Meet Natalie!
Natalie is a skilled organizer, campaigner, facilitator, manager, and coordinator. In 2014, she founded Care About Climate, one of the only international youth climate advocacy organizations, and served as its Executive Director for 8 years. Youth from around the world have participated in Care About Climate’s programming to advocate for climate action in their home countries and internationally, and have significantly influenced conversations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COPs). In addition to starting a non-profit at 22, Natalie was the youngest woman to be elected to the Sierra Club’s Board of Directors at the age of 25. She has brought a new perspective to these large institutions, and has also been influenced by them as one of the top advocates and experts on international climate policy in the country.
In her career, Natalie has researched fuelwood use in Indonesia, the renewable energy sector in the midwest, and with networks such as the Climate Action Network - International, the United States Climate Action Network, and the Lower Mekong Network. She brings these experiences and more to her consulting work.
Natalie graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master’s in Development Practice and a Certificate in Collaborative Governance in 2015. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, Economics. and Law (PPEL), which she received in 2013 from UArizona.
Core Philosophies
Natalie believes in horizontal structures and developing cultures where individuals feel ownership of their work and of the direction of the organization. In her experience, this philosophy creates the best outcomes and centers people’s humanity and voices in the work. This does not mean that positions like Executive Director or Program Director are eliminated. However, it does mean that someone who is not in those roles can offer ideas and provide feedback to influence decisions those director-level individuals have, and they should feel safe doing so. Feedback should be met with curiosity rather than defense. Stakeholder engagement is not an option, but a requirement in decision making processes. For those privileged enough to be in leadership positions in an organization, they are there with the intention of creating an environment where others can be successful in doing their work to contribute to the greater mission of the organization. It is about building the power of the collective rather than the individual.
Equity is central to this work, and is not an afterthought. Natalie works to build spaces that are inclusive and center those most impacted so that they can bring their whole selves and stories to the conversation to be honored and considered. She focuses on designing processes that put everyone on a level playing field so the game can be played fairly in the first place, which means taking into account certain inherent benefits some members of a community may be already getting due to their position, race, class, gender, etc.