Awoenam Mauna-Woanya

I'm all about

About 👋🏾

Building Decarbonization Engineer at CA Air Resources Board🏙️

Ghana-Born 🌍, Baltimore-Raised 🦀, LA-Based 🌴 | he/him

Hi everyone, my name is Awoe (ah-way). I am an urban sustainability professional working towards building climate resilience in our built environment and in our local communities. I graduated from Johns Hopkins University with my BS in Civil Engineering and then Stanford University with my MS in Sustainable Design and Construction. I am passionate about the intersection between the built environment, public health, and social justice. I believe the built environment has the power to strengthen communities by making them more accessible. With that, decades of systematic and structural racism are embedded in policies that enforce the built environment's design around us. These policies accentuate the social determinants that dictate people's well-being in our world. With climate change's hazards upon us, these disparities WILL be further exaggerated, leaving the most vulnerable suffering the most significant burden. I am on a journey to radically revolutionize the world as we know it for a truly equitable and accessible world for all people.

I am also passionate about educating and empowering folks to engage civically and fight for a more just future. I do this through activism and advocacy with Urban Environmentalists LA and Sunrise Movement LA. Finally, I write and podcast with Fostering Our Earth, a space I created to help folks imagine what a sustainable future can really look like. Outside of all of this, you can find me running, playing soccer, supporting Arsenal FC, or searching for the best breakfast burrito in Southern California.

👈🏾 Photo Creds: Tao Tao Lin


My Favorites (2024)

My favorite consumed content from 2024 (so far) are:

Books📚:
- The Maid x Nita Prose
- How Beautiful We Were x Imbolo Mbue
- Climate Resilience x Kylie Flanagan

Resume

I'm currently focused on supporting building decarbonization efforts across California through my work at the Air Resources Board.

Education

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

2020 - 2022

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Specialized in Sustainable Design and Construction, Sustainable Urban Systems Track

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

2016 - 2020

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Major Involvements with National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and Center for Social Concern

Current Involvements

Sunrise Movement LA & Urban Environmentalists LA

2023 - Present

Los Angeles, CA

Sunrise LA is a group of young Angelenos passionately working to advance intersectional climate justice solutions in the Greater Los Angeles Area. I serve on our campaign development team building issue-based neighborhood-specific people power; currently focused on the LA Oil Field. I also represent Sunrise on various civic engagement and educational opportunities on climate-related policies and issues in LA.

Urban Environmentalists empowers grassroots activists and coalition partners to transform cities into more sustainable, human-centered, and just communities through land use policy reform. I coordinate civic engagement opportunities for our LA member base, advocate for urban systems related climate policies, and create educational material that explains these concepts.

Professional Experience

Building Decarbonization Engineer @ CARB

2024 - Present

Los Angeles, CA

Supporting California's efforts achieving carbon neutrality and reducing GHG emissions by 85% below 1990s levels by 2045 and ensuring it does so in an equitable and just way.

  • Supporting the development of zero-emission appliance standards
  • Analyzing the environmental and social impacts of building decarbonization policies
  • Developing strategies to ensure low-income and Black, Indigenous, and people of color benefit from this energy transition

Graduate Cities Consultant @ Buro Happold

2022 - 2024

Los Angeles, CA

Supported various projects across our Cities' energy, mobility, climate, and infrastructure teams including conducting research, data analysis, and spatial modeling

  • Served as a researcher and an analyst for Silicon Valley Clean Energy Energy Resilience Planning Grants, providing critical technical support to member cities such as Gilroy, Los Altos, and the County of Santa Clara to enhance their resilience strategies and infrastructure.
  • Conducting various research and analysis towards the development of Clean Energy DC 2.0, the District's climate action and clean energy plan update.

Content

Some of the cool things I do in my free time, from reflection to education, and content creation!

  • All
  • Writing
  • Audio
  • Video

Writing

Personal

Linktree

Personal

Videos

Personal

Writing

Professional

Audio

Podcast

Audio

Podcast

Audio

Podcast

Video

Youtube Video

Video

Youtube Video

Contact

Location:

Los Angeles, CA

I spend too much time on Twitter so reach out to me there, otherwise 👉🏾