MEET THE CLIMATE NEXUS TEAM

Bob Tanner brings to his role as deputy executive director a career that spans investigative reporting and congressional policy-making, from hearing rooms on the Hill to the Katrina-flooded streets of New Orleans. Now he fuses strategy and tactical execution, with oversight of all operations including editorial content, digital and social strategy, messaging, partnerships and finances.

Previously, Bob served as senior investigator for the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee during the climate change debates of 2009-2010 and the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Earlier, as a national editor and reporter for the Associated Press, he helped launch the National Investigative, National Reporting, and Disaster Response teams. In his 20-year journalism career, he reported for news wires, local newspapers and public television in Maryland, New York, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C.

Bob is a recovering surfer with a persistent rock-climbing habit, and enjoys being back in NYC with his wife, and two children and Fang, a very small dog who is sure she’s a big dog.

Rachel Potter is a seasoned sustainability practitioner with extensive experience in financial services, consulting and the nonprofit sectors. As managing director of operations, Rachel is responsible for project delivery, operations management, oversight of team engagement and professional development.

Prior to joining Climate Nexus, Rachel held a range of positions in the sustainability space, including for Accenture and Standard Chartered Bank. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy, Planning and Regulation from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a master’s degree in History from the University of St. Andrews.

Rachel’s favorite thing to do when not at work is travel the world, so most of her spare time is spent traveling or travel planning.

Caterina Bartha is non-profit finance practitioner with a long history of working in theater and dance. In her role, Caterina oversees the finance process and directs the ongoing financial policies and priorities of Climate Nexus.

Prior to joining Climate Nexus, Caterina worked at the Dramatists Guild, with the who’s who of American Theater. She started life as a choreographer and was a founder of Collective: Unconscious, a downtown NYC venue that supported emerging artists, from 1995-2008. She is one of the producers of the film Charlie Victor Romeo and has produced numerous film festivals, dance, and theater programs since 1995. She holds an MBA in Media Management from Metropolitan College and an MS in Accounting from St. John’s University. She serves as the Treasurer for The Lilly Awards Foundation. Caterina is thrilled to support the most pressing issue of our generation at Climate Nexus.

Hilary Stabb is the Office Manager for Climate Nexus.

Hilary has worked in office administration, management and employee engagement roles for over a decade, and brings her passion for creating positive corporate culture to Climate Nexus.

Outside the office, Hilary is the enthusiastic mother of a teen boy. She is also a private yoga instructor, painter, writer, poet and Creative Producer for Film and TV projects.

Ben Rubin is the Director of Carbon Drawdown at Climate Nexus, focusing on carbon removal technologies to restore the climate. Ben has been advancing climate solutions for more than a decade inside government, business and nonprofits.

Prior to joining Climate Nexus, Ben spearheaded public affairs campaigns for renewable energy as a principal at Kivvit. He also served in California Governor Jerry Brown’s Office of Planning and Research, focusing on long-range planning policies to reduce climate pollution.

Ben studied urban planning and anthropology at Pitzer College in California. Currently based in New York, he can often be found exploring the city’s urban jungle or kayaking along its shores.

As associate director of science defense, Phil Newell is involved at various stages with much of our work, from brainstorming ideas to drafting and editing final products. Phil also leads on our rapid response and denier monitoring work.

Before working at Climate Nexus, Phil was an intern at the World Watch Institute, where he blogged on sustainable agriculture. Prior to that, he worked with EARTHWORKS, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the impacts of irresponsible mineral and energy development while seeking sustainable solutions.

Phil has an MA in Global Environmental Policy from American University, and a BA in Sustainable Development from Appalachian State University.

Josh Goldman is a car geek, policy expert, and experienced communications professional. As associate director of the Energy Transition team at Climate Nexus, Josh covers all issues related to clean transportation. From electric vehicles and improved fuel efficiency to self-driving cars, ships, planes, trains, and everything in between, Josh works with partners and the media to tell the story of how transportation is changing how we get to point B.

