Alex Franco is Project Manager for C40’s Ports & Shipping Team. He manages stakeholder engagement, policy development and day-to-day coordination for the Green Shipping Corridors workstream.
Alex is a public health advocate and joined C40 from the Environmental Defense Fund where he supported science aimed at reducing disparities in air pollution exposure and maximizing climate benefits. His experience spans a wide range across community engagement, PFAS exposure, GHG accounting, geospatial analysis and air quality science.
Alex holds an MPH in Environmental Health Sciences from UC Berkeley and a BS in Health and Human Sciences from Loyola Marymount University.
Alisa is Director of C40’s Ports and Shipping programme, working to connect port cities, ports, and related public and private sector stakeholders in sharing knowledge and developing and implementing policies and solutions that improve public health and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from ports and supply chains. Alisa has extensive experience working with engineering consultancies, power utilities, technology companies, and government agencies in the energy and maritime sectors.
Previously, Alisa championed and managed a port efficiency programme for the US Department of Energy’s Better Communities Alliance and supported the technical and advisory teams on the 2050 Masterplan for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Alisa also spent a part of her career in Southeast and South Asia with an international electric utility, where she was responsible for leadership, project direction, business planning and development of critical power and infrastructure projects.
She is also a co-founder of SolarSkyrise, a clean technology company that tackles the emissions challenge of large buildings and transforms the value of urban renewables.
Alisa holds a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from Boston University and an Executive Master in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California.
Amanda Ikert (“Mandy”) serves as Head of Adaptation Implementation at C40. In this position she is responsible for supporting cities as they work to meet their climate change adaptation and water management goals.
Before taking on this role, Mandy served as the City Director for Jakarta at C40 where she worked closely with the Governor and regional government of Jakarta to identify, develop and implement programmes and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Before joining C40, Mandy was a city planner in New York, serving in both NYC’s City Planning and Parks and Recreation departments.
She has a research background in urban and architectural history as well as international environmental programming, including projects with the Asia Foundation and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Mandy holds a Master of City Planning and a Master of Science in Architectural Studies from MIT and a BA in History from Wesleyan University.
Brian Farrelly is a Helpdesk Technician in C40’s New York City office, reporting directly to the IT Manager. In this role, he addresses the tech support needs of C40 team members by managing incoming helpdesk tickets, facilitating IT training sessions and serving as an on-site and remote support resource. Prior to joining the team at C40, Brian was an IT Support Specialist at Todd Street Productions, a marketing communications and event production company based in New York City. In this position, he was responsible for assisting staff and freelance members with their IT inquiries, new machine deployments and providing on-site support for corporate events and sales meetings. Before his position at Todd Street, Brian was in a similar IT support role at MJM Creative, which is a subsidiary of WPP, a British multinational advertising and public relations company. Brian graduated from the State University of New York, Albany with a BA in English.
Catherine Ittner is Programme Manager for C40’s Zero Emission Freight programme, working to help cities overcome barriers to electrifying and decarbonising the freight sector.
Catherine brings nearly a decade of environmental experience to the role, with several years at Environmental Defense Fund covering a wide range of areas including clean energy, clean air and transport. Catherine led strategic communications for the Breathe London pilot, an ambitious project to map and measure the capital city’s air pollution in partnership with C40, the Mayor of London, Google and scientific experts. Her work also contributed to the passing of congestion pricing in New York City and Illinois’ groundbreaking Future Energy Jobs Act. Most recently, Catherine worked to transform maritime shipping into a clean, zero-emission industry that supports the deployment of renewable energy and reduces the current disproportionate health burden caused by air pollution.
Originally from Houston, Catherine has lived in Buenos Aires, Austin and London and now resides in New York City. She has a BA in International Studies and Sociology from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a PRINCE2 Practitioner certification.
Chris serves as Information and Knowledge Systems Manager at C40, where he aids in the development and maintenance of knowledge management platforms for the sharing of research, case studies, and best practices to foster C40’s mission. Chris began at C40 in 2013 as a contractor to assist the launch of the C40 Exchange, a knowledge-sharing portal and community for member city officials and C40 staff. He has also managed C40’s contact systems, which aim to improve member support and outreach. Prior to C40, Chris was Vice President of a family-run writing and publishing company that focused on producing biographies for business executives, and worked on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for a market specialist. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Richmond, with a Finance concentration and added major in Economics.
