Lauren Risi

Senior Fellow & Director, Environmental Security Program
Stimson Center

Lauren Risi directs the Environmental Security Program at the Stimson Center. She brings deep expertise in translating complex environmental security risks into actionable insights for policymakers, with a track record of building cross-sectoral partnerships to advance environmental resilience and peace. She previously led the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Wilson Center, where she spent nearly two decades convening policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and industry on strategies to build resilience and stability in a warming world. Lauren is a widely respected voice on climate security and serves as Vice President of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. She is also the managing editor of New Security Beat, a long-running blog that explores emerging threats and innovative responses at the nexus of environment, population, health, and security.

She holds an MA from the University for Peace in Costa Rica, and a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Kelsey Coolidge

Director of Environmental Peacebuilding
Jubitz Family Foundation

Kelsey would be an excellent addition to the board of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association because she combines strategic leadership, field-building experience, research expertise, and a strong commitment to advancing the practice of environmental peacebuilding. Since early 2025, Kelsey has actively engaged environmental peacebuilding scholars, practitioners, funders, and activists through approximately fifteen interviews and multiple focus groups to better understand the field’s challenges, opportunities, and future direction. This work informed grantmaking strategies, funding priorities, and broader efforts to strengthen the field. Her work reflects a deep understanding of environmental peacebuilding as an integrated approach that connects climate, environmental, peace, and security concerns. In her writing, Kelsey emphasizes that peace cannot be built without considering environmental and climate realities, and that environmental challenges cannot be addressed without attention to peace and security. Kelsey is also an active network builder. She regularly participates in environmental peacebuilding communities of practice, engages climate and environmental funders, contributes to policy and communications initiatives, and works to bring peace and security perspectives into environmental philanthropy. She has helped shape conversations on conflict-sensitive approaches, anti-militarist and pro-peace narratives, and the future of the field. Beyond convening and strategy, Kelsey contributes to the intellectual development of environmental peacebuilding. She has led writing projects and contributed to grantmaking frameworks Her combination of practical experience, commitment to decolonial and justice-oriented approaches, engagement with global networks, and dedication to strengthening environmental peacebuilding as a field would make her a thoughtful, collaborative, and highly effective board member for the Environmental Peacebuilding Association.

Sushil Raj

Executive Director, Rights and Communities
Wildlife Conservation Society

I am a member of EnPAx and would like to express my interest in the Director position. I have had the privilege of participating in the last two Environmental Peacebuilding Conferences in The Hague and in Ottawa. These provided me with an opportunity to learn about the network, engage with other peacebuilders, and contribute through sessions and roundtables. I am a trained and practicing mediator with the New York Peace Institute and have served on their Board of Directors for the last 5 years. In the past I undertook fellowships in conflict prevention and preventive diplomacy as a senior UN staff and worked with UN Peace Envoys in addressing various conflicts around the world. In my current position as the Executive Director of the Rights and Communities Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society I am actively engaged in bringing conflict sensitivity into conservation programming, as well as developing partnerships with peacebuilding organizations to address legacy and conflict issues within site-based conservation. I am keenly interested in committing  to the role and responsibilities of a Director position with EnPAx. In particular I would like to continue building on the great work that EnPAx has undertaken through the years and also support the theme of Indigenous Peacebuilding, among other topics.  Thank you for the consideration. Sushil Raj

Ken Conca

Professor emeritus
American University

I am a professor emeritus of Environment, Development and Health at American University (Washington); a longstanding teacher and researcher in the field of environmental peacebuilding; and a founding member of EnPAx who helped launch the Education Interest Group. I am currently completing my first term as a member of the board. During that time, I have chaired the board’s membership committee, with a particular focus on strengthening our 12 Interest Groups (IGs). Efforts I have led or undertaken include holding meetings among IG chairs to share best practices and lessons learned around leadership, communications, and group coherence; developing a codified list of duties and expectations for chairs, ratified by the EnPAx board; holding orientation sessions for newly elected chairs; improving communication between the board and the IGs; and improving and standardizing the end-of-year reporting from IGs that goes into the EnPAx annual report. The IGs are a key opportunity to enrich members’ experience and make a difference in the world; we need to keep working to ensure that each IG realizes its full potential. More broadly, my core commitments as a director have been and will remain inclusiveness, transparency, and working to build the institutional, financial, and communications capacity of the organization as we round out the first decade of our existence.

