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Our People
2023
On your journey to become a Leader tomorrow.
Andres Sabo
(He/him)
Andres Sabo is a Venezuelan American passionate about financing climate resilience infrastructure projects for frontline communities in the Global South. Currently a Global Markets Sales Associate at MUFG in New York City, Andres covers major institutional corporate credit investors and strengthens his institution’s climate finance franchise by supporting SDG transactions and new climate financing platforms. At MUFG, he principally focuses on stakeholder engagement across Latin America with a diverse range of investors, including private and public sectors, philanthropies, DFIs, MDBs, and governments.
A graduate of Cornell University with dual Bachelor’s degrees in Policy Analysis & Management as well as Business, Andres was an active participant in the 2023 UN Water Conference and remains closely involved in the Future Climate Leaders Initiative at the Aspen Institute. With these experiences, Andres aims to guide and inspire the next generation of climate resilience leaders in development finance through the RYN Fellowship program.
Bodhi Patil
(He/Him)
Bodhi Patil is a young ocean climate solutionist passionate about the interconnection between Ocean Health and Human Health (OHHH). As the founder of Inner Light, co-creator of @oceanuprise, co-founder of Sea Dragon Studios – One World Breath, co-winner of the UN Oceans Conference Youth & Innovation Forum, and United Nations esteemed young leader, Bodhi supports young people to create impact at scale. He is a Youth Advisor for OnDeck Fisheries AI, World Ocean Day, and Break Free from Plastic Pollution. He is actively working on a Meaningful Youth Ocean-Climate Action strategy with various UN constituencies, UN Global Compact and youth partners. He is a second-year student in the BA + Masters of Management program at the University of British Columbia studying oceans, climate action, and business.
Finance Chair
Charles Aresty
(He/Him)
Charles is a recent graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he concentrated in Legal Studies & Business Ethics and Management. Currently based in New York City, he is working closely with two foundations focused on improving educational equity and opportunities. Charles’s passion stems from a belief that engaging and educating young people on climate change resilience will be pivotal for the next generation’s future.
Corey Wills
(They/Them)
Corey Wills is a hazard mitigation planner with Michael Baker International. They hold a dual masters degree in environmental studies and city planning from the University of Pennsylvania. They have been involved in resilience and adaptation projects ranging from conducting stakeholder outreach for the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan to co-designing a social vulnerability index to identify at-risk communities in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They are also deeply committed to local environmental justice projects. Their work in this sphere includes creating a GIS analysis of potential locations for urban food forests for food desert alleviation in Philadelphia and the design of food forests, urban gardens, and green stormwater infrastructure for West Philadelphia public schools. Ultimately, their professional goal is to leverage ethical, sustainable, and community-driven resilience planning to equitably address climate change impacts in the urban environment.W
Lauren Moore
(She/Her)
Lauren Moore is a second year Building Technology Masters student at MIT. Lauren received her Bachelor’s degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering in 2022 from Howard University. Moore’s current research focuses on lessening the energy burden on low-income communities. Aside from academia, Lauren has previous experience in general contracting project management and has remained steadfast in her commitment to serving communities through mentorship and volunteer involvement with organizations such as Green City Force, Habitat for Humanity, and Union City Food Bank.
Max Sano
(He/Him)
Max Sano is a climate advocate, multimedia storyteller, and food systems advocate. Born and raised in New York City, he decided to get involved in climate action at the age of 12 after living through Hurricane Sandy.
Max earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Government from Franklin and Marshall College and is currently pursuing a M.A. in Food Policy and Advocacy at New York University. Max is a Posse Scholar, Udall Scholar, Aspen Institute Future Climate Leader, World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and Riley’s Way Fellow.
Max is the founder, President and Lead Editor of Greenzine, a 501c3 organization with the mission to provide mentorship and publishing opportunities for emerging climate changemakers, storytellers, and leaders. Max has been published on numerous outlets and acknowledged by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization for his narrative-driven report on the resilience of family farms in rural Pennsylvania during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Michael Martello, PhD
(He/Him)
Michael Martello is a civil engineer actively solving problems at the intersection of infrastructure, climate change, and economics. His primary area of expertise is flood risk assessment for transit infrastructure (i.e., figuring out how transit tunnels flood and what ends up getting damaged). Working in the Plan Formulation Branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District, he is actively involved in the planning of a variety of coastal infrastructure projects in the greater New York City area. Michael is an alumnus of MIT (PhD ’23; SM ’20) and Manhattan College (BS ’18) where he studied Civil & Environmental Engineering. He is passionate about developing and applying interdisciplinary approaches to planning investments in climate change adaptation.
Paul Presendieu
(He/Him)
Paul Presendieu is the Youth Director of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Climate Council, an environmentalist in New Rochelle, NY, and the son of Colombian and Haitian immigrants. He is the Outreach Manager for Sustainable Westchester, a nonprofit consortium of 44 municipal governments in Westchester County, New York. Paul is also the current National Executive Vice Chair for the Young Democrats of America’s Environmental Caucus, Environmental Caucus Chair Emeritus for the College Democrats of America, a former United Nations Foundation’s Global Ambassador for the 13th Sustainable Development Goal, and the Environmental Advisory Committee Chair for the City of New Rochelle’s municipal government.
Pooja Tilvawala
(She/Her)
Pooja Tilvawala is an Indian-American climate justice advocate, opportunity curator, and youth engagement expert heavily engaged in the US and international climate spaces. She has degrees in Economics and International Studies with a focus on Justice, Ethics, and Human Rights from American University. Since 2020, she has served as the Founder and Executive Director of Youth Climate Collaborative (YCC) which is making the climate movement more just, inclusive, intergenerational, and one that allows youth to take meaningful climate action while sustaining themselves and their work. She focuses on collaboration to advance the SDGs, climate mental health, intergenerational and participatory decision-making, trust-based philanthropy, climate comedy and creatives, policy literacy, and youth engagement in UNFCCC processes. Most recently, she was double nominated to serve as the North America youth advisor to the UN Secretary General for climate change.
Founder
Robert Henry Fetell
(He/Him)
Robert Henry Fetell is a PhD student in Civil & Environmental Engineering at MIT, researching the reliability of satellite InSAR to monitor critical infrastructure. Principally focused on mine waste (tailings) and flood mitigation embankments, Robert aims to develop early warning systems for disasters in frontline communities. He leads the Mining and Circular Economies Program at the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative and previously studied at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received both an MS in Engineering Geology and a BA in Geology. As a student at Penn, Robert founded a 501(c)(3) – the Resilience Youth Network (RYN) – to mentor high school and early college students and provide them with career development opportunities in climate adaptation. RYN runs an annual fellowship, hosts workshops and speaker events, and provides a platform to publish writing. In his hometown (Miami Beach), Robert helped launch the City’s 50-Year Resiliency Vision Plan and actively advocates for environmental justice.