Meet our team

 
 

CORE TEAM

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MAYA SOETORO

Co-Founder & Senior Advisor

Maya serves as a consultant to the Obama Foundation, working closely with their international team to develop programming in the Pacific-Asia region. Prior to her work with the Obama Foundation, she was the Director of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where, in addition to leading outreach and development initiatives, she also taught Leadership for Social Change, History of Peace Movements, Peace Education, and Conflict Management for Educators. She was awarded a master’s degree in Secondary Education from NYU's College of Education and a PhD in Multicultural Education from the University of Hawaiʻi. For many years, she worked at the University of Hawaiʻi College of Education where she taught Multicultural Education, Social Studies Methods, and Peace Education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Maya has published a number of book contributions as well as a picture book entitled Ladder to the Moon and is currently under contract to write a Young Adult novel entitled Yellowwood. Maya sits on many voluntary boards and is the co-founder of the nonprofit Ceeds of Peace, which creates peacebuilding action plan workshops for educators, families and community leaders.

 

MAXINE BURKETT

Co-Founder

Maxine is a Professor of Law at the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi and a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. An international expert on the law and policy of climate change, she has presented her work in diverse areas of climate law throughout the United States and in West Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. Her work has been cited in numerous news and policy outlets, including BBC Radio, the New York Times, and Nature Climate Change. From 2009-2012, Maxine also served as the inaugural Director of the Center for Island Climate Adaptation and Policy. Maxine received her B.A. from Williams College and Exeter College, Oxford University, and received her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a member of the boards of The Climate Museum, ELAW, Global Greengrants Fund, and the Blue Planet Foundation.  She also serves as is a member scholar of the Center for Progressive Reform, the American Law Institute, and as the Co-Rapporteur of the International Law Association’s Sea Level Rise Committee.

 
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ZELDA KELLER

Executive Director

Zelda is a peace and conflict transformation specialist. Her other area of expertise is in the political realm, where she has been part of local, state, and presidential campaign teams. Zelda has also traveled, researched, and worked extensively on peacebuilding initiatives in the Pacific-Asia region, most recently as a fellow at the East-West Center. She received her B.A. in Peace Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi, a certificate in Asia Pacific Leadership from the East-West Center, and she is an alumna of the national service program, AmeriCorps VISTA. In addition to her work with the Institute for Climate and Peace, Zelda is a consultant on the Obama Foundation’s international team.

 

KEALOHA FOX

Senior Advisor

Kealoha is an Obama Leader: Asia Pacific with the Obama Foundation. She is a state of Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commissioner (HRS § 225P-3) and serves as a member of numerous boards including the Hawaiʻi Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Task Force (HRS § 225P-4). She received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the John A. Burns School of Medicine and has trained for half her life in traditional practices including ho‘oponopono. Kealoha is co-author of Mana Lāhui Kānaka, focusing on indigenous resilience. She works as the Native Hawaiian Liaison at AlohaCare.

 
 

ELSA BARRON

Analyst

Elsa Barron is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a double major in biology and peace studies. She currently works as a program assistant at the D.C.-based think tank, the Center for Climate and Security and as an organizer with the Midwestern interfaith environmental organization, Faith in Place. She is passionate about environmental peacebuilding, and is the co-chair of the Young Professionals Interest Group at the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. She is also the host of the environmental peacebuilding podcast, Olive Shoot. Through research, activism, podcasting, and writing, Elsa is always seeking out hope in the midst of the climate crisis. Her writing has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Hill, among others. Her climate activism has been featured in Rolling Stone, Inside Climate News, and Kal Penn Approves this Message.

 

HAILEY MARLEAU

Analyst

Hailey Marleau is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto, where she studied Peace and Conflict Studies, and Ethics and Law. She has several years of experience in marketing, PR, and digital strategy, and hopes to apply these skills to uplifting the visibility of climate justice movements and organizations. Hailey is passionate about the intersection between climate change, social movements, and media coverage, and the role that policy that can play in supporting frontline community climate resilience. Her role at ICP centers around communications and digital strategy; she is also a Fellow at Grand Challenges Canada.

