Meet Us

FOUNDERS

PAMELA EA
CO-FOUNDER
CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Pamela EA

Pamela is a documentary photographer and visual storyteller, who has built a body of visual work and organizations around climate justice and gender equality.

Pamela has integrated design thinking from her product design and photography education at Parsons in New York, creative journalism from her MA Photojournalism at UAL: LCC, to synthesize compelling stories from the frontlines and encourage climate optimism in others.

VALENTIN ABEND
CO-FOUNDER
PROJECT DIRECTOR

Valentin Abend1

Valentin is an architect and university teacher. His work focuses on integrating climate knowledge into design systems, and documenting the evolving language of climate change.

Valentin studied architecture in England and Switzerland, and has worked for Herzog & de Meuron in Basel and SO – IL in New York, as well as led the design stages for collaborative projects under Studio Abend. He has been a project coordinator for various climate justice movements since 2019. He currently teaches Sustainable Systems at Parsons School of Design in New York.

OUR TEAM

ZAHRA SAIFEE
WRITER

Pamela EA2 3

Zahra is a climate words writer and advocate. She thinks about climate change daily, finds hope in the people she meets in the movement, and loves to find the intersections in all justice related work. She is based in Boston, though originally from sunny, red-rock southern Utah where she spent a majority of her time outside. She studied environmental policy and communications in college and currently works in the offshore wind energy sector to build a more equitable workforce.

LinkedIn
HERO Mobilizer

SORAH PARK
WRITER

Pamela EA2 4

Sorah is a climate writer and fashion model with a focus on supporting sustainable and equitable initiatives. As a writer, Sorah is committed to making climate education accessible and digestible through her writing. She believes that informative climate communication paves the path for action-oriented solutions to the climate crisis. Based in Brooklyn, Sorah studied Environmental Science at Barnard College and is currently completing the NYSERDA Climate Justice Fellowship.

LinkedIn
HERO Mobilizer

REBECCA GERNY
CLIMATE BOOKS COORDINATOR

Rebecca Gerny

Rebecca is a storyteller and organizer from the Bay Area, California with experience working in grassroots agroecology, women's empowerment, public health, antitrust and immigration. With degrees in Global and Performance Studies from UC Berkeley, she dedicates her time toward integrating storytelling and arts methodologies within social justice advocacy, particularly in the pursuit of migrant and climate justice.

LinkedIn
HERO Mobilizer

ESTELLE NGOUMTSA
RESEARCHER

Estelle Ngoumtsa

Estelle is a researcher and aspiring impact filmmaker from Cardiff, Wales. She has a background in climate science and an intimate relationship with nature. Estelle is currently working in the wildlife and conservation documentary industry and is hoping to unveil the reality of climate injustice by creating emotion-driven compelling content and advocating for change.

LinkedIn
HERO Mobilizer

CATARINA ABEND
PROJECT COORDINATOR

Catarina1

Catarina is a sustainability advisor with a background in circular economy and sustainable materials. She has experience developing sustainability strategies and supporting climate groups, primarily in New York. She is committed to protecting nature, learning about ecosystems, and helping companies reduce their environmental impact through education and sustainability initiatives.

RACHEL BUSTAMANTE
RESEARCHER

Rachel Bustamante

Rachel is an ocean policy analyst specialising in intersectional research for ocean and marine biodiversity protection, with a focus on shark conservation and plastic pollution. Rooted in the profound connection between humanity and the ocean, her work promotes holistic and ethical solutions to advance justice and care for people and our blue planet. Featured in PLOS Biology and Sustainability, she holds a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Maryland.

LinkedIn
HERO Mobilizer

MELISSA BURRELL
WRITER

Melissa

Melissa's background in water rights, frontline community support, direct action, and environmental policy have laid the foundation for her passion in climate justice. She focuses her time on sacrifice zones and advocating against extractive industries, mostly through the platform of 350.org and the Water Protector Movement. Melissa is based in Denver, Colorado. Apart from climate work, she loves to hike and trail run in the mountains, and spend time with animals.

LinkedIn
HERO Mobilizer

OLUWATONA CAMPBELL
NEWSLETTER COORDINATOR

Oluwatona Campbell

Oluwatona is a Brooklyn-based climate writer and communications strategist. Oluwatona is a graduate of NYU's Gallatin School, and a 2020 Harry S. Truman Scholar for public service. Before joining Climate Words, they were a political organiser with the Sunrise Movement. Along with their climate work, Oluwatona is a beekeeper in training.

HAILEY BASIOUNY
FACT-CHECKER

Hailey Basiouny

Infatuated with both language and the natural environment from an early age, Hailey is a climate communicator/writer/researcher passionate about the power of story in cultivating and sustaining transformative climate justice. A recent Columbia Climate School MA graduate, she has led research and communications projects with Urban Ocean Lab, the Climate Imaginations Network, and Time for Better to support positive, creative climate communications initiatives. A catalyst and a collaborator, she is thrilled to advance climate literacy and frontline community knowledge with Climate Words.

