All children deserve clean air and water, safe food, toys and products, stable climates, and healthy environments in which to live, learn, play, and work.
There is an intensifying federal spotlight on children’s chronic illnesses, including the contributing role of environmental hazards. We must meet this increased attention with evidence-based solutions.
The 2026 elections offer an opportunity to reset our national, state, and local priorities in support of science, public health, and a robust federal workforce to protect children’s environmental health.
We need political leaders at all levels of government who put the health of children, their future, and their families FIRST.
When children thrive, we all thrive.
Confirm your voting eligibility, register to vote, check your voting deadlines and requirements, and make a plan to vote for kids.
A rubric you can use to assess local, state, and federal candidates to make sure they’re keeping children at the center of their decisions.
Use the Companion Toolkit to put the voter guide into action with practical, step-by-step guidance to help you evaluate candidates’ records, policy positions, and commitments.
Join Children’s Environmental Health Network and partners to find out how you can protect kids’ health and their environments in the 2026 elections. Parents, caregivers, advocates, community members, health care providers, and public and environmental health professionals are invited to this engaging, nonpartisan discussion on identifying and electing political leaders at all levels of government who put the health of children, their future, and their families first.
Dr. Cynthia Bearer, MD, PhD (Chief of the Division of Neonatology, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital), Katherine Catalano, MS (Senior Director of Climate for Health, ecoAmerica), Lynn Thorp (President, Clean Water Action), and Leslie Fields, Esq (Chief Federal Officer, WE ACT for Environmental Justice) will discuss key voting issues that impact our children’ s well-being, like protecting science, climate action, clean water, health equity, and children’s health. The conversation will be moderated by Sam Stone (American University student and CEHN’s William K. Reilly Policy Intern).
Stone will also walk participants through the newly published Voter Guide for Children’s Environmental Health and Companion Toolkit. These nonpartisan resources are designed to help voters make informed decisions grounded in science, transparency, and environmental and public health protections.
This will be an interactive event! Please come with questions and thoughts for our speakers.
Cynthia F. Bearer, MD, PhDCynthia F. Bearer, MD, PhD, is the Chief of the Division of Neonatology at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, the William & Lois Briggs Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University and Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Research, the official journal of the American Society of Pediatrics, the European Society for Paediatric Research and the Society for Pediatric Research. Dr. Bearer completed a BA with honors in mathematics from Smith College; a PhD in biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University; and an MD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She became an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University in 1994 where she was promoted to Professor of Pediatrics with tenure. In 2008 she moved to University of Maryland School of Medicine to become the Mary Gray Cobey Professor of Neonatology. In 2009 she became Chief, Division of Neonatology and in 2012 Associate Chair for Research. In 2019 she returned to Case Western Reserve University and UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital as the Division Chief of Neonatology, and the William & Lois Briggs Professor of Pediatrics.
Leslie G. Fields, Esq.Leslie G. Fields, Esq. is WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s Chief Federal Officer. Based in Washington, D.C., she has worked for thirty years at the intersection of federal, state, local, and international environmental justice and environmental and civil rights law and policy. Fields most recently led Regional Energy Democracy Initiative (REDI) at the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Justice and Equity. Prior to that project, Leslie spent 16 years with the Sierra Club, departing as the National Director, Policy Advocacy and Legal. She spearheaded and supported national policy, advocacy, and legal strategy at one of the nation’s most progressive civic organizations, cultivating collaborative relationships with dozens of local chapters and community groups. Fields designed and implemented strategies operating at the intersection of environment and environmental justice and democracy, addressing urgent challenges related to climate, voting rights/civic participation and cultural protection. Leslie Fields is a graduate of Cornell University, the Georgetown University Law Center, and licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, and the US Supreme Court.
Lynn Thorp Lynn Thorp stepped into the role of President of Clean Water Action after 27 years with the organization, at the beginning of 2026. She leads and manages all aspects of the organization along with two other Executive Council members. Prior to this role, Lynn oversaw the organization’s national work on water, global warming, energy, and chemical policy. She is particularly involved in drinking water issues and has served two terms on the National Drinking Water Advisory Committee, which advises the US Environmental Protection Agency on drinking water policy. Lynn has also served on several other Federal Advisory Committees and other bodies working on drinking water regulation. Before joining Clean Water in 1999, Lynn worked at Greenpeace for 9 years with an emphasis on toxics and health issues. She began work in the advocacy community 25 years ago after completing undergraduate and graduate work in American History at Georgetown University. Lynn is a DC native.
Katherine CatalanoKatherine Catalano (she/her) is the Senior Director of Climate for Health at ecoAmerica. Prior to taking on this role, she served as Director of the Arctic Defense Campaign; led the Center for Climate, Health and Equity at the American Public Health Association; and was Campaign Manager for the Clean Transportation Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Katherine is a communicator, strategic planner, and leader with over a decade of experience in climate policy, advocacy, communication, and education across sectors and audiences with a particular focus on centering justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in every aspect of the climate and environmental movements. Katherine is passionate about applying her skills and experience to effect change and bring stakeholders together to advocate for environmental justice, human rights, and equitable health outcomes. She received both her BA in environmental science and policy and her MS in applied American politics and policy from Florida State University.
Sam Stone (Moderator)Sam Stone is the 2026 Reilly Policy Intern at Children’s Environmental Health Network. She is a rising senior at American University in Washington, DC, where she is double majoring in Political Science and Economics. Sam is excited to join the Children’s Environmental Health Network this summer as a Policy Intern, where she hopes to contribute to work focused on air pollution mitigation and expanding children’s access to natural spaces. She looks forward to collaborating with the team and supporting efforts to advance a healthier and more equitable world for all children. Sam hopes to continue pursuing a career in environmental policy, with a particular interest in environmental economics. Outside of her academic and professional work, Sam enjoys hiking, weightlifting, and reading.
Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, MPH (Executive Director, Children’s Environmental Health Network), Dr. Anne Mellinger-Birdsong, MD, MPH, FAAP (Health Advisor, Mothers and Others for Clean Air), Mike Schade (Senior Director of Programs and Strategy, Toxic-Free Future), and Abre’ Conner, Esq (Director, Environmental and Climate Justice, NAACP) discuss key voting issues that impact our children’ s well-being, like protecting democracy, clean air, a toxic-free environment, and safer industry standards. The conversation is moderated by Garrett Smith (University of Miami School of Law student and CEHN Carol Strobel Policy & Health Education Intern).
Get a monthly rundown of legislative, administrative, regulatory, and judicial federal policy actions that impact children’s health. We also include calls to actionable ways to help protect kids’ health through policy.
