Critical Ecology Lab Welcomes Stacey King as Director of Operations

Climate investment strategist and Berkeley Haas MBA joins independent research institute to scale organizational impact

OAKLAND, CA — Critical Ecology Lab (CEL) is pleased to announce the appointment of Stacey King as Director of Operations, effective January 2026.

King brings over a decade of experience spanning engineering, investments, and strategic operations to the role. Most recently, she served as an advisor and investor at California Innovation Fund, a mission-driven venture capital fund where she helped climate startups develop technically feasible and commercially viable products and solutions. Her work included guiding early-stage companies through go-to-market strategy, product-market fit research, and fundraising.

King holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business, where she developed deep expertise in strategic planning and business development. She has served as a judge for the Berkeley Big Ideas Contest, mentoring students developing innovative solutions to pressing social and environmental challenges.

Ms. Stacey King

"We're thrilled to welcome Stacey to the Critical Ecology Lab team," said Dr. Suzanne Pierre, CEL's founder and CEO. "Her experience scaling mission-driven organizations and supporting climate ventures makes her the ideal partner as we enter our next phase of growth."

In her role at CEL, King will lead fundraising, partnership development, and operational infrastructure as the organization expands its research initiatives and educational programs. Her appointment comes as CEL builds on recent momentum, including guest lectures at the University of Greenland and continued expansion of its Ecological Scars of Plantation Slavery research initiative.

"I'm excited to join an organization doing such vital work at the intersection of science and justice," said King. "CEL's approach to understanding how historical systems of extraction shape today's environmental crises is exactly the kind of bold, necessary research our world needs."

King is based in Oakland, where she enjoys watercolor painting, skiing in Tahoe, and reading historical fiction.

The Critical Ecology Lab is the world's first Black woman-led independent research institute, investigating how colonialism, slavery, and racial capitalism have physically shaped ecosystems and continue to drive climate change.