executive leadership
Kathy Baughman McLeod​
Chief Executive Officer
Kathy brings a record of executive leadership and impact for public, nonprofit, and private sector institutions including the Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center, Bank of America, The Nature Conservancy, and the Office of the State of Florida’s Chief Financial Officer.
Her recent proven success extends from global climate resilience policy, risk and adaptation financing, and nature-based climate solutions, to strategies to combat extreme heat.
She is a member of FEMA's National Advisory Council and was named by Reuters as one of 20 “Trailblazing Women in Climate for 2024.” She holds an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, an MS in Geography from Florida State University, and a certificate in Health Impact Assessment from the University of Liverpool.
Geraldine Henrich-Koenis
​Chief Communications Officer
Geraldine’s leadership in public and media relations, global communications, advocacy, branding, and crisis management for global, national, and local nonprofits has delivered tangible, lasting impacts.
Her work has benefited organizations including the Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center, Center for Reproductive Rights, The Nature Conservancy, and Families USA. Her mastery of communications strategically conveys the urgency and complexity of the impacts and solutions of extreme heat.
She holds an MA in International Development from the University of Amsterdam, a BA in Communications from George Mason University, and speaks English, Spanish, and Dutch.
Mary McBryde
Chief Program Officer
Mary’s achievements include working with nonprofit, philanthropic, and financial partners to mobilize investment and create innovative solutions that protect people and the planet from the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss.
She has furthered the missions of the Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center, Liquid Assets, Fidelity Foundation, Lyme Timber, and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and brings deep expertise in philanthropy, strategy and program development, nature-based climate solutions, and coalition-building.
Mary holds an MS in Forestry from the University of Washington and a BA from SMU.
staff
visala anNamalai
program MANAGER
Visala is a communications and development professional with experience in addressing critical issues at the intersection of human rights, climate, human mobility, and development. She brings a wealth of experience in project management, stakeholder engagement, and research for international organizations and nonprofits including UN Agencies such as the International Organization for Migration, and the International Labour Organization.
Most recently, she developed the Tuvalu Labour Migrants Reintegration Strategy 2022, looking at climate resilience, gender, and sustainability in the Pacific Islands' context.
She holds an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in the United States, an MA in human rights and democratization from Mahidol University in Thailand, and a double degree in law from the Tamil Nadu National Law University in India.
laurie goering
extreme heat editor
Laurie Goering is an award-winning climate change journalist and editor, with a passion for storytelling and working with frontline journalists across the world to develop other great climate change storytellers.
She created and for 14 years ran the Thomson Reuters Foundation's news website on the human impacts of a warming planet, recruiting and managing a team of Global South freelance writers in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America, many of them in the most climate-vulnerable parts of the globe.
Prior to coming to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Laurie was a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune newspaper based for 15 years in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, South Africa, India and the UK. She opened the first post-revolution U.S. newspaper bureau in Cuba in 2000 and covered the Second Gulf War in Iraq in 2003. She has written about and run coverage on a broad range of climate change issues for more than 20 years.
Eugenia kargbo
senior heat strategist, africa
Eugenia is CRA’s Senior Heat Strategist for Africa and Chief Heat Officer of Freetown, Sierra Leone. She leads CRA’s work to protect women and vulnerable communities in Freetown and West and East Africa with a focus on heat action planning and nature-based cooling. She was designated as Time Magazine’s 100 Next Most Influential people of 2022 and has been featured by the New York Times and other international publications for her work in Freetown.
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Her professional career started in the banking industry before serving as the Technical Lead for the Environment and Sanitation Department Freetown. Since 2021 to date, Freetown has made tremendous strides to reduce extreme heat by designing and implementing sustainable cooling initiatives to enable vulnerable communities and groups such as women to adapt to rising temperatures.
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Eugenia also served as a Co-lead for the #FreetownTheTreeTown campaign to plant, grow and digitally track 1 million trees in the city of Freetown to address the urgent risks of climate change, an initiative that has provided green jobs for over 2000 youth. She has also served as a data analyst for the Presidential Delivery Unit.
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She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Sierra Leone and a master’s degree in entrepreneurship from the University of Milan.
Allie Hollowell
Director of partnerships
Allie supports global strategic partnerships at Climate Resilience for All. A seasoned impact professional with 19 years of experience leading diverse teams worldwide, driving growth, and creating meaningful impact across multiple geographies and issue areas.
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Allie founded Elevate Impact Advisors, leading a consultancy dedicated to forging strategic partnerships, promoting catalytic capital, and bridging philanthropy, impact investing, and corporate social investment.
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She previously served as Executive Director of the Global Alliance of Impact Networks (GAIN), where she spearheaded collaboration among social investment networks spanning Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe and supported more than 1,100 social investors across 70 countries.
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She holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a BA in Communications from Villanova University.
Matt MCfarlane
general counsel
Matt McFarlane serves as the General Counsel for Climate Resilience for All. Based in Baltimore, Matt’s legal expertise stems from two decades of experience in dispute resolution, intellectual property, and organizational governance across a variety of fields.
He holds an ScB in Biochemistry from Brown University, a PhD in Molecular & Cellular Physiology from Stanford University Medical School, and a JD from Fordham University School of Law. Matt has advised and served on the boards of nonprofit organizations dedicated to environmental conservation, individual rights, access to justice, and the performing arts.
He currently serves as President of the Grass Foundation, where he furthers his commitment to advancing neuroscience education and research. His work reflects a consistent dedication to leveraging expertise and leadership to create lasting, positive change.
gloria ngumi
associate
Gloria supports operational development, grant reporting, and Gender Equity and Social Inclusion activities at Climate Resilience for All. A public interest lawyer, she has expertise in international trade, sustainability, and human rights law, with a focus on sustainable finance for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Her broader expertise includes sustainable finance for nature-based solutions, investment opportunities in developing countries, environmental governance in both the EU and U.S., WTO and international trade law, and public interest law.
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Gloria holds an LL.M. in International Trade Law from Georgetown University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law, and an LL.B. from the University of Nairobi.
kelechukwu iruoma
communications manager
Kelechukwu supports CRA's external communications efforts, leveraging his international experience and expertise to amplify our message globally.
He is a multi-award-winning environmental journalist and communications expert, bringing a wealth of experience in driving social change through impactful storytelling and strategic communications.
He has reported for outlets like NPR, Al Jazeera, Devex, Thomson Reuters Foundation, African Business Magazine, The Fish Site, TRT World, and several others.
Based in Nigeria, Kelechukwu has a strong background in international communications, having previously served as the Nigeria Representative for international environmental non-profits Wild Africa and WildAid. In this role, he developed and implemented effective communications campaigns that significantly increased awareness about pressing conservation issues.
He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in mass communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Arizona State University, respectively.