Secretariat and Management Team

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.

Anne Hammill is the Associate Vice-President, Resilience at IISD. In this role, she leads IISD’s work on climate change adaptation and the links between the environment, conflict, and peacebuilding. She also directs the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, for which IISD serves as the Secretariat. 

With a background in geography, Anne has over 20 years of experience addressing the social dimensions of environmental change. She works with governments and civil society organizations to put climate change adaptation at the centre of decision making—particularly through national adaptation planning processes. Most recently, she has been advising the government of Canada in developing its first-ever National Adaptation Strategy. She also focuses on how ecosystem management and resource governance can contribute to conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and was a founding board member of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. 

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.

Jo-Ellen Parry, Director, Adaptation (Canada) at IISD, undertakes research, analysis, engagement and management activities within IISD’s Resilience Program.

Building on more than ten years of experience in the field of climate change, Ms. Parry’s current work strives to build the capacity of communities and governments in Canada and developing countries to manage climate risks. This includes exploring ways in which to integrate adaptation into development processes at the national and community levels by designing and facilitating processes that bringing together science, policy and local experience, and by supporting the development of tools for decision-making that respond to user needs. Previously she has undertaken research on developing countries’ climate change adaptation actions, on how adaptation to climate change might be advanced through an international agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the potential role of market mechanisms in promoting greenhouse gas reductions, and community based natural resources management.

Alec Crawford is the Director of Nature for Resilience at IISD. Within this role, he oversees the Resilience Program’s work on nature, undertaking and supervising research, policy, and practice that aims to harness the role of nature-based solutions to protect biodiversity, adapt to the impacts of climate change, and promote peace.  

Since joining IISD in 2004, Alec’s work has focused on several core areas of sustainable development policy and practice. He works extensively on climate change adaptation through the NAP Global Network, through which he provides technical support, analysis, and guidance to governments on their National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes in several thematic areas, including private sector engagement, sectoral adaptation, and peace and conflict. Alec has led IISD’s work on Environment, Conflict and Peacebuilding, advancing research, policy, and practice on conflict-sensitive conservation, climate change and security, conflict resources, migration, and greening peacekeeping operations. He sits on the Board of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. For 7 years, he worked with the IISD-based Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) to support governments seeking to optimize the contributions of their mining sectors to sustainable development.  

Alec holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics. He is based in Toronto, Canada.  

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.

Angie Dazé has been working with IISD’s Resilience team since 2014. Her work focuses on policy and practice related to climate change adaptation, resilience, gender equality, and social inclusion. This includes analysis, guidance, and technical support for National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes through the NAP Global Network. In addition, she leads research projects exploring the gender dimensions of climate change adaptation in different contexts.

Past projects include the analysis and development of tools and guidance on different aspects of resilience, such as migration and conservation, ecosystem-based adaptation, and the role of financial services in supporting climate risk management. She has extensive experience facilitating training and learning processes. Angie’s past work includes positions with CARE International and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Anika is a Senior Policy Advisor and Lead with IISD’s Resilience program. Since joining IISD in 2014, Anika has undertaken research, policy analysis, and engagement activities in the field of climate change adaptation and resilience. Her focus areas include National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes, nature-based solutions (NbS), and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). Anika’s area of expertise consists of understanding the risks and opportunities that climate change and variability pose to developing countries and building the capacity of local communities as well as regional and national policy-makers to better manage those risks.

Anika’s most recent work consists of evaluating the links between climate change, biodiversity, and national policy processes that have been established under the four primary global agendas (the Paris Agreement, Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, Agenda 2030, and Sendai Framework). She is also supporting countries in recognizing the value and benefits of aligning these climate-relevant policy processes.

Anika is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Aurélie Ceinos is a senior policy advisor with IISD’s Resilience program. Her work focuses on gender equality and social inclusion and their intersections with climate change adaptation.

With over 10 years of experience as a climate change adaptation specialist in Ecuador and Mali, Aurélie has led the implementation of gender-transformative, locally led adaptation programs and worked with partners to support adaptation planning processes at international, national, and local levels. Since 2011, she has held several roles at CARE Climate Justice Center, including Climate Change Program Manager, Head of Latin American and Asia Program Unit, and most recently, Climate Adaptation Advisor. During her time at CARE, she also facilitated trainings on gender and climate change and gender-sensitive vulnerability analysis.

