Scholars

Afroza Mahzabeen Anannya has seven years of experience in the field of climate and environment in the humanitarian and development sector and earned her MSc degree in International Environmental Studies from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. As a technical professional at the Norwegian Refugee Council, she focused on capacity building of national and regional centers working with Climate and weather information and bringing scientific and indigenous community knowledge together to build climate resilience. Afroza is passionate about tackling climate change issues and is highly motivated to drive solution-oriented work to tackle the climate crisis the world is facing at present. As Thematic Manager for Climate Services, Afroza has collaborated with various organizations in different continents, undertaken several field missions, and led several climate change-related projects. Throughout her experience in past years, she has developed program and project management skills as well as operational skills to bring research and operational aspects together.

Alexander Gunkel is a serial entrepreneur using space technology for social and environmental good. Alexander’s company Space4Good leverages satellite earth observation, geographic information systems, and artificial intelligence to provide geospatial analytics to global impact initiatives for data-driven decision making and increased transparency. The company is active in nature conservation, agriculture, smart cities, disaster relief, and peace and justice. Space4Good provides its insights to clients such as The Red Cross, The World Bank Group, The Carter Center, and The European Commission. Additionally, Alexander co-founded Skytree, which invented a CO2 recycling process to reduce global CO2 emissions, as well as RoadEO which is developing a global road quality monitoring and prediction platform to improve road safety and comfort. He is actively mentoring “Tech4Good” entrepreneurs in university-related incubators as well as accelerators, including in Startupbootcamp and Google LaunchPad. Before starting his entrepreneurial career, Alexander studied mechanical engineering and business administration and worked as a Project Manager at the European Space Agency. He is a Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and believes in the power of social entrepreneurship to drive positive societal and economic change.

Anmol Motwani holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the University of SZABIST in Pakistan and has four years of experience working in the nonprofit sector. She raised a lot of money for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital while working there, as well as awareness of breast cancer. She has participated in a number of student initiatives to raise awareness across the country. She is presently employed as a social media manager and is preparing to launch her own small business. She thinks that social media has a lot of power and that it can spread her message to people who she couldn’t physically contact. As she plans to pursue her Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Business, her goal is to raise awareness of climate change among her peers. She is a driven individual striving for the betterment of humanity.

Dwi Rezeki Kirana Bangun is a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance of Indonesia. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Management from Indonesia Open University. She has been working in Indonesia Tax Court for six years and has a strong understanding of taxation and management both in theory and practice. Besides that, she developed an interest in nature and the environment. She is currently participating as a Hutan Itu Indonesia (HII) volunteer, one of the leading organizations campaigning about Indonesian forests. She also participated in fundraising and collected 86 million rupiahs to adopt more than 430 trees in the Sumatra forest. Recently, HII and more than 140 collaborators declared 7 August as Forest Day in Indonesia for the first time. This action is acknowledged by the Minister of Environment and Forestry. Combining her government experience and volunteering in HII, she initiated a movement called Forest is Our Friend (FiOF). Every month, FiOF presents a talk show called ‘Forest Talk’ that invited various speakers from all over Indonesia, such as Dayak Tribe Community, musicians, filmmakers, researchers, and anyone related to the forest. Her main goal is to raise awareness for Indonesian people to know more about the importance of protecting the forest as it is the source of clean air, clean water, and home for millions of people, flora, and fauna. She encouraged people to take real action by planting trees in their homes or protecting the existing forest with tree adoption and visit national parks to support ecotourism.

Hayley Bisceglia-Martin has over ten years of experience working in international development. Since 2017, she has been working with One Acre Fund to raise funds for their mission to improve the harvests and livelihoods of rural smallholder farmers in East Africa. Prior to joining One Acre Fund, Hayley was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Ukraine and Samoa, where she worked to strengthen child literacy and help build local schools’ capacity. She has also volunteered her time with Americorps, at libraries as an adult literacy educator, and with programs designed to promote gender empowerment and HIV/AIDS awareness among youth. She is particularly interested in the intersection of gender and climate change, and ways we can leverage technology to support rural farm families.

Irina Mkrtchyan holds a Master’s degree in Marketing, PR, and Advertising from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Irina also holds a second Master’s degree in Agribusiness and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Agribusiness from Armenian National Agrarian University in Armenia. She is the co-founder and development lead of “ISSD” Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development of Communities” NGO (founded in 2017), where she is leading various environmental and rural development projects, supported by organizations like UNDP, Norwegian Retailers Fund, and others. Through this initiative, Irina has raised over $350,000 in grants and donations within the last 2 years. She has 13+ years of experience in marketing, consulting, public relations/outreach, and solid waste management. Irina is also highly skilled in environmental protection, green communication, strategic planning and development, project/grant management, startup management. Irina has strong knowledge and international experience in various industries including Fortune 500 companies, the World Bank, UNDP, GEF, and World Resources Institute. In 2018, she was awarded Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship during which she studied at the University of California, focusing on environment and rural development, after which she served as Marketing and Strategic Development Fellow at World Resources Institute (Water Team) in Washington DC.

Isabel Ruiz is a 36-year-old passionate professional living in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. In 2011, she obtained a degree in Environmental Systems Engineering from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN, by its acronym in Spanish). Her commitment to making a positive impact on both environmental and social fronts led her to study a double-degree master’s in Environmental Sciences, Natural Resources Management and Development. For the last year and a half, she has collaborated with Heifer Mexico as manager for the social capital and women empowerment department; in her role, she has the mission to guarantee that projects include actions to impulse social cohesion, women and youths opportunities, and caring for the earth. Additionally, Isabel provides guidance and support to staff members, aiding them in implementing projects focusing on gender equality, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Maegan Clark has 10 years of experience in Digital Media, Marketing, and Advertising. Clark earned a Bachelor of Communication degree with an emphasis in Public Relations from Arkansas State University and a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. For the last 10 years, she has worked at Heifer International growing her position from an Internet Marketing Specialist to now the Director of Digital Media. She is passionate about using her education and experience to bring awareness to the mass marketing consumer about how they can live a sustainable life while helping to end hunger. While working full-time for Heifer International, Clark also volunteers with her local Junior League of Little Rock promoting volunteerism and community-focused campaigns.