Najib Umer Hussen

Lecturer and Researcher
Oda Bultum University

I am seeking to serve as Africa Regional Director of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx) because my academic career is deeply committed to integrating natural resource management into conflict prevention, mitigation, and community resilience across Africa.

As an Ethiopian academician with multidisciplinary expertise in Environmental Science and Development Studies, I hold an MA in Development Studies (Economics of Development) from Erasmus University Rotterdam and a second MA from Addis Ababa University. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at Oda Bultum University, I lead problem-oriented research and community mobilization.

Throughout my career, I have seen how deeply African environmental challenges are interconnected with livelihoods, natural-resource governance, poverty, inequality, and community resilience. My own published research directly addresses these dimensions in Ethiopia—focusing on community-based and participatory forest management, livelihood diversification, small-scale irrigation performance, and solid waste management. My broader interests span climate change, food security, and gender equality. I believe environmental peacebuilding provides the vital platform we need to bring these elements together and promote locally grounded, evidence-based solutions.

If elected, I will contribute an African academic perspective and practical experience from Ethiopia, while actively advancing EnPAx's core pillars across our region:

• Knowledge Exchange: Strengthening research-to-practice connections, sharing regional data, and highlighting localized policy best practices.
• Capacity Building: Utilizing my background in university lecturing and community training to empower regional practitioners.
• Inclusive Networking: Fostering vibrant interactions that connect African scholars, decision-makers, and youth across disciplines and career stages.

I would be deeply honored to contribute my experience, leadership, and regional commitment to EnPAx as Africa Regional Director.

Sarah Njeri

Lecturer
SOAS University of London

I am honoured to seek a second term as EnPAx’s Africa representative. During my first term, I have worked to strengthen the visibility of African scholarship, practice, and leadership within the Association. I seek re-election to build on this work and help ensure that environmental peacebuilding is shaped by diverse African experiences, priorities, and knowledge systems.

I am a peace and conflict scholar and practitioner with more than 20 years’ experience in post-conflict peacebuilding, humanitarian disarmament, advocacy, and development across Africa. My research focuses on the Greater Horn of Africa, with extensive experience in Somaliland, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, alongside engagements in Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, South Sudan, and Kenya, where I was born.

My work examines the connections between explosive remnants of war, post-conflict recovery, development, climate change, and environmental peacebuilding. It combines empirical, interdisciplinary research with policy and practice, foregrounding the knowledge and priorities of conflict-affected communities. My contribution to EnPAx’s knowledge community was recently recognised through the Association’s award for advancing knowledge. I remain engaged with the humanitarian disarmament and mine action sectors through research, advocacy, and policy work. I am also a trustee of REVIVE and the Conflict and Environment Observatory, (CEOBS) and teach humanitarianism, Political Ecology of Development at SOAS, University of London.

If re-elected, I will:

• Support the development of the 2028 EnPAx conference in Nairobi as an African-led and globally connected platform, with African perspectives central to its programme.
• Strengthen the Africa Interest Group as a space for collaboration, knowledge exchange, capacity-building, and African-led research and practice.
• Support and mentor early-career researchers working on climate security and environmental peacebuilding in Africa and broadly.
• Build partnerships among African researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and civil-society organisations, translating research into policy and practical impact.

I will also continue supporting the Transitional Justice Interest Group and bring a critical, inclusive, and decolonial perspective to the Board. I would be pleased to build on my first term and continue advancing Africa’s leadership in environmental peacebuilding.

Van Fernand MUGISHA

Ceo
Eco Spark Energy

I am honored to stand as a candidate for Africa Regional Director of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx). I am a finance and accounting professional, entrepreneur, and environmental peacebuilding advocate from Burundi, with a strong commitment to locally led solutions for environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and community development.

Through Eco Spark Energy, I am developing sustainable charcoal from coconut waste and sawdust, turning locally available waste into a cleaner energy solution while creating opportunities for youth and communities. In parallel, as Secretary General of Youth Center for Impact, I have supported initiatives focused on environmental restoration, youth leadership, climate resilience, and peacebuilding. My professional background in finance and accounting also gives me experience in financial management, organizational development, and accountability.

I am particularly interested in strengthening the connection between environmental action, livelihoods, youth engagement, and peacebuilding in Africa. I believe that environmental peacebuilding must be grounded in local realities and that African practitioners, researchers, young professionals, and community leaders should have a stronger voice in shaping the field.

