Orville Grey is the Head of Secretariat for the NAP Global Network, which is hosted by IISD.

Orville leads a multidisciplinary team of adaptation experts based around the world, working to expand the Network’s reach, respond to the needs of country partners, and be a leading voice for adaptation planning in global policy processes.

Orville has 20 years of combined experience in climate change adaptation and environmental planning, science, and policy work. In his previous roles as a Regional Manager (Caribbean) and Adaptation Planning Specialist at the Green Climate Fund (GCF), he coordinated the development and implementation of various program strategies, the technical review of adaptation planning proposals, and the active engagement with developing countries, including those most vulnerable to climate change—especially Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. Prior to the GCF, he was a lead negotiator on climate change adaptation for the Alliance of Small Island States, where he was involved in the critical negotiations that led to the Paris Agreement. He also served on the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with climate change impacts.

David is a multilingual project coordinator with international project management and research experience in the field of climate change adaptation and sustainable development. He is currently responsible for coordinating the activities of the National Adaptation Plan Global Network spanning more than 50 countries, supporting developing countries to make progress on national climate change adaptation planning and action.

As a part-time photographer, he believes that visual art has its place in the policy arena. Through his work at IISD, he has explored creative ways to reach and mobilize policy-makers through climate art and visual storytelling. By creating curated exhibitions and exchanges, recent projects have facilitated dialogues between policy-makers and vulnerable communities in Ghana and Kenya.

Christian Ledwell is the knowledge manager of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, responsible for documenting and sharing knowledge about the lessons and results of the Network’s activities, tracking the latest analysis related to adaptation planning, and promoting a knowledge-sharing and learning culture within the NAP Global Network Secretariat. He also supports strategy and partnership building. 

Christian has over 10 years of experience in policy and communication roles. Prior to joining IISD, he held positions with the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Canada, the non-partisan environmental organization GreenPAC, and the Commonwealth Secretariat’s program on economic and climate change policy in small states.

Vanessa is a program assistant with IISD’s Resilience program.  

Prior to joining IISD, Vanessa worked as an administrator in the field of sustainable waste management in Toronto and a program support officer for the International Organization for Migration’s Thailand country office.  

Vanessa holds a graduate certificate in international development project management from Humber College and an honours bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Toronto. She is fluent in English and at an intermediate level in both Portuguese and French.