The University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Detroit Sustainability Clinic announces its Winter 2026 Urban Sustainability & Justice Faculty Fellow, Alesia Montgomery, who is from the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Urban Sustainability & Justice Faculty Fellowship invites academic scholars from external institutions to spend part of the semester engaging with both U-M and Detroit communities. Fellows host public lectures and meet with faculty, staff, students and community partners, sharing insights that bridge academic and community perspectives. Through these exchanges, the program fosters robust knowledge sharing to advance community-driven, equitable sustainability solutions. 

Montgomery, an assistant professor at UCLA’s Institute of Environment and Sustainability (IoES) and author of the book, “Greening in the Black Urban Regime: The Culture and Commerce of Sustainability in Detroit,” will visit Ann Arbor and Detroit from March 10-12. During her trip, she will engage in conversations on equitable urban sustainable development and share ideas with faculty, students and community members. 

“We are honored and excited to welcome Montgomery to the U-M SEAS Detroit Sustainability Clinic as our Winter 2026 Urban Sustainability & Justice Faculty Fellow,” said Clinic Director and SEAS Associate Professor Tony Reames. “She has led important Detroit-based research and previously hosted our first Community Fellow, Juan Shannon, so it’s especially meaningful to have her join us in this role.”

Montgomery, born and raised in Los Angeles, holds a PhD in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in political science from the University of California, Irvine. As an ethnographer who grounds her approach to social science with the storytelling tradition of the griot, her research focuses on how intersectional identities influence environmental concern in Los Angeles.  

While she calls California home, Montgomery’s professional journey is shaped by her time working and living in Detroit from 2010 to 2013 during a pivotal moment in Detroit’s history marked by emergency management, large-scale green planning initiatives, and intensified private redevelopment. Describing the city’s impact on her journey, she says, “Similar to others in the Diaspora who have passed through Detroit since the Underground Railroad, I am in search of pathways to freedom for myself and others who are ensnared in racial capitalism.” 

This search has driven her environmental research and practice ever since, drawing inspiration from Detroit social and environmental justice leaders such as Grace Lee Boggs, Linda Campbell and Charity Hicks. In her recent article titled, “‘Waging Love’ Against Speculative Revachism: Black Placemaking as Earthwork (2025) Plenary Lecture,” Montgomery explores how Black communities in Historically Black Urban Regimes (HBURs) like Oakland and Detroit cultivate liberating spaces and self-love in the face of privatization and gentrification. “The opportunity to return to Detroit as a fellow at the Clinic is exciting. I look forward to the opportunity to meet and share ideas with faculty, students, and staff at the University of Michigan, as well as the chance to engage with and learn from Detroiters,” says Montgomery. 

Montgomery’s experience navigating the complexities of green development in HBURs brings important insight for Detroit’s sustainable future, and reinforces key important lessons from social and environmental justice movements. “We’re excited to welcome someone with deep roots in Detroit whose perspective is grounded in the communities we collaborate with,” said Reames. “That connection is central to the Urban Sustainability & Justice Faculty Fellowship, which strengthens university-community relationships and bridges academic research with community-led sustainability work.”

Read more about Montgomery on her website at https://alesiamontgomery.com/ 

The University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Detroit Sustainability Clinic promotes social, economic, and environmental sustainability through policy and action by connecting Detroit-area communities and organizations with university resources and expertise. Through long-term partnerships, capacity building, technical assistance, and applied research, the Clinic supports community-identified sustainability goals while providing SEAS students with hands-on, real-world experience. Guided by deep listening and care, the Clinic believes lasting change emerges through collaboration, trust, and community leadership. Learn more at seas.umich.edu/clinic.