Colette Pichon Battle, Esq. is an award-winning lawyer and climate justice organizer. She is a trusted voice in the climate justice and Black liberation movements, and her work focuses on creating spaces for frontline communities to gather and advance climate strategies that support the stewardship of water, energy, and land.

A generational native of Bayou Liberty, Louisiana, she is a 2019 Obama Fellow and the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the 2023 Heinz Award for the Environment, the 2022 Catalyst Award from Rachel’s Network, and the 2022 William O. Douglas Award. Colette is the co-founder and Vision & Initiatives Partner for Taproot Earth and a former corporate lawyer. Internationally, she is recognized for her impactful use of legal and judicial strategies to advance environmental goals.

After 17 years leading the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy’s development of programming focused on equitable climate resilience in the Gulf South, Colette expanded her vision in 2022 by founding Taproot Earth, inspired by her work with GCCLP and movement partners across the South. When not working to advance climate justice, she spends time in rural Louisiana among the land, waters, and people who have nourished her since birth.