Aurélie has a master’s degree in management of not-for-profit organizations from EDHEC Business School in France and master-level training in Agro-ecology. She is fluent in French, English, and Spanish.

Blane Harvey is an Associate in IISD’s Resilience group. A senior research and program specialist with over 10 years’ experience in climate change and development, Blane has been an active contributor to the United Nations climate change negotiations process since 2003. His recent work has included research on how climate change knowledge is produced, validated and communicated, and how learning and knowledge sharing can support action on climate change in the global South.

While also working as an Assistant Professor at McGill University, Blane is currently exploring the role of social learning in response to climate change, and how community-based media can engage in action research, influence policy, and build resilience.

Cameron Hunter is a Policy Advisor with IISD’s Resilience Program. Their work with communities and governments in both Canada and developing countries focuses on climate change adaptation, gender equality, and social inclusion. This includes bringing together data, policy, and local experiences to support more inclusive and effective approaches to adaptation.

Cameron’s recent work includes the development of tools and guidance for municipalities in Canada to advance adaptation in their communities and exploring the gender and equity considerations in National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes through the NAP Global Network.

Cameron holds a Master of Science from the University of British Columbia in geography and a Bachelors of Science (Hons.) from the University of Winnipeg. His research interests include exploring and understanding spatial patterns of climate, data visualization, and how communities can better prepare for the impacts of climate change.

Chi Pham is a Peer Learning Officer with IISD’s Resilience team. Working primarily for the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, Chi coordinates the design, delivery, and monitoring of global and regional peer learning activities, contributing to the advancement of NAP processes via peer learning and support. She also researches peer learning methodologies and strategies, develops resources and tools, and facilitates the outreach and advocacy of peer learning initiatives. 

With a background in environmental and educational studies, she has worked in a multitude of disciplines, such as climate and environmental education, communications, policy-making, community building, and activism. 

Chi holds a master’s degree in educational studies from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor’s degree in environment and geography from McGill University. 

She is fluent in English and Vietnamese and is located in Montreal. 

Catherine Senecal is a Senior Operations Manager with IISD’s Resilience Program. Since 2016, she has contributed to the establishment and expansion of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, one of IISD’s flagship initiatives.

Catherine has a wealth of experience in the implementation of multi-year, multi-country initiatives, and is skilled in the management of bilateral funding for international development projects. Prior to joining IISD, she worked as a Professional Associate at the Brace Centre for Water Resources Management of McGill University where she contributed to water-focused projects in Brazil, Central Asia and the Caribbean region, addressing issues of integrated water resources management, climate change adaptation, climate change monitoring, water quality and habitat protection.

Deborah Murphy is a senior associate with over 20 years of professional experience as a policy analyst, technical expert and researcher on climate change, sustainable development and related issues. Much of her work has focused on climate change processes in developing countries, including the development of climate change action plans; low-carbon development strategies; adaptation plans; climate finance strategies; and monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) frameworks. Recently, Deborah worked as an in-country advisor in Kenya for six years, assisting the government with its climate policy and promoting climate-resilient agriculture through a credit enhancement pilot initiative that promoted microfinance institution lending to small-scale farmers and aggregators engaged in the production of cassava, sorghum, dairy and indigenous chicken.

Previous work includes research on international climate agreements, market mechanisms, mainstreaming climate change and climate-resilient agriculture. Deborah has extensive experience with capacity-building and institutional strengthening projects, including consulting assignments with the Canadian International Development Agency (currently Global Affairs Canada), Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada’s National Round Table on Environment and Economy, United Nations Development Programme, United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and NDC Partnership.

Edom is a Program Assistant - HR in IISD’s Resilience program. She has 10 years of working experience as a human resource (HR) professional with a strong background in HR management (including planning, recruitment and placement, transfer and promotion, staff benefits, performance management, and training and development). Edom has experience and knowledge in various HR information systems and holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in business administration and information from Addis Ababa University. 

Emilie Beauchamp is a lead on monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) with IISD’s Resilience program. She has 15 years of experience in MEL and research methods in environmental change and sustainability policy.

