As Co-Executive Director, Carla brings together the Center for Environmental Peacebuilding team, potential supporters, and partner organizations to achieve its mission of supporting climate and environment defenders in achieving structural change. Prior to her role as Co-Executive Director, Carla served as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at CEPB, where she advocated for an inclusive environment that valued diversity and recognized intersectionality. Before joining CEPB, Carla had previously served as a US Intern at The French Embassy in NYC, researched EU Open Border Policy, spoken for the US Embassy in London and Sutton Trust-Fulbright Commission, and held a 2020 Tamer Social Enterprise Fellowship through Columbia Business School. Originally hailing from Newcastle, England, Carla holds a Bachelor’s degree from Barnard College, Columbia University. When not working with CEPB, Carla enjoys dance, cycling, and MasterChef. 

In his role as program project manager, Max is responsible for the partnerships and projects going on in Brazil. He’s currently coordinating the development of plans like the biodiversity plan and climate change plan in the state of Ceará, together with other local organizations and bodies from the government. Subjects used in his research fields, both during undergraduate and master’s degrees, such as policies in climate change negotiations, technology transfer mechanisms within the UNFCCC and mitigation and adaptation actions brought him closer to the organization. Max holds a law degree and a master’s degree in political science and international relations from the Federal University of Paraíba, located in the Northeast of Brazil. In his free time, Max loves to read, watch documentaries, practice exercises, go to the beach and meditate.

In her role as director of research and program devleopment for the Center for Environmental Peace-Building, Oshie is responsible for the overall organisation’s development. She provides support to ongoing and upcoming projects, grant applications, and fundraising activities. Prior to this, Oshie has been involved in various research and teaching activities, program management, and has been a committee member for different international and national conferences in the UK, Thailand, Portugal and Sri Lanka. Oshie earned her PhD in environmental disaster management from the University of Huddersfield, UK. Her PhD explored strategic ways to revitalize communities’ lost livelihoods, and provided a framework to enhance empowerment of the communities affected by oil spill environmental hazards. Oshie enjoys travelling, writing, dancing and community engagement activities.

As the Climate & Biodiversity Research Coordinator at CEPB, Doina is currently supporting the development of the Bio-Clima Plan as part of the “Innovation in State Public Policies for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation” Project in Ceará, Brazil. Part of the core organizing team, Doina is leading the research process together with a team of specialized interns to analyze and find solutions for local climate change impacts on land, biodiversity, and SDGs. With a background in Environmental, Energy, and Earth Science; Environmental Governance and Psychology; and Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods; Doina aims to use their skills to help interdisciplinary teams effectively work together to resolve pertinent environmental issues. Doina is currently pursuing a MSc in Environmental Anthropology at Stockholm University and is passionate about finding social and cultural solutions to environmental issues.

Balkissa is currently leading research and outreach to organizations and community changemakers in the Lake Chad Basin region, as well as advising the organization’s strategy on how to connect and engage with local work. Her experience in global governance, water resources, migration and human security have made her an invaluable member of the CEPB team, where she has contributed insight on our theory of change and perspective on the impact of our work in practice. Balkissa is currently a researcher and PhD student at Umass Boston. She previously earned a double Master’s degree in International Development and Environmental Studies at Ohio University, where she studied as a Fulbright Scholar. She graduated from the University of Ghana, Legon with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and History. Her research interests include irregular migration in West Africa, human security, water resource governance, regionalism and global governance.

In their role as fundraising co-chair, Amber is responsible for driving grant funding initiatives, budget management, event planning, and donor cultivation at the Center for Environmental Peacebuilding. She also provides support to the organization’s projects, takes care of various administrative responsibilities, and supports Carla in stepping into the role of ED. Previously, Amber organized a program for tech entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka, conducted design research for the MIT D-Lab program, advised the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation in its development of a climate grants portfolio, and taught junior high math through Teach for America. Amber earned their bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT and master’s in international relations from Harvard. She enjoys hiking, building things, meeting people, and language learning.

Binura is CEPB’s expert in sustainability and is currently collaborating with the state of Ceará, Brazil to develop and implement its carbon neutral strategy.
Binura is a UNFCCC trained professional for GHG inventory development leading to climate mitigation planning and implementation. Binura has experience in leading a number of commercial Net Zero projects including the world’s first Net Zero apparel manufacturer, endorsed by the World’s Green Building Council (WGBC) facility and developed in Sri Lanka. In 2020, Binura won the DAAD grant awarded by the German government for upcoming youth leadership in developing countries in recognition his work in the sustainable engineering field in Sri Lanka. He is now pursuing postgraduate study in Renewable Energy in Germany.

Paul joined CEPB as board member in 2020 with a focus on growing CEPB’s fundraising and finance strategy. Professionally, Paul is an entrepreneur, engineer and chocolatier from MIT and is currently president of Dark Matter Chocolate selling chocolate to nerds. Paul studied Computer Science and Mechanical engineering at MIT in 2012 and has since worked at or founded startups in the Boston area. In his spare time, Paul mentors budding companies through MIT Sandbox, hikes, cooks, and reads.

Farhana Khan formerly directed CEPB’s research. She now serves as an adviser to the group, contributing expertise based on her education and experience, and builds connections and momentum around issues impacting communities in Bangladesh and Myanmar. Previously, Farhana worked as a software engineer at Conduit, with prior roles at the Yunus Centre and Grameen Bank. Farhana earned her bachelor’s degree from MIT, where she studied anthropology and computer science, and also holds a master’s in computer science.

Adam joined CEPB as a board member in 2018. Adam’s experience leading advocacy campaigns and managing larger institutional projects have helped CEPB to develop and implement strategic long-term plans. Professionally, Adam works to develop new technologies that improve energy efficiency in his role as a Project Manager with the U.S. Department of Energy. He has over ten years of experience in climate and clean energy advocacy and previously served as the executive coordinator of SustainUS. Adam received his Master’s in City Planning degree from MIT and received his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Urban Studies from Washington University. Adam loves running, hiking, potluck dinners, and learning.

Thomas Delgado co-founded the Center for Environmental Peacebuilding and advises the organization on strategic and technical issues. Thomas studied computer science and philosophy at MIT and has used his coding knowledge to consult for social media based advertising strategy and build an affordable community organizing platform. He has advised CEPB from its earliest stages.