By Dre Andre, Affordable Energy Campaign Coordinator
Biography
Dre is a San Diego organizer who believes lasting change happens when people and organizations work together. SanDiego350 was Dre’s very first volunteer role, and after two years, Dre joined the team in September 2026 as Affordable Energy Campaign Coordinator. Along the way, Dre has led the SD350 event planning team, represented SD350 on the Transportation Equity Coalition (TEC), served as MC for the 2025 Unite for Climate March, and delivered many passionate speeches on behalf of the organization. He has also worked with Strong Towns San Diego, the San Diego Community Wealth Building Coalition, the Business for Good Advocacy Team, and has served on the Advisory Board for Public Power. As Affordable Energy Campaign Coordinator, Dre hopes to build a San Diego where clean, affordable energy is a right and not a privilege.
Role at SanDiego350
I’m the Affordable Energy Campaign Coordinator. I’ll lead SD350’s local work and be part of the statewide campaign on energy affordability. That means building a shared vision for just and equitable utility reform, developing campaign strategy, growing a volunteer team, and helping create a San Diego utility justice table where community members, organizations, and decision-makers can work together.
What makes you passionate about climate activism?
Climate change is one of the few issues that touches everyone, but it hits vulnerable communities first and hardest. That unfairness is what draws me to this work. I came to SanDiego350 because I wanted to get more involved in my community, and it was the first volunteer role I’d ever had. I joined the events team because I love planning events, and the transportation team because I’ve always been fascinated by public transit. I said yes to almost everything: meetings, phone banking, tabling, public speaking. The more I learned about the systems behind our air, our transportation, and our energy bills, the more I saw that climate and affordability are the same fight. The people who pay the most for dirty, expensive energy are often the ones who did the least to cause the problem. Once you see that, it’s hard to look away.
What do you look forward to most in this role?
Building relationships and coalitions. While volunteering with several organizations, I kept noticing how much more we could accomplish if we worked together. Good groups are often stretched thin or focused on their own missions, and the result is a lot of people doing great work in parallel. I’m excited to help connect that work around a shared vision for utility reform. I’m also looking forward to training and supporting new volunteer leaders, because SD350 grows when people find their place in the movement, just as I did.
Background
I grew up in the small town of Dudley, Massachusetts. I figured college would be too boring, so I enlisted in the United States Navy. After six years, I ended my service in Seattle and moved to San Diego to start a new chapter. I’ve taken many paths since, from working for a defense contractor to working on a sailboat, as an event assistant, and even starting my own business. Outside of work, I love volleyball, sailing, and going out dancing (but not staying out too late).