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Layel Camargo-Velasquez (they/them) is a trans and gender non-conforming Yaqui and Mayo cultural strategist, is the co-founder and former Executive Director of Shelterwood Collective, a 878-acre forest restoration and land stewardship project. Co-fundraising a $20M 5 year campaign effort, including a $4M land acquisition. Camargo-Velasquez directed the organizations communications, arts & culture programs.

As the founder of Climate Woke, a narrative platform dedicated to climate justice at The Center For Cultural Power, Camargo-Velasquez, built the environmental and climate program while organizing artists, shaping new narratives, spearheading communication campaigns and building the programs budget. Layel served as an Impact Producer for the acclaimed web series The North Pole, working alongside Executive Producers Rosario Dawson and Movement Generation. They also produced and hosted the podcast Did We Go Too Far?, which explored climate, culture, and collective liberation. They were part of the inaugural fellows for Climate Story Lab with Doc Society and Exposure Labs.

In recognition of their work, Layel was named a 2020 Grist Fixer and was co-awarded a Humanitarian Award by the International Association of Sufism. They are a public speaker and have spoken at institutions such as UC Santa Cruz, University of Pennsylvania and a Keynote address at the University of Montreal. Layel holds a dual degree in Legal Studies and Feminist Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. They are currently attending the University of Southern California, for a Masters in Sustainability Management. Expected to graduated summer of 2026.