 
 
 
 

NINA ADARKAR

Analyst

Nina is the oldest of three sisters from the San Francisco Bay Area, and loves camping, swimming, yoga, and playing the guitar. She graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in Environmental Systems & Society from University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) in June 2021. She’s spent the past year driving boats in Lake Arrowhead, working in an herbal medicine garden in Oregon, and teaching English in Sardinia, Italy. Summer of 2020, she served as a Communications Intern for ICP and is very excited to return as a Program Analyst. Within the world of sustainability, she is particularly passionate about food sovereignty, regenerative agriculture, and access to the outdoors and green spaces. She is looking forward to advancing climate justice and positive peacebuilding with ICP. 

 

MIRIAM PELLEGRINO

Analyst

Miriam is a recent Smith College graduate hailing from Tucson, AZ. She is passionate about systems thinking, human-centered design thinking, ontological design, and applied ethics. Miriam’s professional and academic background is rooted in practical design, ethics, and aesthetics. She is fortunate to employ all these areas in her work at ICP in regard to the pressing issues of climate justice and peacebuilding. Miriam is continually inspired by both the tenacious love and the cutting-edge, systems thinking that the whole ICP team brings to this essential work. 

 

BELLA PUCKER

Apprentice

Bella is a senior at Middlebury College in Vermont. She is majoring in Environmental Studies with a focus in Psychology, known as a Conservation Psychology major. Bella has just completed her thesis titled “A Consideration of Residents of Hawai’i’s Decisions to Remain or Retreat.” Bella is passionate about climate migration, environmental justice, and the behavioral science aspects of environmental communication and decision-making. Bella is originally from Massachusetts and is planning to move to Washington, D.C. once she graduates!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

HEALANI GOO

Apprentice

Originally from Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Healani Goo is a recent graduate of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, with a B.A in Psychology, and is currently pursuing a Certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies from the Matsunaga Institute. During the Spring 2022 semester, Healani completed her student practicum/internship with ICP and is excited to continue her journey working and learning alongside this team, while engaging with ICP’s meaningful work. She is passionate about climate justice, peacebuilding, and humanitarian work, with interests in gender, biodiversity, and well-being.

 

DANYELLE KAWAMURA

Apprentice

Danyelle Kawamura is a recent graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Business and Sustainability. She is passionate about non-profit organizational work ultimately driven by a desire to serve and give back to the community to which she belongs - that is, the Pasifika community. Born on the island of Kaua‘i, her motivation is rooted in giving back to those whose resiliency and strength have enabled her to exist today and foster the excellence and longevity of the Native Hawaiian community. She hopes to promote grassroots activism and sustainable development in the face of climate change and social inequalities. 

 

ALESSA LEWIS

Apprentice

Alessa Lewis is a senior at Dartmouth College, from London, England. She is studying geography and human centered design and is passionate about the use of liberatory design thinking to bring together and put into practice the knowledge of frontline communities. After a workshop with ICP on her study program on O‘ahu she was eager to learn more, and is now so excited to be contributing as part of the team! ICPs identity-centered approach to climate justice and mission for building resilience across borders deeply resonates with Alessa, and she hopes to carry forward this model for change in her senior thesis on environmental wellbeing in Black communities in England, and in her future career.

 

KATIE WATERS

Apprentice

Katie Waters is a senior at Middlebury College in Vermont majoring in International and Global Studies. During her time with EPA, she was particularly inspired by her work with environmental justice legislation.  In the fall, she will be finishing her undergraduate studies in French Polynesia conducting environmental justice research. Upon graduation, Katie hopes to continue this work with frontline coastal and island communities.

 

KAREN RODRIGUEZ

Apprentice

Karen Rodriguez is from Jalisco, Mexico but currently lives in East Los Angeles. She is an incoming sophomore at Stanford University and am planning on majoring in Geophysics with a minor in Environmental Justice. Her interests include traditional ecological knowledge and helping indigenous communities in Mexico receive more resources toward equitable seismic infrastructure. She also loves all the "-ologies" -- volcanology, meteorology, you name it!

 

SABRINA WONG

Apprentice

Sabrina Wong is from Toronto, Ontario and currently studies at Victoria College in the University of Toronto. She is majoring in Earth & Environmental Systems and Economics and is interested in the intersection between science and the social sciences. In particular, Sabrina is passionate about the impact of climate change on communities, as well as economic aspects of climate change and issues related to gender and youth. She is excited to work on projects pertaining to these topics during her time with ICP!

