Expertise: Climate Finance

Jessica Brown

Jessica Brown is an internationally recognized expert and policymaker with 20 years of experience working at the nexus of climate change, development, and poverty reduction in the global South. She has led policy, finance, grantmaking, research, and consulting activities for foundations, NGOs and the United States government.

At ClimateWorks, Jessica leads the Foundation’s work on climate adaptation and resilience. Previously, she spearheaded the justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion program as well as led the Clean Cooling Collaborative (formerly named Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program), a $60M+ global program to advance efficient, climate-friendly cooling for all.

Before joining ClimateWorks, Jessica was a foreign affairs officer at the U.S. State Department, where she led the international climate finance negotiations. She has also held various positions at the Overseas Development Institute, Climate Policy Initiative, and California Environmental Associates.

Examples of Jessica’s previous work include: designing equitable governance arrangements for bilateral and multilateral climate funds; leading efforts within the U.S. government to increase overall contributions to international climate aid, including the Obama Administration’s initial $3 billion pledge to the Green Climate Fund; managing the U.S.-Africa Clean Energy Finance Initiative; and field research on the social benefits of climate change programs and policies in India, Costa Rica, and Indonesia.

Jessica holds a Masters in International Development Studies from the London School of Economics, a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University’s School for International and Public Affairs, and a Bachelors in Political Science from Barnard College.

Alexander Fisher

Dr. Alexander “Alex” Fisher is the Program Director of Climate Ambition at ClimateWorks Foundation. Alex is an expert in global and grassroots climate action, climate finance, and energy transition, especially in China, Germany, India, and the European Union. He oversees work at the Regional Action on Climate Change Conference (RACC) and is the liaison person for the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Partnership.

Prior to joining ClimateWorks, Alex was the director for Sino-German Cooperation on Climate Change (SGCCC) at GIZ China. His portfolio included a variety of bilateral projects work in the field of climate change, low carbon development, carbon market mechanism, and non-CO2 emissions. Alex is an advisor for the Climate Governance Special Policy Study Group at the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). He previously was an advisor on international climate finance and climate initiatives at Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMUV). Alex was also commissioned by the Presidential Office of the Republic of Korea to help set up an international climate organization in Seoul.

Alex received his PhD in Economics at the Viadrina in Frankfurt and worked at the European University Viadrina in academic teaching and economic research. He has multiple publications in the field of macroeconomics.

Rebecca Fisher

Rebecca Fisher is the Drive Electric Program Director. She has almost a decade of experience in sustainable international development, climate finance, and electric vehicle technology and policy.

Before joining ClimateWorks, Rebecca worked on light-duty EV grant programs and policy development at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Prior to moving back to the west coast, Rebecca was a climate finance negotiator for the Obama Administration, representing the United States during the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals negotiations. She serves on the National Board of Directors of the Electric Auto Association, where she supports the Association’s mission to accelerate widespread adoption of EVs.

Rebecca holds a Master of Environment Economics and Sustainable International Development from Duke University and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Brandeis University.

Surabi Menon

Dr. Surabi Menon is a leading climate scientist with over 20 years of experience in the field of climate change and vice president of Global Intelligence at ClimateWorks Foundation. She has published over 60 peer-reviewed publications and co-authored the 2007 IPCC report that was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.

At ClimateWorks, Surabi’s work supports climate philanthropy by providing a global context for climate mitigation, identifying investment flows, funding gaps, and high-impact investment opportunities. She has helped to co-launch global consortiums such as Camda, a global community of over 30 organizations that seeks to support credible climate action in cities, states, businesses, and investors.

Surabi is currently a member of the advisory council of the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium, the Climate Leadership Initiative, the UN Emissions Gap Report, and the donor steering committee for the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency. She was a charter member of the U.S. EPA’s Science Advisory Board (2012-2018) and a former board director of the Global Buildings Performance Network and the Institute for Industrial Productivity.

Before joining ClimateWorks, Surabi was a staff scientist and leader of the Heat Island Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, California. She also started an environmental NGO in India in 2008. Surabi was a climate scientist at Columbia University and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. She has a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science and an MBA in Sustainable Management.