Emilie’s work focuses on policy and practices related to the design of MEL and evidence systems across the adaptation policy and planning cycles, including analysis, guidance, and technical support for the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes through the NAP Global Network. She also leads and contributes to research projects exploring pathways of change and the impact of climate, land use, and conservation interventions, using mixed approaches with a strong social inclusion lens.

Prior to IISD, she was a senior researcher and technical advisor at the International Institute for Environment and Development, where she provided leadership in MEL and research methods for assessing the effectiveness of development, climate, land, and environmental interventions. Her career path brought her to work in the field with local communities across Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, and West and East Africa.

Emilie holds a PhD from the Centre for Environmental Policy and Division of Biology at the Imperial College London and is a research affiliate at the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter. She is also the co-chair of the Race to Resilience’s Methodological Advisory Group and sits on the Trial Advice Panel of the UK Cabinet Office to provide technical evaluation support.

Ezra Campbell is a Senior Project Manager with IISD’s Resilience Program. She has over eight years of experience as a coordinator and consultant for various conservation and sustainable development projects in Grenada and the Eastern Caribbean. Prior to joining IISD she worked as a Conservation Project Assistant for The Nature Conservancy Eastern Caribbean Program where she supported projects that advance work in climate resilience, marine managed areas and marine spatial planning in the Eastern Caribbean. Ezra has wide-ranging experience working with projects commissioned and funded by both regional (Caribbean) and international donors such as the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, the Australian Agency for International Development, the German Development Bank (KfW), German Development Agency (GIZ) as well as Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Ezra also has extensive volunteer experience supporting community‐based organizations—farmers and fishers, in particular—with proposal writing, budgeting and general capacity-building initiatives.

Farzana Rahman is a project assistant with IISD’s Resilience Team, primarily supporting the NAP Country Support Hub. 

Farzana holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts in international development and environmental studies, and her skills and interests rest at the intersection of sustainable development and resource/land rights. Her previous experiences include working with environmental justice organizations in Southern Africa, as well as Global Affairs Canada’s Mozambique Program. Through these experiences, she brings professional competencies in project management support, knowledge management, proposal development, and research/report writing. 

Farzana is based in Toronto, Canada. 

Geneva is a policy analyst with IISD’s Resilience team and the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network. She conducts research and analysis to support developing countries in their adaptation planning and leads on the NAP Trends database.  

Prior to IISD, Geneva was a policy analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada, where she supported strategic policy and engagement on international climate and environmental files. She also has policy research, project management, and stakeholder engagement experience across academic, non-governmental, and public sectors, having worked at the McGill Office of Sustainability, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Sustainable Development Solutions Network Youth.  

Geneva holds a master’s degree in environmental sustainability from the University of Ottawa and a bachelor’s degree in international development and psychology from McGill University.  

Geneva is based in Ottawa and is fluent in English, French, and Mandarin.

Gloria Sengutuvan is a Senior Project and Country Support Hub Manager with IISD’s Resilience program.

Gloria brings accounting and administrative experience to the Resilience team, having worked in roles with Sage Lighting in Canada, as well as the  DBS Bank and Victory Harvest Church in Singapore.

Jeffrey is a policy advisor with IISD’s Resilience Program. Based in Vancouver, his work focuses on Ecosystem-based Adaptation, the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, and multilateral environmental negotiations related to climate change adaptation and biodiversity.

Jeffrey has over 5 years of experience in climate policy research and project management. He has represented environmental non-governmental organizations in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations since 2017. He has also participated in the Paris Agreement Work Programme negotiations on common timeframes, the Global Stocktake, and the transparency framework. In Canada, he worked on sustainable development policy research and advocacy and has experience engaging with all levels of government.

Jeffrey holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of British Columbia, specializing in global environmental politics and global health diplomacy. He holds professional certificates in project management and health emergency disaster risk management.

Julie joined IISD’s Resilience Program in 2010 and has been an active member of the Secretariat for the NAP Global Network since its inception in 2014. She co-leads the Network’s work on gender-responsive NAP processes and on monitoring and evaluation. In addition, she coordinates technical support programs for NAP processes in the Pacific region and Francophone Africa. Julie has extensive fieldwork experience, particularly in knowledge gathering among local partners through one-on-one interviews and the implementation of broader participatory processes, as well as identifying solutions that are owned by all development actors. Over the past 10 years, her work and main interests focus on social aspects of climate change adaptation, including the integration of local knowledge and gender issues. In March 2017, Julie was one of 18 winners selected by the Geneva Environment Network for promoting gender equality and the environment that year.

