Laila Atalla is a Senior Associate with RMI’s Carbon-Free Buildings Program. Laila supports regional and federal policy campaigns to advance equitable building decarbonization in the western United States. Prior to joining RMI, Laila worked in state and local government. At the California Air Resources Board, Laila developed modeling tools to guide investments in affordable housing, clean mobility, and workforce development. Subsequently, they joined the City of Sacramento’s Office of Climate Action and Sustainability, where their projects included developing the City’s building decarbonization strategy. Laila earned an MSc in Sustainable Development and Environmental Economics from the University of St Andrews and a BS in Environmental Sciences and Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Emory University.