Adal Regis, MPP'22, on the Importance of Public Policy, Mentorship, and Climate Activism

A political activist since the age of 16, Adal Regis, AM’22, has worked with multiple Congresswomen (former U.S. Representative Nita Lowey from New York and current U.S. Representative Robin Kelly from Illinois), launched a mentorship program for middle schoolers, and fought for the environment. A native of Nyack, New York, Regis moved to his family’s native Haiti at the age of three—just as a political coup was about to shut the country down—then 12 years later, during another coup, returned to New York. We chatted with Regis about his path to his current gig as director of community consulting at Elevate, a Chicago-based nonprofit with a national reach dedicated to equity through climate action.

What led you to the Harris School of Public Policy? How has it changed your understanding of policy?

I wanted to “upgrade the software,” for lack of a better term. I’ve been in the political space and governmental space for a very long time. But I learned over the years that I needed to develop a more sophisticated understanding of policy as it relates to everything else.

I see the world quite differently now—from a policy lens. If I go into a room, I pay attention to different things now. Even the simple things: What is the occupancy rate? How many people are there? Why is it structured in a certain way? Who would be fined for a violation? And so on. Or if I go to an event where I’m charged extra tax on a drink, my mind is filled with new thoughts with the understanding that tax can sometimes be used as a tool to influence people’s behavior and consumers’ decision-making process.

Why did your family want you to return to Haiti?

My parents wanted me to have a dual perspective. It was very important to them for me to be in the context where they grew up so I could understand some of what they’ve seen, even though I’m a different generation. In the early years before we had a backup generator in Haiti, There were many nights when I had to study by candlelight because we didn’t have electricity 24/7. It was distributed to the average household on an unpredictable schedule. Looking back at my experiences from a competitive lens, I’ve had to learn to adapt under different circumstances to compete academically and in other spaces and essentially jump through a lot of hurdles that many of my counterparts in the States didn’t have to jump through because they had access to more resources than I did. And my parents knew that coming back to the States equipped with that experience, I would know what to do and how to reconcile both the American and Haitian perspectives in a way that served me and those around me well. The experience gave me an appreciation for the underdog and led me to be grateful for what I have.

For example, at least before the 2020 Census, only 6 percent of Black men were getting a Master’s degree in the U.S. I noticed the more I move up in the world, with my education and so on, the fewer people I see who look like me in crucial spaces. That’s just the reality of it and my experiences help me understand that it’s because many people here in the States, especially people of color, are also forced to jump through their own hurdles as they compete in different spaces with people who have more access than they do. So consequently, there’s a pressure that follows me whenever I’m brought to the table and my experience helps me navigate these realities.

Just a few years after returning to New York, you founded the SOAR Mentorship Program, a program devoted to developing the next generation of leaders. What was the genesis there?

I knew I wanted to create a mentorship program because I benefited from mentoring myself. I was canvassing in Nyack, knocking on doors with former New York Assembly Member Ken Zebrowski, and I realized a lot of the kids I encountered could be doing things that were much more productive with their time. So, a longtime friend and I brought in folks from the community willing to give their energy and time to supporting the youth. In the program’s first year, the school district saw a major drop in that sample group’s suspension rate. And then they started to perform better academically because they had people who stayed with them, engaged them, tutored them, and gave them space to help build their confidence.

Did you have another job at the time?

At the time, I was working at Target from midnight to 8 a.m., stocking shelves—which I did to have the flexibility to work with the kids. On other days I would drive a truck in the morning, early, so that I had enough time to be with the kids. Soar went on to operate in two school districts, and we used the funding we had to hire program directors to help manage it.  We paused the program during the pandemic and resumed one of the Soar Chapters last year. We plan on reactivating the other one very soon. Now, the best way for me to gauge our success rate is to see the ones who’ve come back, even while they’re in high school, to tutor middle schoolers in the program. 

Tell us about your position at Elevate.

I was brought in to help oversee a team of project managers that help cities across the Midwest obtain federal funding allowing them to tackle the climate crisis and environmental issues, all while giving them an opportunity to create a strong workforce in those areas. My particular team received philanthropic dollars from Bloomberg Foundation, the Ford Foundation and Waverly Street Foundation which are all being managed by the Sustainable Cities Fund.

Where does the money go?

Essentially it helps communities that have a 28 to 30% minimum Black population. Within six months, we were able to establish relationships with CBOs and municipalities in 35 cities in six Midwestern states. The Biden administration has released more money than any other administration prior to this era from the Environmental Protection Agency and also the Department of Energy to focus on addressing climate and eliminating some of the dependency on fossil fuel. I’m sure that has bigger political implications in the grand scheme of things, but also it helps nationally. Having worked for Elevate for a year now, I see things from a whole different paradigm and understand how everything connects to the environment.

Which Harris professors particularly influenced your career?

Justin Marlowe. He has a way of bringing real-life situations to the forefront of a conversation. Justin made me more interested in analyzing nonprofits or cities’ budgets to help understand their priorities. That skill actually helped me define creative ways to help Congresswoman Kelly’s constituents. “Let me see your budget sheet. Okay, so can you move the money that you have for tools and training into the operation?” You just have to move things around. That’s how people operate efficiently.

What advice would you give to current Harris students?

I would encourage them to value and meet their cohort members. It will help open their minds to see new perspectives about life which may ultimately result in a paradigm shift. Exchange conversations. Have coffee with them. Have drinks with them. Hear a perspective from somebody different from you and create the space to have a good, productive discourse.

How do you spend your time beyond work?

I bike three times a week, especially on the Lake Shore trail from Hyde Park to Rogers Park.  And I dance weekly, religiously. Later today I’m going to do salsa, bachata, and merengue dancing. And I love to travel. I just came from Panama recently and Costa Rica before that. And I want to go to Portugal later this year.

What drives you to do what you do?

Have you heard the story of the starfish by the seashore? There was a young girl who plucking starfish that were washed up on the seashore and throwing them in the water, and an old man comes and asks, “What are you doing?” She says, “I’m saving the starfish before they dry out in the sun and die.” He says, “You can’t possibly save them all. What difference does it make?” She then throws one in the water and says, “Well, it made a difference for that one.” The story ends there, but I like to think that the young girl inspired the old man to do the same thing.

I have two hands “putting the starfish into the water.” And I’ve been inspired to do as the young girl because I’ve been the starfish myself.