 

JO DINE

Apprentice

Jo is completing her final year at Hamilton College, where she is studying Public Policy and Philosophy. She is from Manhattan and is hoping to work in the future in urban and environmental planning with a focus on building community resilience to climate change and gentrification. She has appreciated her time with ICP working at the intersection of climate, racial, and Indigenous justice.

 

ESME LEE

Apprentice

Esme Lee is a sophomore at Dartmouth College. Passionate about the humanities, Esme is studying Asian Societies, Cultures and Languages with a concentration in Mandarin, as well as Comparative Literature and Physics. An aspiring public defender, she hopes to engage in non-profit organizational work as well as promote grassroots activism to inform and deeply understand the communities and change-makers she hopes to serve and work alongside. Finding meaning and resonance in the ICP’s intersectional mission and methodology for change, Esme has a deep passion for climate justice to promote a safer, healthier Earth and ensure the safety and security of disadvantaged communities that are at particular risk to climate change.

 
 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

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MAHINA PAISHON-DUARTE

Senior Advisor

Mahina Paishon-Duarte is co-founder and managing partner of Waiwai Collective, a regenerative urban oasis, a kīpuka, for creatively growing community, culture, and commerce. As a social entrepreneur who has also led several educational and cultural organizations, her vision and mission are one and the same––to catalyze positive, lasting change for Hawaiʻi in one generation. Most notably, Mahina is the founding executive director of Paepae o Heʻeia, the first modern Hawaiian fishpond that created ground-breaking ʻāina-based education programming for students from preschool through post-doctoral levels  . She gained public sector experience as a policy program manager with NOAAs Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, as well as head of school for both Hālau Kū Māna and Kanu o ka ʻĀina public charter schools. Additionally, Mahina is deeply committed to honing her cultural practice and does so at various traditional schools and wahi pana including Nā Kālai Waʻa, Hālau o ke ʻAʻaliʻi Kū Makani and at Heʻeia fishpond. Mahina holds degrees from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, and Hawaiʻi Pacific University; she also serves on the boards of Kahilu Theatre Foundation, the Oʻahu Economic Development Board, Friends of ʻIolani Palace, and the Trust for Public Land.

 
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AUBREY YEE

Dr. Aubrey Yee is a futurist, systems thinker, and passionate advocate for positive social transformation in Hawaiʻi. With Hawaiʻi Leadership Forum, Aubrey is in charge of support for and development of the Forum of Fellows network. She also actively coaches Fellows who want to create scalable impact initiatives and innovative collaborative efforts.

 
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GRETCHEN ALTHER

Gretchen is an international educator with a passion for helping communities positively impact the future. She is a Senior Leadership Development Specialist at the East-West Center in Honolulu and works with leaders from across the Pacific-Asia region. Gretchen is also an occasional consultant with the EarthWatch Institute and facilitates sustainability leadership program for global corporations. She earned an M.A. from Brandeis University, postgraduate certificates in leadership and peacebuilding from the East-West Center and Chulalongkorn University, respectively, and a B.A. from Texas A&M University.

 
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JOSÈ BARZOLA

José Barzola as a passion for creating social change through nonviolence, nurturing relationships that transcend cultural barriers, and focusing on issues of diversity, identity and multiculturalism. He is a highly organized administrator with over 15 years of experience and success in higher education administration, student development within academic and student affairs. José aspires to continue to develop his skills as a peacebuilder and to strengthen his knowledge on the power of nonviolence.

 
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JUNO FITZPATRICK

Juno Fitzpatrick is Conservation International's (CI) Center for Ocean's Program Manager in Social Responsibility, where she works to lead CI's global effort to address human rights violations in the fishing industry. With a background in development and political ecology, Juno previously worked in international development in remote and hostile environments. Juno was previously based in the Niger Delta working at the intersection of conservation, human rights and corporate social responsibility in the oil sector with the United States Conflict and Stabilization Operation (USCSO) and the International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED).