Prior to joining IISD, Julie worked as the Team Leader on Disaster Risk Reduction and Community Resilience with the Integrated Water and Hazard Management Programme for the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Nepal. She was also a consultant on adaptation to climate change for HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation, a foundation focused on cooperation and development.

Juliet is a communications manager with IISD’s Resilience Program.  

She is an editorial and communications specialist with over 15 years of experience in the global media and non-governmental sectors, particularly on issues related to climate change. Her previous roles include managing communications for the Executive Director of Greenpeace International and acting as Global Communications Lead for the CARE Climate Justice Center. Before moving into environmental communications, she held editorial roles with the BBC and CNN, working out of Singapore and Hong Kong.  

Juliet holds a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Goldsmiths College, University of London and a bachelor’s degree in theatre studies from Lancaster University. 

Adrian Estanol is a Communications Officer for the Resilience Program based in Saskatoon. His responsibilities include managing communications for the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network. 

He has a background in journalism, with 14 years of experience researching, writing, and producing multimedia content for organizations such as Fortune and CNN-Expansion in Mexico. Adrian holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the Carlos Septién García School of Journalism in Mexico. 

Kanwulia is a Program Financial Analyst with IISD’s Resilience Program. Prior to joining IISD, Kanwulia worked with the Royal Canadian Legion, Society for Family Health, and Deloitte, garnering a range of experience, including full-cycle accounting, auditing, reviews, consulting, and SAP implementation. 

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Jos and an MBA from Pittsburgh State University. 

Katharina Schmidt is a Policy Advisor for climate change adaptation in IISD’s Geneva office. She leads and supports the delivery of various projects on climate change adaptation, with a current focus on trade and human mobility. 

With experience in policy analysis and advisory work, program development, and project management, Katharina has worked in EU, UN, and bilateral development cooperation straddling climate adaptation, security, and migration. Most recently, she worked as an advisor in the GIZ programs Climate Services for Infrastructure Investment as well as Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change, where she was responsible for project implementation, liaising with government partners, and technical support for climate risk assessments. 

Katharina holds a master’s degree in international development studies from the University of Amsterdam and a bachelor’s degree in social anthropology from the University of Hamburg. 

Lama Abdellatif is a Senior Project Manager and proposal coordinator with IISD’s Resilience Program. Based in Sarnia, Ontario, Lama oversees the operational planning, monitoring, and implementation of projects, and contributes to budget development and contract management. She also helps manage these tasks at the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network.

Lama’s skills draw from previous experience in administrative and financial management with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) contractors overseas, as well as operational support at Transport Canada and FedEx Ground.

Maribel is a senior policy advisor, adaptation finance, with the NAP Global Network. She is a climate finance and adaptation specialist with over 20 years of experience in natural resource management, climate change adaptation, and climate finance. She has provided strategic guidance to public and private sector entities globally on mainstreaming climate change adaptation into their existing planning and budgeting processes and accessing and delivering climate finance. Maribel has extensive experience in bridging the gap between countries’ adaptation needs and potential climate finance sources. Demystifying the business case for investing in adaptation, supporting countries in structuring their climate adaptation financing strategies and plans, and helping them expand financial instruments for climate change adaptation are key features of her work.  

Maribel is fluent in Spanish, French, and English and is based in Montpellier, France. 

Mauricio Luna Rodríguez is a senior policy advisor with IISD’s Resilience Program. His work focuses on climate change adaptation, governance, and international policy for the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network.

Mauricio has over 15 years of experience working in sustainable development with international and non-governmental organizations as well as research institutions. Throughout his career, he has led climate change adaptation programs in collaboration with governments, civil society, and the private sector. He previously worked for the United Nations-mandated University for Peace and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Most recently, he was a senior regional advisor on climate change at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, where he supported the design and execution of climate policies in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Mauricio also has experience leading multi-level governance components of Ecosystem-based Adaptation initiatives, scaling-up nature-based solutions into policy frameworks and taking part in the processes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

With an interdisciplinary academic background, Mauricio has a master’s degree in environmental studies, specializing in climate change adaptation, as well as a post-graduate Licentiate degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in international relations. He is fluent in Spanish and English.

