07/07/2026
Sydney Barnwell is a strategic communications and public engagement professional, environmental justice advocate, and coalition builder whose work sits at the intersection of advocacy, narrative strategy, community resilience, and systems change. With more than eight years of experience across nonprofit leadership, public affairs, integrated communications, and community-centered organizing, Sydney has dedicated her career to helping mission-driven organizations translate complex issues into accessible narratives that mobilize people, strengthen coalitions, and drive meaningful social impact.
Currently, Sydney serves as Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Integrity Acts LLC, a Connecticut-based community engagement and environmental justice focused consultancy co-founded alongside former nonprofit colleagues Allison Pilcher and Michelle Eckman. Integrity Acts was created in direct response to growing federal disinvestment in environmental justice initiatives and the disproportionate harm those funding cuts have had on Black, Brown, immigrant, and historically underserved communities. Through Integrity Acts, Sydney leads strategic communications, community engagement, storytelling, coalition communications, and public-facing advocacy initiatives designed to help nonprofits, grassroots organizations, and public-serving institutions strengthen visibility, build trust, and create long-term community impact.
Sydney also previously served as Director of Communications for the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs (CRCJ), where she led statewide communications strategy for coalition campaigns focused on climate justice, clean energy, labor equity, environmental justice, and public policy advocacy. In that role, she advised coalition partners, nonprofit leaders, organizers, and stakeholders on strategic messaging, media engagement, rapid response communications, public education campaigns, and integrated advocacy strategy. Her work helped support public engagement around major Connecticut climate and energy legislation, utility accountability efforts, transportation equity campaigns, and offshore wind workforce development initiatives.
Throughout her career, Sydney has helped bridge gaps between policy, communications, and community engagement by centering storytelling as a tool for empowerment, accessibility, and systems change. She has supported environmental justice organizations, youth-serving nonprofits, workforce development initiatives, immigrant and refugee communities, and grassroots coalitions in strengthening their public narratives, stakeholder engagement, and fundraising communications. Her work has included designing storytelling and fundraising toolkits for nonprofits, facilitating resilience planning workshops for community organizations navigating political and funding instability, and co-facilitating environmental justice resource collaborations connecting underserved communities to funding opportunities and technical assistance.
Sydney’s work is rooted in the belief that communications is not just about visibility, but about helping communities feel seen, informed, connected, and empowered to participate in shaping their future. Whether leading statewide coalition messaging, facilitating community dialogue, supporting public education campaigns, or building communications infrastructure for nonprofits, she approaches her work with a commitment to equity, accessibility, collaboration, and long-term impact.
In addition to her professional work, Sydney is also a public speaker, wellness advocate, and founder of Holistic Trends Collective, a platform focused on mindfulness, intentional living, and collective wellbeing. Across every space she occupies, she is committed to helping people and communities move from survival toward sustainability, resilience, and collective care.
In Sydney’s view, changing the world begins with helping people feel connected to both information and each other. Through communications, coalition-building, and community-centered storytelling, she has worked to amplify voices that are often overlooked, strengthen partnerships across sectors, and create pathways for communities to advocate for themselves, access resources, and shape more equitable futures.