Before joining Climate Nexus, Josh directed the electric vehicle portfolio at the Union of Concerned Scientists where he led campaigns to enact or protect progressive transportation policy at the state and federal level. Josh also worked as a federal liaison for the New York Governor and is a recovering attorney, having graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2009 where he founded the Cardozo Environmental Law Society.

As senior manager on the Energy Transition team, Chelsea Eakin works with partners and the media to tell the story of the transition to a clean energy economy.

Prior to joining Climate Nexus, Chelsea was engaged in climate and clean energy issues in China from 2010-2017, most recently as the Public Affairs Manager for the Paulson Institute, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s nonprofit dedicated to US-China relations as they pertain to the economy and the environment. In that role, Chelsea managed communications for the Institute’s research and events highlighting best practices and market-based solutions to advance China’s transition to a sustainable economy. She also oversaw the Institute’s Paulson Prize for Sustainable Cities, awarded annually to an innovative China-based project that represents a best practice for sustainable urbanization.

Before joining the Paulson Institute, Chelsea managed client services, communications, and events for China Greentech, a strategic advisory group that promoted green technology solutions in China through market research and partnering opportunities.

Chelsea holds a B.A. in Global Studies and Anthropology from Colby College in Maine. She has lived in Shenzhen and Beijing, as well as Quito, Ecuador and speaks Chinese and Spanish.

As climate science communications manager, Terran Kirksey is involved with climate science outreach to the public and media via our Climate Signals program.

Prior to joining Climate Nexus, Terran amassed a decade of science communications experience as a broadcast meteorologist, working in several regions of the country.

Terran has a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from The University of Oklahoma, and a Masters of Science degree in Geosciences from Mississippi State University.

In his spare time he loves to find good coffee and good food, as well as explore nature.

Emma Stieglitz is a skilled communicator with years of experience securing high-value media placements for progressive campaigns and causes. As one of two media directors, she works with journalists to showcase the diverse range of voices and stories that drive home how climate change impacts our lives.

Before joining Climate Nexus, Emma was a communications consultant at BerlinRosen, where she led and executed national and local media strategy for a range of labor and nonprofit clients. Her writing has appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and The Guardian.

Elisabeth Soto is a highly motivated, full-stack digital marketer with over ten years of experience and a startup marketing mind. She holds certifications in marketing automation, digital marketing, data analytics, e-marketing, SEO, and front-end web development.

Her experience in digital marketing and communications spans a variety of sectors — from financial services to philanthropy — and institutions including Cohen & Steers, the Latin American Private Capital Association, and Sony DADC.

Marlene Peralta is a senior manager of broadcast media relations, leading Climate Nexus’ broadcast outreach program to increase coverage of climate change and its impacts on national TV (network and cable) news.

She has a MA in Broadcast Journalism from The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Before coming to Nexus, she worked as a senior consultant for strategic communications and has accrued over 15 years of experience in English and Spanish language media having worked for El Diario, the largest Spanish language daily newspaper in New York City, also for Newsday, AM New York, HITN TV, 1010 WINS Radio, CUNY TV, among others.

Marlene is an Emmy® award nominee and is the recipient of three Communicator Awards from the Academy of International Visual Arts (AIVA).

Marlene is a baseball fan and loves traveling, especially to her native Dominican Republic.

Shravya Jain is a senior manager of media and international communications at Climate Nexus, where she works on communication strategies around climate change solutions, climate & environmental justice, and regional climate policies.

She holds an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Shravya has interned with the United Nations for their in-house sustainability initiatives and with the Heron Foundation on their impact-investment mission to help communities raise themselves out of poverty.

Before coming to the US, Shravya worked as a journalist in India with Reuters and India Today. She also briefly worked with SELCO Solar, a pioneering off-grid solar company, where she got a chance to visit villages in South India and see the transformational power of solar energy.

Shravya loves writing short-fiction and constantly day-dreams about being a published author in her spare time.

Arissa Agnant has been a Paid Media Ads specialist for 5 years executing direct response campaigns. She specializes in full-funnel paid media advertising campaigns – developing strategy, planning, executing, optimizing, and reporting across paid social (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, & YouTube) and paid search/display (Google Ads, StackAdapt programmatic display). She has extensive knowledge making website optimizations for traffic driven by paid media, and using Google Analytics to plan, track, optimize and report on key business metrics. In all of her roles she has been the lead strategy and manager, creating strategies and performing all key optimizations.

