Design Idol, Culture Icon | Majora Carter


Majora Carter is an American social entrepreneur, environmental justice activist, urban revitalization strategist, real estate developer, and radio host.

Carter graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and later received a BA at Wesleyan University. She then completed her MFA at NYU in 1997 and has received multiple honorary doctorate degrees from universities including Wesleyan, Knox, and The New School.

Carter founded Sustainable South Bronx in 2001, a nonprofit organization created to provide environmental justice solutions to challenges facing the community. Her initiatives have included multiple green-infrastructure projects and urban revitalization policy development, as well as diversity-focused green and technology industry development in inner-city areas.

Carter's TEDtalk in 2006 was one of the initial six presentations that launched the TED website. Other accolades include: the Goldman Sachs' "100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs", a Peabody Award from the University of Georgia, the Liberty Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the NY Post, the Rachel Carson Award from the National Audubon Society, the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Humanitarian Service from NYU, and the Environmental Advocate of the Year from NRDC. Carter is also a McCarther Genious Fellow.

Carter is a Board Member of the US Green Building Council and the Andrew Goodman Foundation.

Carter was added to our PISA List in 2014.

Twitter: @majoracarter