If elected, I will work to strengthen EnPAx's engagement across Africa by facilitating knowledge exchange, encouraging collaboration among members, expanding opportunities for young professionals, and promoting greater participation from underrepresented communities. I would also seek to connect EnPAx's global network with locally led initiatives and emerging environmental peacebuilding practitioners across the continent.

I am committed to serving with integrity, inclusiveness, accountability, and dedication. I would be honored to contribute my African perspective, professional experience, entrepreneurial background, and commitment to sustainable peace to EnPAx's Board of Directors.

Adams Gibrine

Officer, Technical Service Division
Ghana Maritime Authority

I am pleased to nominate myself for the position of African Regional Director of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. As a Ghanaian public servant and active member of the Association, I bring both practical experience and deep commitment to this role.

I currently serve as an Officer in the Technical Services Division of the Ghana Maritime Authority, where my work centres on maritime safety and environmental protection, a role that has given me firsthand insight into how environmental governance, regulatory frameworks, and regional cooperation intersect in practice. This experience has shaped my understanding of the operational realities facing environmental and resource management institutions across Africa.

My academic background; a Master of Arts in Economic Policy Management, an MSc in Information Technology for Management, a BSc in Marketing and an International Diploma in Logistics and Transport has equipped me with a multidisciplinary lens for addressing complex environmental and policy challenges. I have further deepened my expertise through specialized training, including Climate Governance and Negotiations Leadership with the Africa Group of Negotiators, Law, Policy and Science in Environmental Peacebuilding with the Geneva Water Hub, and programs addressing maritime pollution and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

I am deeply committed to this position because Africa urgently needs integrated, cross-sectoral approaches that connect climate action, natural resource governance, and peacebuilding. Fragile ecosystems and contested resources are too often flashpoints for conflict; effective governance and inclusive dialogue can instead make them foundations for cooperation and stability.

As African Regional Director, I would draw on my leadership experience, policy expertise, and strong analytical and communication skills to strengthen regional networks, foster collaboration among members and partner institutions, and help translate the Association's mission into tangible impact across the continent. I welcome the opportunity to serve and contribute to this important work.

Paula Gutierrez Martinez

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Associate
Global Green Growth Institute

Paula brings more than 15 years of experience in international development across Latin America and Africa, with deep expertise in differential, gender, and human rights approaches applied to climate action, green transitions, and sustainable development. She specializes in designing and implementing inclusive stakeholder engagement plans and methodologies that bridge civil society, public, and private sectors. As a trained facilitator, she is passionate about fostering dialogue and participatory processes, with particular interest in intercultural knowledge exchange.

Currently a member of EnPAx's Board of Directors, Paula has contributed to the drafting of EnPAx reports and to harmonizing the association's Interest Group (IG) reporting, strengthening consistency and coherence across the organization's collective work.

She would be glad to continue serving on the Board, further strengthening ties between regions — particularly Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) — and deepening the intercultural collaboration at the heart of EnPAx's mission.

Natalia Jiménez Galindo

Lawyer
Independent Consultant

As a founding member of EnPAx, I have had the privilege of witnessing the Association's evolution from its early stages into a vibrant global community advancing environmental peacebuilding. Throughout this journey, I have served in a variety of roles, contributing to the Association's growth through leadership, collaboration, and knowledge exchange. I have participated as a panelist in the last three conferences and as part of the Secretariat for the most recent one. Currently, I serve as Co-Chair of the Gender Interest Group, where we co-manage the Knowledge Platform on Gender, Natural Resources and Peace and co-lead the development of an Ethics of Care framework for environmental peacebuilding. These experiences have given me a deep understanding of EnPAx's structure, mission, its strengths, and the opportunities ahead.

I’m an environmental lawyer with more than 15 years of experience, originally from and currently living in Latin America. I have worked at the intersection of biodiversity conservation, extractive industries, gender, anti-corruption, and the rule of law, supporting governments, international organizations, civil society, the private sector, and local communities in addressing complex socio-environmental challenges.

I’m seeking the opportunity to serve as Director for Latin America & the Caribbean because I believe the region has much to contribute to—and gain from—the global environmental peacebuilding community. If elected, I will promote cross-regional collaboration and knowledge exchange, and expand partnerships with organizations in the region to strengthen the engagement of more Latin American members. The first step taken in this regard has been to spearhead the promotion of Colombia as the host of the 6th EnPAx International Conference.

I also see an opportunity to help EnPAx integrate emerging priorities—such as social norms and corruption—into its strategic agenda, ensuring that our work continues to address the complex and evolving drivers of environmental conflict.