Jamie Schoshinski is the social media manager at Climate Nexus. She manages all aspects of Climate Nexus’s social media presence, from content creation to analytics reporting.

Prior to joining Climate Nexus, Jamie worked for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonprofit think tank that promotes policies that reduce poverty and inequality. There, she supported the communications team with a variety of both media relations and digital work.

Jamie graduated in 2017 from Temple University with a BA in English and Political Science. While in school she worked for NextGen Climate, and it was this experience that led her to realize she wanted a career in environmental communications.

In her free time, Jamie enjoys cooking, listening to true crime podcasts, watching everything on Netflix from documentaries to romantic comedies, and gardening (although due to a lack of outdoor space this is currently limited to just a few houseplants).

Shoko Yanagawa is the Broadcast Associate at Climate Nexus, working to increase national TV news coverage on climate change and its impacts.

Prior to joining Climate Nexus, she served as a general-assignment news producer for the NYC bureau of Japan’s Fuji Television, covering everything from breaking news and international diplomacy to a skyscraper-climbing raccoon.

A native of Shizuoka, Japan, Shoko has lived in Alaska and Wisconsin prior to making a home for herself in New York City. She enjoys cooking, crafting and traveling, including to places she can reach by bike share.

Allison Fajans-Turner leads Nexus’ work with state and city government stakeholders. Instrumental in helping to launch, design, and manage the We Are Still In initiative, Allison is Nexus’ primary liaison to the coalition and advises on its communications strategy. She also engages with developments in international climate policy, working at the intersection of climate change and sustainable development for Nexus.

Before joining Climate Nexus, Allison worked with the Disaster and Climate Adaptation Team of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Geneva, Switzerland, assessing climate drivers of displacement and conflict. This work convinced her that meaningfully reducing displacement risk for populations worldwide requires urgent action to combat climate change. Prior to this, Allison worked on the Obama presidential campaigns as a field organizer in multiple locations, helping to turn Indiana blue in 2008. She has remained an enthusiastic policy wonk ever since.

Allison has an MA in International Relations and Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BA in International Development from Brown University. A native of Ithaca, New York, her earliest motivation to stave off climate change is rooted in a childhood spent playing winter sports, namely ice hockey and skiing.

Paige Knappenberger is the senior manager of partnerships. She leads our work with climate change partner organizations working on climate change from the perspective of public health, faith, national security, environmental justice, youth and parents. Working out of the Climate Nexus office in Washington, D.C. Paige provides these partners strategic media guidance and support to amplify the work they are doing to reach and engage distinct groups on climate change and clean energy.

Prior to joining the Climate Nexus team, Paige worked for the D.C. Sustainable Energy Utility and interned at Oceana and NRDC. Paige completed a dual-masters in sustainable development and global environmental policy through American University in Washington, DC and the University for Peace in Costa Rica.

Paige grew up in Arizona and California and frequently endures the cross-country flight to visit her family out west. In her free time Paige enjoys scuba diving, crafting, and live music.

As Creative Content Director at Climate Nexus, Monika Sharma brings her extensive media and communications experience to the Nexus Media News team, managing multiple streams of content and helping the brand reach its full potential. Prior to joining Climate Nexus, Monika was ‘doing good’ at MTV Networks, where she led numerous issue-focused campaigns across MTV’s various media platforms. Monika further honed her marketing skills on the social innovation team at Weber Shandwick, where she was responsible for brainstorming and pitching sustainability ideas to corporate clients.

Monika is a graduate of Duke and Columbia. She is an avid yogini, francophile and music fan, who is constantly inspired by her native New York.

