About the Global Green Recovery Collaborative

Rosalind Helfand is an independent expert in environmental and social policy, strategy, and advocacy. Based in Los Angeles, California, she collaborates with communities, nonprofits, and governments to create and implement innovative, intersectional policies and programs. From campaigns to coalitions, she brings people together across issues, including environmental justice, protecting nature, and equity. In the Cambridge University Conservation Leadership masters program, she researched how we can achieve transformative change for the future of biodiversity. Rosalind has contributed to global discussions on “collective crisis leadership” with UCCLAN, and researched local environmental leadership with Jacaranda School in Malawi. She contributes to policy discussions with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and successfully led a nonprofit coalition campaign to engage California as the first United States subnational government Observer to the CBD. She founded the environmental policy consultancy, PAJE: Policy. Action. Justice. Environment.

Ravi Prasad has more than ten years of global experience in environment, sustainable development, international relations and climate change. He currently works as the Monitoring and Reporting Specialist with the UNDP Asia-Pacific. He has previously worked as the Field Team Lead with the World Mosquito Program, Australia; International Climate Protection Fellow with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany; and International Corps with EarthCorps, USA. He completed an MPhil in Conservation Leadership from University of Cambridge in 2017, and is currently coordinating the Conservation Leadership Alumni Network (CLAN) in Oceania. Ravi loves travelling, learning new languages, rugby (on TV) and watching TV shows. He is really excited to extend his expertise, passion and positivity towards achieving a green recovery for all.

Iris Dicke currently works as a Policy Advisor for a political party in the Netherlands, which aims to develop policies based on an ecosystem’s perspective. In her role, Iris focuses on strengthening biodiversity in urban and rural areas as well as how to structurally integrate biodiversity into policy and economy. Prior to this, Iris worked at an international development consultancy and forestry consultancy, focusing on research and analysis of natural resources policy and land rights. As a member of the University of Cambridge, Conservation Leadership Alumni Network (UCCLAN), she helped coordinate and develop a statement for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework for the Convention of Biological Diversity’s – Open-ended Working Group. Now, she would like to further the call for a green recovery.

Lucia Norris-Crespo was awarded an MPhil in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge (2016-2017) and a double major in International Relations and Communications (2010). She worked as a political communications Advisor for the City Council on developing communications strategies and sustainability and gender violence campaigns that were implemented in Quito between 2009 and 2013. At FFLA, LAC Secretariat for CDKN, Lucia gained administrative and technical experience while coordinating projects and participating in developing MEL and Communications strategies. In 2014, Lucia started working at WWF as the Public Policies Officer for the Galapagos Programme and later as the M&E Officer for the Ecuador program. In 2018, she worked on a circular economy project to improve the quality of life of waste pickers. From 2019 until July 2021, Lucia was responsible for Jocotoco Foundation in Galapagos, and now she works as an independent consultant on sustainability, conservation, and the circular economy. She is very much interested in understanding and implementing new economic development models.

Kamille Pennell currently works for Wildlife Conservation Society (Belize) as the Terrestrial Coordinator, responsible for the implementation of the organisation’s terrestrial components of Belize’s conservation strategy, ensuring thriving wildlife, wild places and healthy and productive ecosystems. Prior to this, she held the post of CITES Coordinator at WCS and was responsible for building communication, administrative structures and capacity to effectively deliver on Belize’s commitments as a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Earlier in her career, she worked at a local organisation in Southern Belize, which implemented people-focused conservation and evidence informed conservation in and around terrestrial protected areas in development, management and leadership positions. She is skilled in grant writing, conservation policy, fundraising and leadership in conservation. Kamille is interested in the social dimensions of conservations, an interest that was fostered while pursuing the Cambridge Masters in Conservation Leadership.

Janet is a vegetation ecologist from South Africa and currently works for the local government in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Here she has more than 10 years of research experience and her main focuses are on using research outcomes to provide management recommendations to land users for the sustainable use and conservation of the natural resources within the province. Her research interests include bush encroachment, plant-animal interactions and savanna ecology. Janet completed an MPhil in Conservation Leadership through the University of Cambridge in 2017, where she gained experience in communication and collaboration during her dissertation on avian species prioritization among conservation partners along a migration route. She also has an MSc in Grassland Science from the University of the Free State (SA). She has been an editor of a magazine for a scientific society in Southern Africa and enjoyed working together as a team. With these skills, she hopes to contribute to the awareness of global green recovery.

Teona Gamtsemlidze is from Tbilisi, Georgia, currently residing in Los Angeles, California. She holds a masters degree in law, and has extensive project management and development experience. For over 12 years Teona worked for nonprofit and international organizations, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Her primary focus was democratic governance, sustainable development, public awareness raising and education, advocacy and policy making as well as human rights promotion. Working for OSCE and UNDP enabled her to be engaged in capacity building of democratic institutions and to shape policy making. She advocated for adoption of a number of positive changes to the election legislation to bring it closer to international standards. Teona is a fully accredited BRIDGE facilitator. BRIDGE stands for Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections and is a capacity development tool, designed to be used for institutional excellence.

Evelyn Britez Navaro is a biodiversity conservation professional with experience in protected area management, project management, monitoring and evaluation. She has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Master’s Degree in Conservation Leadership (University of Cambridge). Her conservation career started in Paraguay, volunteering for the Department of Protected Areas of the Ministry for the Environment and local non-governmental organisation, Guyra Paraguay. She then became a staff member of the latter and worked for the Sites Programme. In 2016-2020 her work focused on the Atlantic Forest region, managing projects to promote its conservation and restoration. These interventions supported over 60 small landholders and the Mbyá Guaraní indigenous people to start producing and commercialising shade-grown yerba mate under organic and fair-trade standards for the first time. She has also worked as a consultant for the non-governmental organisation Federación por la Autodeterminación de Pueblos Indígenas and for UNICEF Paraguay on monitoring and evaluation.

Tatjana is a South African conservation researcher and science communicator. Currently she is the Wikimedia Visiting Fellow for Climate at the Global Systems Institute, where she works with the University of Exeter to update open access climate change knowledge on Wikipedia.Previously, her work has included research and comms for organisations like the Marine Megafauna Foundation, the Sustainable Seas Trust, the South African National Biodiversity Institute, Jive Media Africa, Fauna and Flora International and the conservation technology network, WILDLABS.She holds an MPhil Conservation Leadership from the University of Cambridge, and a BMedSc (Hons) in Cell Biology and a BSc Genetics, Ecology and Evolution from the University of Cape Town.Tatjana is a biology nerd, nature fanatic and science writer, interested in the meeting points between art and science. She spends her free time surfing and diving in the ocean and hiking and rock climbing in the mountains.