Michelle is a project manager with IISD’s Resilience program, supporting the National Adaptation Plan Global Network. 

Before joining IISD, Michelle was an international programs specialist at UNICEF Canada. Within this role, she managed a portfolio of grants and acted as the focal person for stakeholders and reporting. Her previous experience also includes serving as a program manager with Save the Children Canada and Plan Canada International, where she was responsible for designing project implementation and management plans, monitoring development, liaising with key country and government partners, and supporting financial planning and reporting. 

Michelle has a master’s degree in childhood studies from the University of Edinburgh and a postgraduate certificate in international project management from Humber College. She is based in Toronto. 

Nicole is a policy analyst with IISD's Resilience program. Based in Vancouver, she supports the team’s work in climate change adaptation and advancing equitable nature-based solutions.

Prior to joining IISD, Nicole worked as a research assistant at Simon Fraser University. She partnered with local municipalities on projects focused on urban resilience and green infrastructure to help inform planning and decision-making processes. Her previous experience also includes coordination for a network of environmental organizations, First Nations, academic institutions, and local governments.

She holds a Master of Science in environmental management and physical planning from Stockholm University and a Bachelor of Arts in geography with a focus on environment and sustainability from the University of British Columbia. Her primary research examined how to integrate social equity considerations into green infrastructure planning in the City of Vancouver.

Patrick Guerdat is a policy advisor with the IISD Resilience Program. His work focuses on the coordination of technical support on climate change adaptation, as well as policy research and analysis on resilience and National Adaptation Plan processes. This includes providing support to developing countries on how to measure and report on the progress made in reducing their vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change and how to better manage the risks posed to people, ecosystems, and the economy through monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems.

Patrick brings a strong background in risk and environmental project management to IISD, having previously worked at the United Nations Environment Programme and in the Indigenous Peoples and minorities section of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He has also worked as an independent cartographer and music educator.

Robin Montano is a project assistant with IISD’s Resilience team. 

He is experienced in project management, operations, and account management. Most recently, he worked as an economic development executive with the Sunday Market Network in Trinidad and Tobago. In this role, Robin successfully executed and completed a project that launched the organization’s Economics department, facilitated project meetings, and coordinated meetings with content writers and leadership for weekly updates. 

Robin holds an honour’s bachelor’s degree in economic development from the University of Toronto and is fluent in Spanish. 

Selina Nakarmi is a Project Assistant on the Resilience team, bringing significant experience with administrative support and project assistance. She is adept at overseeing the coordination of activities, maintaining documentation, and facilitating internal communications for the Resilience team. Selina holds an undergraduate degree in microbiology from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal. 

Shafaq Masud is a policy advisor with IISD’s Resilience program based in Ottawa, Canada. Her work focuses on monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and support for the NAP Global Network.

Shafaq has over 5 years of multi-donor reporting and MEL experience at the World Wide Fund for Nature, United Nations Development Program, and United Nations Habitat. Throughout her career in international development, she has also worked in project management, climate change policy, and research, incorporating a strong gender approach. Most recently, Shafaq worked as a monitoring and evaluation specialist at the Cooperative Development Foundation of Canada, where she designed and led MEL programs. 

She holds a PhD in environmental management and policy from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and was a scientific contributor at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, with a focus on climate change policy.

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.   

Veronica is a senior policy advisor with IISD’s Resilience program. Her work focuses on climate change adaptation, specifically in advancing nature-based climate solutions through capacity-building initiatives.

With over 10 years of experience in biodiversity conservation and international climate change policy, Veronica has held roles with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the Convention on Biological Diversity. She has also worked as a consultant with various United Nations agencies. Much of her work has focused on research and policy analysis on ecosystem-based adaptation and supporting partnerships to enhance synergistic implementation of the Rio Conventions. As an academic, she has worked across disciplines and ecosystems, from experimental coastal field ecology to participatory approaches for protected areas management.

Veronica has a joint Ph.D. in marine ecosystem health and conservation from the University of Bologna and the University of Ghent and a Master of Science in resource management and environmental studies from the University of British Columbia. Aside from her native English and Cantonese, she has knowledge of several languages from living in different European countries.