Briana Flin is a video producer/editor for Nexus Media News, where she covers environmental justice and climate change. Her work has appeared in outlets like The Atlantic, WIRED, Newsy, KQED, and Twin Cities PBS. Prior to joining the Nexus Media team, she was at WIRED, producing videos on everything from kinetic sculptures to praying mantises sporting 3D glasses. She’s a proud alumnus of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and a Californian born-and-raised. After work, you can find her attempting to train her rambunctious rescue dog, baking treats, or rewatching Mad Men for the umpteenth time.

Reece Rushing is director of research. In 2015 and 2016, he served as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s acting deputy assistant secretary for congressional relations and director of oversight. Previously, Reece served as director of oversight and investigations for the House Natural Resources Committee Democrats, and as director of government reform, among other roles, during a seven-year tenure at the Center for American Progress. Reece began his career working on regulatory and information policy issues at OMB Watch (later called the Center for Effective Government). He received his degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

James Wyatt oversees survey research and polling for Climate Nexus. This includes integrating the latest survey science methodologies and advanced machine learning techniques to accurately measure public opinion on a wide range of issues.

Prior to joining Climate Nexus, James served as the Senior Polling Director at Morning Consult where he managed polling for a variety of Fortune 500 companies and industry trade groups.  His polling research has been cited by top media organizations such as POLITICO, The New York Times, Vox, Bloomberg, and FiveThirtyEight (among others).  Prior to that, James served as the Data Scientist for Working America, AFL-CIO, where he managed data analytics and voter target for the largest paid canvassing operation of the 2014 political cycle.  James also has experience working as a political consultant, and served as a lobbyist for municipalities in South Florida focusing on energy issues and appropriations.

James has co-authored book chapters on minority voting in the United States and holds two master’s degrees with specialization in research methods.

Sabrina E. Williams Sabrina E. Williams is the senior director for media strategy. She is a non-profit communications leader who has been at the forefront of social change strategy for more than two decades.

Prior to joining Climate Nexus, Sabrina was a Senior Communications Consultant/Principal with Williams & Associates Public Relations. She served as the Communications and Volunteer Director with Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP), an organization dedicated to preserving and expanding quality affordable housing. A problem-solver by nature Williams provided her clients with an effective course of action by designing and executing strategic communications plans with a focus on audience refinement and messaging to increase and improve their desired outcomes while serving as a Vice President with GMMB Public Relations, a nationally recognized, progressive strategic communications and issue advocacy agency in their global health practice.

Always an advocate for racial equity, Sabrina served as the Managing Director of Communications for Advancement Project, a national racial justice organization, that works with organized communities of color to bring about sustainable progress that advances universal opportunity.

She holds an MA in Public Communications from American University and a BA in Television Production from Howard University. She is left-handed, a servant leader, Candy Crush and Fortnite aficionado, native Floridian (second home is Washington D.C.), friend, sister, daughter, and best of all AUNTIE.

Jessica Herrera serves as the associate director for campaigns at Climate Nexus, leading the organization’s work to fight liquified natural gas exports and raise awareness of this dirty energy’s role in the climate crisis.

She has worked in nonprofit communications for more than a decade — producing news content, creating and implementing communications plans, and developing strong relationships with reporters and editors during that time. Most recently, Jessica directed communications for a voting rights organization. She has also driven media strategy at leading environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity.

Before diving into advocacy communications, Jessica cut her teeth as a reporter and writer. She also spent time as a labor organizer. She holds a masters degree in international studies from the Johns Hopkins University.

Jessica was born in Chicago, Ill., but now considers herself a bonafide desert rat. She lives in Tucson, Ariz. with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. Jessica loves hiking and running, and when it gets too hot in the Old Pueblo, she can be found camping in the Sonoran Desert’s sky islands.

Gabrielle Levy is a senior manager of communications on the Campaigns and Strategies team. She comes to Climate Nexus after eight years as a reporter covering politics and policy in Washington, D.C., including Congress, the White House and two presidential elections, most recently for U.S. News and World Report. As a reporter at United Press International, she was instrumental in developing digital and social media strategies to bring a legacy organization into the digital age. During a half-year residency with Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Gabrielle reported on government corruption, human rights abuses and the impact of natural disasters on the substance farming community.

She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in English and music from Tufts University. She is an avid singer and is a member of several choirs.

