Los Angeles is a sparkling nexus of innovation and impact. St. Vincent Jewelry Center’s Gems of LA recognizes brilliant women in our community who are at the forefront of social change. These true LA Gems are making a meaningful difference in the lives of Angelenos, as they shine as bright as the bling they model for St. Vincent Jewelry.

Meet LA Gem honoree, Estelle Reyes, SVP Enhancing Community at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). Located in the Downtown Arts District, LACI is a dedicated to building an inclusive green economy by working with startups to accelerate the commercialization of clean technologies and transforming markets through partnerships with policymakers, innovators and market leaders in transportation, energy, and sustainable cities.

Estelle’s goal is to invite everyone in Los Angeles to participate in the green economy. Since joining LACI in 2016, she and her team have worked to ensure that underrepresented groups are engaged at every cleantech stage — from ideation to workforce to deployment. Focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, they strive to recruit diverse entrepreneurs into LACI’s programs, making sure women, people of color, veterans, the LGBTQ community all have access to the green economy. For Estelle’s team, that begins with providing communities that are typically ignored or underrepresented access to the work, letting them know LACI exists and building relationships that create a pathway for diverse entrepreneurs to enter the incubator’s ecosystem.

Click here to learn more about how LACI is building an inclusive green economy by supporting the development of innovative technologies.