 
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SEKITA GRANT

Sekita Grant is an environmental policy and social justice strategist and consultant. Sekita worked as the Policy and Impact Strategy manager for Emerson Elemental where she helped to catalyze new approaches to scaling environmental and social good through their Environmental Equity team. She worked to make energy and climate policies in California equitable and beneficial to communities of color. She came to Greenlining from Business for Social Responsibility where she worked as a climate and energy sustainability consultant to large corporations. Prior to that, Sekita worked as a policy advisor at the California Energy Commission in Sacramento as lead advisor to the chair on climate, transportation, and legal matters.

 
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UJAY SIDDHARTH

Ujay is a consultant and research analyst with a specific focus on environmental planning. He holds a B.A. in Architecture and Geography from Middlebury College and spent his formative years here at home in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. His areas of expertise include urban forestry, storm-resilient infrastructure planning, and environmental research. Ujay is also currently employed at the City and County of Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resiliency and works continually to bring the intersection of climate and peace to the forefront of the conversation on today’s “climate crisis.”

 
 

LILLY SASSE

Lilly wears many hats in the political and non profit arena. She spend the majority of her time as the campaign director for a statewide voting rights and democracy reform campaign in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has additional experience managing candidate and issue advocacy campaigns, strategic planning and project managing for non-profits, and graphic design. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities with a B.A. in political science and minor in Mandarin that provided many unique opportunities for study abroad and travel. While living and going to school in Hawaiʻi in 2019, Lilly was connected with the Institute for Climate and Peace as the organization’s second intern and has since grown into her role as the Intern Program Manager and supports strategic planning and day-to-day operations and project management. Lilly firmly believes that in order to create a brighter future for all of us, we must protect our planet and fully realize a thriving, multiracial democracy that includes us all. She’s excited to bring these values into her work now and wherever that takes her in the future.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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MAYA SOETORO

Maya serves as a consultant to the Obama Foundation, working closely with their international team to develop programming in the Pacific-Asia region. Prior to her work with the Obama Foundation, she was the Director of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where, in addition to leading outreach and development initiatives, she also taught Leadership for Social Change, History of Peace Movements, Peace Education, and Conflict Management for Educators. She was awarded a master’s degree in Secondary Education from NYU's College of Education and a PhD in Multicultural Education from the University of Hawaiʻi. For many years, she worked at the University of Hawaiʻi College of Education where she taught Multicultural Education, Social Studies Methods, and Peace Education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Maya has published a number of book contributions as well as a picture book entitled Ladder to the Moon and is currently under contract to write a Young Adult novel entitled Yellowwood. Maya sits on many voluntary boards and is the co-founder of the nonprofit Ceeds of Peace, which creates peacebuilding action plan workshops for educators, families and community leaders.

 
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AMANDA ELLIS

Amanda is the Executive Director for Hawaiʻi and the Asia Pacific at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability. She is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the East West Center. Until March 2016 Ms. Ellis served as New Zealand’s Head of Mission and Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva and the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to Francophone Africa. Throughout her extensive career, she has served as Deputy Secretary of International Development of the New Zealand Aid Programme, Lead Specialist in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Group at the World Bank Group, founded the International Finance Corporation’s gender program, and served in senior executive roles at Westpac Banking Corporation in Australia, including as Head of Women’s Markets and National Manager Women in Business.

 
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PATRICIA HALAGAO

Dr. Patricia Espiritu Halagao is Professor and Chair of the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). Her scholarship focuses on culturally and responsive pedagogy and policy, specifically on Filipino K-12 curriculum.  A former Oakland Public School teacher, she has taught at all K-12 levels of education.  Dr. Halagao has developed nationally recognized curricula for the Smithsonian Institution and has received several federal and state grants, including her current work is a Co-PI for UHM Multilingual Multicultural Strategic Initiative. She served on the education advisory team for Hōkūle‘a’s and Hikianalia canoes’ Worldwide Voyage to foster educational transformation and to malama honua – care for our earth.  Dr. Halagao served on the Hawaiʻi State Board of Education (2013-2016), championing equity and cultural diversity and spearheaded the development of two Board policies establishing multilingualism and the Seal of Biliteracy in schools. She is the recipient of the University of Hawaii’s Board of Regent’s Medal for Excellence in Teaching and the Filipina Women’s Network 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World Award.