Nathan Kauffman learns for a living. As a senior manager of research at Climate Nexus, he edits and manages the daily Hot News newsletter, as well as weekly and monthly newsletters for the C&S team.

Prior to joining Climate Nexus, Nathan worked for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network as a lobbyist/project manager/carpenter and at the Democratic National Committee as a research associate. He holds a BA in History & Social Science from Eastern Mennonite University and a JD from the George Washington University law school.

When he’s not preventing the global climate cataclysm, Nathan enjoys cycling, baking, spending time with his 2-year-old daughter, and certain combinations thereof.

Javier Garcia is a communications associate on the Campaigns and Strategies’ liquified natural gas campaign.

Prior to working for Climate Nexus, Javier, or Javi, worked for various political campaigns across the country. He was a field organizer for Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign in New Hampshire and North Carolina. Later on he worked as a social media manager for Dianne Morales for NYC Mayor and as a latino media booker for Biden for President.

Javier graduated in 2018 from Dartmouth College with a BA in Geography. Having recently moved to DC from Puerto Rico, Javier spends his time exploring the new city and missing the beaches back home.

Mendel Zecher is a political data professional serving as a Survey Research and Data Associate at Climate Nexus.

Mendel began his career as a field organizer on several local New York City political races. Following this, he went to work for J Street, where he ran their databases, analyzed their volunteer & funder information, and prepared research materials for J Street’s organizers. Most recently, Mendel ventured into the sports data world, building models to predict the outcomes of NFL and MLB games for SharppFoxx, a sports data start up. Mendel received a BA in Political Science and Finance from the University of Maryland and a Master of Public Policy from NYU.

When he is out of the “office”, Mendel can most likely be found pouring over yesterday’s box scores while rooting on the Knicks, Terps, Jets and Tottenham. If not, there is a good chance he is taking Indie, his dachshund to the dog park or searching for his next Netflix binge. Mendel grew up in North Jersey, lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for several years and currently resides in Miami.

Sarah Bucci has worked as a campaigner, advocate, and communications strategist on environmental issues across the United States for more than a decade. Today, she is director of strategic communications with the Water Hub and believes the best campaigns are smart and scrappy and the most effective way to create lasting change is by sharing and elevating personal stories.

As a fellow, organizer, and state director with Environment America, Sarah led successful field campaigns across multiple states where she organized support for climate action, fought new oil and gas projects, and worked to protect water resources. Most recently, Sarah served as the communications director for GRID Alternatives, a national clean energy equity non-profit, where she worked to bring real-world stories of a just energy transition to life.

While she grew up on the east coast, Sarah now calls Denver home. She’s an avid Colorado Avalanche fan and is at her happiest while gardening.

Kimiko Martinez grew up in drought-prone Southern California and became a water conservationist and protector in first grade after learning that all the water that exists on Earth is all the water there will ever be. Today, she leads the Water Hub’s media strategy — working on communication strategies that elevate water as a public health, economic, and social justice issue, and uplifts the voices and stories of underrepresented groups and impacted communities.

She’s been in the business of social impact for more than 15 years — first as a journalist (Indianapolis Star, Orange County Register, and Entrepreneur magazine) and then leading marketing and communications at some of the biggest progressive nonprofits in the country. She graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Pepperdine University, where she served as the editor in chief of the school’s weekly newspaper.

In her free time, she grabs as many #naturebreaks as she can manage — usually hiking and hugging trees (preferably giant redwoods).

Jessica Jewell Lanier brings 10+ years of marketing and communications experience to support water justice in the West.

Prior to joining, she led digital efforts for One Meal a Day for the Planet, an initiative of James Cameron and Suzy Amis Cameron. She also served as TreePeople’s Director of Marketing and Communications where she supported progressive water and urban forestry legislation and community volunteers. Before joining the climate movement, Jessica cut her teeth at PETA where she worked on celebrity advertising campaigns and marketing efforts.

When she’s not working, you can find her making a mess in her kitchen, wandering dusty desert roads, reluctantly flipping vinyl on her record player, or between the pages of her next speculative fiction fix.