Chris ‘Schmo’ Schmalz serves as C40’s IT Manager. This role is responsible for the internal information technology operations of the global organization. Primary areas of focus include managing support channels, implementing technology projects, monitoring systems and managing internal policies and processes. Prior to starting with C40, Chris worked for nearly seven years for Apple with a focus on account management and business sales to large organizations and not-for-profits. Chris has an extensive technology support background having worked for integrators and service providers before his career with Apple. Chris earned a BA in History from DePauw University in Greencastle Indiana.
Claire is Head of the City Finance Programme, a global initiative that supports investment in green infrastructure and adaptation projects.
Daniel Samuels serves as Knowledge Platforms Lead at C40 in the Climate Finance, Knowledge and Partnerships team. In this position, he is responsible for the development and overall management of C40’s knowledge platforms and data, including C40’s primary public knowledge-sharing platform, The C40 Knowledge Hub. In this role, he is also responsible for mapping C40’s data across its systems. Prior to this, Daniel was a Project Analyst with the Clinton Foundation working on the C40-CCI (Clinton Climate Initiative) team, where he helped the first CCI intranet. Daniel came to the Clinton Foundation after spending 8 months in Ghana working for the Kokrobitey Institute, a sciences, arts and humanities school, that promotes cultural understanding, community service and sustainable development. Daniel holds a Bachelor in Economics and Social Sciences from Sydney University, Australia.
Emily is C40’s Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Partnerships & Insights. In this role, she is responsible for developing and executing priority communications campaigns, growing C40’s partner portfolio, supporting the development of data-driven communications, and building the brand with a global audience.
Prior to joining C40, Emily worked at George Washington University, where she managed creative projects for university-wide initiatives and events. Before joining GW, Emily was the Marketing Manager at American Forests, a longstanding conservation organization that creates healthy and resilient forests across the U.S. In this role, she managed communications across various digital channels and worked with internal and external partners to build support for American Forests’ work.
Emily holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Strategic Communication from Ohio University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus on Nonprofit Management from George Washington University.
Emily serves as the Climate Solutions & Networks Team Officer where she manages the overall Climate Solutions & Networks team coordination. In this role, she supports and tracks communication and knowledge materials for the team. Before this position, Emily worked as the Communications & Events Intern for C40 where she has provided logistical and administrative support for the Global Youth and Mayors Forum, collected and organized content for the new c40.org, and collaborated on technical working groups.
Prior to joining the C40 team, Emily earned her Master’s degree at Columbia University in the Climate and Society program studying the intersection of climate science and communication. As a graduate research assistant, she worked for the Columbia World Projects, ACToday Senegal, to research the effects of climate variability and change on food security. Before graduate school, she worked in Angers, France with the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) and spent two summers interning with the United States Forest Service. Emily has a BA in Global and International Studies with a focus in human rights and a BS in French and Francophone Studies.
Gabriel Lewenstein serves as Senior Manager for North American Communications and Public Affairs at C40. In this capacity, he works with mayors and cities to use communications tools to advance climate action. This includes liaising with mayoral communications teams, identifying opportunities for action and leadership, and highlighting case studies and stories on climate leadership by cities.
Before joining C40, Gabriel worked in city and state government, serving as Chief of Staff to a state legislator, where he managed a legislative portfolio addressing environmental issues, criminal justice reform, and LGBTQ rights. Prior to that, Gabriel worked at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, coordinating with cities around the globe to highlight and advance the creation of sustainable cities.
Gabriel graduated from Tufts University with a degree in International Relations and a focus on urban environmental issues. He is passionate about creating sustainable, equitable, and vibrant cities. In his spare time, he enjoys puns, board games, and baking, and has a lifelong passion for elephants.
Gloriela is the C40 Manager of US Health, Climate, and Equity. In this role, she collaborates with six US cities working on initiatives at the intersection of public health, climate change, and social equity to facilitate peer learning and co-create public-facing deliverables to amplify implementation lessons.
Before joining C40, she co-led and co-designed evaluations of social service programs and provided technical assistance to improve service delivery for low-income people at MDRC as a qualitative social policy researcher. Her work experience covers multiple institutions, including public housing authorities, community colleges, financial counselling centres, and philanthropic organizations. She also served as the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advocacy Council Chair working with organizational leadership and employees to set and advance goals towards improved workplace practices and equity-centred research methods.
Gloriela has a degree from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor in Public Policy with a focus on Environmental Justice and Health Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Outside work, she loves dancing, practising yoga and mindfulness, walking in nature with friends and family, and being anywhere in her beloved Puerto Rico.
