community Leadership Institute at Puget Sound Sage. Prior to joining Sage, Eric served as the co-founder and executive director of the Cheerful Hearts Foundation, a non-profit that uses community-based interventions to address child trafficking in the West African fishing industry. In addition, he served as the national coordinator of the Patriots Ghana, an international organization that promotes youth leadership and active citizen engagement in Ghana, West Africa. His work has been featured in national and international news, including the Guardian, BBC, and Al Jazeera.
Aside from serving on the city of Seattle’s “Our Best” Advisory Council, Eric recruits, trains, and deploys black male adults to mentor black youth in Seattle. In 2015, he served as a fellow of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Eric holds a Masters in Social Work from the University of Washington, and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the Methodist University College, Ghana.
Tell us a little about your role. My role is to manage Sage’s Community Leadership Institute, a six-month fellowship program that resources, trains, and places emerging leaders from low-income communities and communities of color to serve on strategic municipal boards and commissions. “If you are not on the table, you are on the menu.” If communities of color and low income communities are not represented on the decision making table, others on the table will decide for them. The CLI seeks to address this gap through systemic change.
What might someone be surprised to know about you? I love to play the keyboard and bass guitar, and do play every weekend with a band in Seattle. And I am always looking for an opportunity to meet friends who like bowling! I played it once and wish I could always do it again.
What is a piece of advice that you’ve gotten over the years that has stuck with you? One thing I have learnt over the years from my grandparents is to be hardworking, be kind to everyone, and be patient in making decisions that require careful analysis. As a result, I love people unconditionally because I do not know the role of those people in my life. Additionally, I have learnt to not rush in making quick judgments or believing in mere assumptions without taking a step further to knowing the truth. “If you are patient, you can dissect the ant and see its intestines.” – African Proverb.
Katrina Peterson (she/her/hers) is the Climate Justice Program Manager at Puget Sound Sage. She provides advocacy, policy analysis, and strategic direction for the climate program.
Previously, Katrina worked at Washington Environmental Council and Climate Solutions, where she provided database support and feedback on racial equity and justice initiatives. She currently serves on Got Green’s Climate Justice Committee and has experience as an environmental educator and guide, chaplain, and counselor. Katrina holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard and a Bachelors in Political Science from Yale.
What does climate justice mean to you? Building rooted, intergenerational communities with control over their energy and food systems and access to clean air, soil, and water.
What’s your favorite part about summer in Seattle? Watermelon, blueberries, alpine lake plunges, and enjoying the sun from the shade of a tree.
What are some of your go-to food spots in the city? My kitchen. My partner and I have a prolific garden, which we are constantly trying to keep up with.