WHITLEY MIKE
OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Whitley is a designer and art director with a dedication to supporting projects that blend art, science and language. Whitley holds a Masters in Sustainable Design, and holds a communications degree focusing on debate and persuasion. Her unique education and background has developed into a holistic systems thinking approach to team building and story-telling. Whitley also has a passion for cetacean conservation, and consciously travels to observe marine life, and contributes to the dialogue around sustainable ecotourism.

RANI YASMINE PUTRI
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Rani Johan Poezevara

Rani is an Indonesian-born type and graphic designer. After obtaining her Master’s in Type Design at ECAL/École cantonale d’art de Lausanne in 2019 and Bachelor in Graphic Design at School of Visual Arts New York, she joined Ghent-based graphic design studio Terrain for 4 years. Her practice explores the interaction between established systems with rule-bending playfulness, through research and conception of type design, publications, and identities.

DAVID LOY
IGRAPHIC DESIGNER

David Johan Poezevara

David is a graphic designer. After graduating from ECAL/École cantonale d'art de Lausanne in 2018, he has been a teaching assistant for Hong Kong Design Institute, design intern for Zak Group, and graphic designer for Pentagram. His practice explores graphical systems through various fields including identities, publications, and digital design. Rani and David work together as a design studio, Orb.

MOLLY NEMER
VIDEOGRAPHER

Molly Nemer

Molly is an audio and visual multimedia artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Currently employed as a video editor and director, Molly centers storytelling and connectivity at the heart of her practice. A recent MA in Sustainable Design and a complementary background in anthropology influence her deep appreciation for nuance in climate, cultural, and environmental communications.

JULIA HYMAN
EVENTS COORDINATOR

Julia H

Julia is a producer and avid traveller with experience working in music, sports, and arts nonprofits. She believes in the power of community and storytelling to create change. Based in New York, she studied Urban Studies and Human Rights at Barnard College and is interested in the intersection between urban planning and sustainable spaces.

MEGAN SNAITH
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Megan S

Megan is a media researcher and aspiring environmental journalist. Based in London, she studied History and English Literature at the University of Oxford where she also worked in climate communications. She is passionate about the role of storytelling in bringing about an environmentally sustainable world and is excited to be using social media to advance climate literacy.

FINN DOES
EDUCATION ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR

Finn Does

Finn is an organizer, environmental justice educator, and climate communicator focused on harnessing eco-psychology to transform environmental communications, ecologies, and educations. He’s concerned with preparing communities to re-, un-, and co-learn strategies for climate adaptation. Finn co-chaired the Bay Area Youth Climate Summit, curating mutual aid workshops with California students. Currently, he co-leads a cross-institution cohort examining how intersectionality shapes youths' eco-emotions. Finn is majoring in Society & Environment at UC Berkeley.

MICHEALA CHAN
RESEARCHER

Micheala

Micheala is a UK-based civil engineer specialising in water and resilience, with roots in East and South East Asia. Inspired by the adaptability of nature and the mutual aid demonstrated by communities in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, she is committed to empowering communities to drive positive change at local and global scales. Micheala actively volunteers in the youth policymaking and international development spaces to achieve this objective.

NAKIA RANDLE
WRITER

Nakia Randle Profile Climate Words

Nakia is a passionate advocate for Indigenous sovereignty and the restoration of ancestral relationships with lands and waters. She is from the Māori nations of Ngāti Kahu and Te Paatu in the north of Aotearoa New Zealand. Nakia trained as a barrister and solicitor and has worked in the areas of climate resilience, renewable energy and Indigenous advocacy. Her work is guided by our kinship obligations to each other and our world. Nakia is currently residing in Vancouver.

DELPHI DRAKE-MUDEDE
RESEARCHER

Delphi Drake Mudede

Delphi is a Brooklyn-based climate researcher working for the economic policy team at Friends of the Earth US. In her role at Friends of the Earth she conducts qualitative research on International Financial Institutions and their investments in fossil fuels. She is a recent graduate of Occidental College where she studied Economics, Urban and Environmental Policy, Politics.

EXTERNAL COLLABORATORS

KASPER-FLORIO
DESIGN STUDIO

Kasper Florio

Kasper-Florio is an award-winning graphic design studio, founded by Larissa Kasper and Rosario Florio, based in St.Gallen, Switzerland. They co-run Jungle Books, an independent publishing house specialising in contemporary visual arts.

UNION UNION
WEBSITE PROGRAMMING

Union Union

Union Union creates visual communication and digital experiences. Founded in St. Gallen by Johannes Gruber and Patrick Stürcken, they produce concepts, code, graphic design and websites across the cultural spectrum.

MARTIN GROCH
ILLUSTRATION ARTIST

Martin Groch

Based in Brussels, Slovakian designer Martin Groch has a natural talent for combining type, image, and abstract forms. His expansive portfolio showcases beautifully crafted illustrations, exhibition identities, and experiments with deconstructed drawings, as well as vintage-inspired cartoons.

PAST COLLABORATORS

Marie Jacquemin, Anna Zhong, Maxine Touchette, Astrid Steegmans Guerrero, Lindsey Johnson, Hajar Chams Eddine, Chaja Levy, Rhythima Shinde, Andrea Saucedo, Prerana Narahari

SUPPORT TEAM

Connor Haggerty

ADVISORS