Helen leads the technical assistance part of C40’s Air Quality Program and works on deploying projects within cities in the areas of air quality monitoring, health impact assessment, air quality modelling, data analysis and policy development. Prior to this role, Helen led the Empowering Cities with Data Programme to support city governments to a) insitutionalise and transform their data management processes and systems and b) collect criticial data needed to develop and implement targeted policies across all sectors. She joined C40 in 2016 on the Research, Measurement & Planning team and previously worked on climate change, energy and transport policy at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). She holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London and a BSc in Natural Sciences from University College London.
Idan Sasson is a Senior Manager for the C40 x GCoM Joint Program, where he is focused on the Subnational Climate Action Leadership Exchange (SCALE). Prior to joining C40, Idan was responsible for global urban climate finance programs at CDP and the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance, advancing climate infrastructure projects towards implementation at scale.
Idan has worked extensively with cities around the world on urban sustainability and resilience issues, having worked at Rebuild by Design – 100 Resilient Cities, and the New York City Department of Park and Recreation on strategies for inclusive community and stakeholder engagement to address climate-related challenges. Idan holds a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in Environment and Development and a B.A. from NYU’s Gallatin School in Sustainable Urban Development.
Irma Carranza serves as Regional Officer. In this position, she provides administrative support to the Director of Initiatives and Regions, the Regional Director of Latin America, and the Regional Director of North America. Before joining C40 Cities, Irma was a partner in the City of Santa Monica’s Cradle to Career Initiative looking at and measuring youth well being. Prior to this, she worked at the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy as an organiser working to bring good jobs into underserved communities. Prior to LAANE, she worked over ten years in several clerical and administrative support roles with the City of Santa Monica, including serving the Civil Engineering and Architecture Division staff. Irma attended Santa Monica College and Los Angeles Trade-Tech.
Iyad Kheirbek is the Director of Air Quality at C40 Cities, where he oversees the organisation’s global Air Quality Program and Ports and Shipping Program. He brings more than two decades of experience in environmental policy, public health, and urban sustainability, with a focus on translating science into action to deliver urban climate and clean air solutions. He leads a team of global experts who design and implement policy and partnership programs that help cities advance climate and public health initiatives worldwide.
Iyad has led the establishment and growth of C40’s clean air and ports and shipping decarbonization portfolios, including the C40 Air Quality Network, the Breathe Cities partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Clean Air Fund, and C40’s efforts to advance green shipping corridors. These initiatives now assist more than 50 cities, helping them reduce major public health burdens while accelerating the emissions reductions needed to meet global climate goals.
Before joining C40, Iyad directed major air quality initiatives at the New York City Department of Health, where he led the United States’ largest ongoing urban air monitoring network and helped shape policies that significantly improved citywide air quality. His work contributed to regulations on heating oil emissions and commercial cooking operations, the development of sectoral climate action plans, updates to the citywide air pollution control code, and supported the city’s sustainable transportation agendas. He received the agency’s Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to environmental health.
Iyad holds a BA from Tufts University in Chemistry and Environmental Science and an MS in Environmental Health from the University of Washington.
Jacqueline serves as Manager, Regions & Mayoral Engagement. Prior to joining C40, Jacqueline worked with the International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) Office of the Permanent Observer to the United Nations. At IRENA, she became well acquainted with the UN System while also conducting research on renewable electricity access in Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries.
Jacqueline holds an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS, University of London. There, she specialised in economic development and the energy transition in North Africa. In London, Jacqueline worked with SUFINDA (Sustainable Finance Data) to research climate change technologies in the Nationally Determined Contributions of countries in the Global South.
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Julie Ciardullo is the Director, Multilevel Partnerships for the Joint Program Strategy, where she is responsible for driving strategic development and implementation. Before joining C40, Julie spent 10 years working for the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, where she was most recently appointed the Director of Climate Resilience. Before that, she was a Senior Policy Advisor and the Director of the Office of the C40 Chair during Mayor Eric Garcetti’s term as Chair of C40.
Julie began her career as an attorney, practising corporate law at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP in New York City, and later, served as a fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from UCLA.
Kate Johnson serves as the Regional Director for North America leading C40’s work with cities in Canada and the United States. She joined C40 in 2022 and previously led C40’s engagement with the US government and national partners. Kate is based in Washington, DC.
Prior to joining C40, Kate served for eight years at the Washington D.C. Department of Energy and Environment where she led an interdisciplinary team charged with achieving D.C.s goal to be carbon neutral and climate resilient.
Prior to her government service, Kate worked for the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy where she launched a program focused on affordable housing and helped to create the City Energy Efficiency Scorecard. Earlier in her career, Kate held a variety of roles advocating for national climate policy at the Sierra Club and Environment America. Kate holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.