Expertise: Passive Cooling

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.

Xiaoyi Jin

Xiaoyi Jin joined ClimateWorks in 2018 and serves as a Program Manager for the Clean Cooling Collaborative (CCC). She manages CCC’s portfolio activities on passive cooling and access to cooling and co-leads exploratory work on sustainable agriculture cold chain. Prior to ClimateWorks, Xiaoyi was a Program Associate at The Asia Foundation where she supported the Foundation’s annual planning and budget process and researched on international development aids to Advanced Middle-Income Countries (AMICs) in Asia. Xiaoyi holds a Master of Development Practice degree from UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources and a BA in English from Shantou University in China.

Axum Teferra

Axum Teferra is Senior Associate Director of the Clean Cooling Collaborative at ClimateWorks Foundation. She brings over a decade of experience in climate and energy policy, strategic planning, and program implementation.

Prior to joining ClimateWorks, Axum spent several years overseeing efficiency, renewable energy and electrification programs in state and regional government. Most recently, she was on the climate team at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, where she launched the agency’s first building-sector decarbonization strategy. Axum previously worked as Clean Energy Planner at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council of Greater Boston, producing energy-reduction plans and advising cities on various sustainability solutions, including clean heating and cooling technologies. She also served as an Industry and Innovation Support Consultant at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, where she facilitated international cleantech partnerships.

She holds a BS in Environmental Conservation from Texas Tech University and an MA in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University.