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Laura Blake has more than 20 years of experience in leading scientific programs and research in the environmental science and policy domain. She has deep expertise in surface water quality restoration and protection and has spent her career designing and implementing scientific studies to support efforts to protect human health and aquatic environments. She has significant knowledge of Clean Water Act rules and regulations and has extensive experience supporting federal and state regulatory programs with implementation of and compliance with the federal Clean Water Act.

Dr. James White, a registered nurse and Collaborative Specialist in Global Health (CSGH), is a senior health specialist with a focus on infectious disease and global health security (GHS). He has over 20 years of experience that includes delivery of emergency response programs in emergency and fragile settings, pandemic preparedness and response, health systems strengthening, and public-private collaboration for GHS. White has worked in more than 20 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America assisting in both acute outbreak response and preparation for health emergencies. He also represents Abt as a technical expert on external GHS and pandemic preparedness working groups. His clients have included the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Kingdom’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and the Canadian International Development Association (CIDA) (now Global Affairs Canada).

Dr. LaToria Whitehead is an accomplished thought leader working at the intersection of public health, environmental justice, and environmental sustainability, with nearly 20 years of experience working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and, most recently in an interim role at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, Office of Environmental Justice.  Dr. Whitehead championed the modernization and updated execution of existing federal-level initiatives for the revision of the 2022 HHS Environmental Justice Strategy and Implementation plan, providing new and innovative approaches to guide the actions and strategies for 11 HHS operating divisions, including— but not limited to— the CDC, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and Administration for Children and Families.

René Nutter is the U.S. Food Security & Agriculture Client Account Lead. She has more than two decades of experience helping further food security and education in women and children. From studies with Yale, Harvard, and the Gates Foundation to a long and successful partnership with the USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), she has led large data collection studies and evaluations, provided technical assistance, and helped train the next generation of researchers.

Ellen Bomasang is a global development professional whose focus has been clean energy, climate, and inclusive growth across emerging economies in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Bomasang’s more than 25 years of experience have earned her recognition as a thought leader in clean energy and gender equality and social inclusion (GESI). She has led GESI-related interventions around the themes of women’s and girls’ leadership, male allyship, women’s economic empowerment, GBV prevention and response in energy/infrastructure projects, and building diverse, respectful workplaces.

Joe Donahue is an environmental policy specialist and portfolio manager with more than 15 years of experience supporting governments in developing and implementing policies and programs focused on climate change, clean energy, ozone layer protection, and solid waste management. His work spans both domestic and international programs and initiatives. Technical areas of expertise include climate change mitigation strategies; international capacity building; greenhouse gas quantification methods; short-lived climate pollutants, especially methane, black carbon, and hydrofluorocarbons; and clean energy policies.

Amanda Quintana is a global environmental health professional with over seven years of experience in international health and development, program management, and implementation. Currently, Amanda is pursuing her Ph.D. in climate resilient health systems at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), where she looks at the implementation of climate adaptation policy for health in South Africa. She has experience supporting international agencies, government partners, civil society, and country decision-makers around the world on global health activities and climate and health research priorities.

Mariandrea Chamorro has 20 years of experience managing international development programs. She has provided oversight for the high-quality and compliant execution of large flagship USAID programs while contributing to business development. Chamorro’s areas of expertise include prevention of vector-borne diseases, infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and health systems strengthening. Her clients have included the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). 

Dr. Lisa McDonald is a natural resource economist with more than 25 years of experience in environmental compliance and policy.  She has led the development of both economic impact tools used to evaluate large investment decisions and conceptual models to evaluate benefits of restoration projects. Dr. McDonald also has led or completed several socioeconomic and environmental justice impact analyses for various projects, including evaluating changes in land use policies, watershed management studies, restoration projects, and energy and infrastructure development. She often applies various economic analysis techniques in these studies, including economic impact analysis, benefit-cost analysis, financial modeling, and market and non-market valuation.

Daniel Peniston is a Climate Adaptation and Resilience Specialist at Abt Global, where he provides technical support in adaptation, resilience, and climate change. He has experience in adaptation, climate policy, nature-based solutions, responsible forest management, ecosystem services, sustainable supply chains, political economy, urban sustainability, air pollution, and supporting Indigenous-led forestry and climate programs.