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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.

Dr. Satyendra Prasad is the Principal Technical Lead for Abt’s climate initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr. Prasad is a diplomat and governance expert with over two decades of governance experience across international organizations, including the United Nations (UN), World Bank, and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) – now known as the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Joan Chahenza is a renewable energy finance and policy expert with more than a decade of private and public sector experience in on-grid and off-grid renewable energy. Her main areas of expertise are financial modeling and structuring of power generation projects, government and regulatory stakeholder management, technical advisory services for renewable energy enterprises, and contract negotiation for power purchase agreements and geothermal drilling contracts.

Dr. Janet Gordon has over 20 years of experience in designing, directing, and conducting research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects aimed at improving the health and well-being of adults and young people especially for Indigenous and culturally-diverse peoples. She has partnered with federal and state agencies such as the National Science Foundation, Department of Education, State Education Agencies, colleges/universities, and private foundations. Her work is focused on culturally-responsive, equity-centered approaches to methodology, data collection, analysis, presentation, and dissemination of evaluation results. Dr. Gordon is skilled in innovative database solutions to create new insightful knowledge for federal, state, tribal, and local agencies for evidence of effectiveness to inform policy and best practices.

Hoai B. Huynh has more than 25 years of experience in energy, environment, engineering, policy, and program management in the U.S. and internationally. He has worked in the U.S. government, consulting, aerospace and defense industry, and non-profit sectors. He also has had experience leading corporate strategy and growth efforts at Abt Global, Deloitte, AECOM, ICF, and CDM Smith. He has worked for such clients as U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Millennium Challenge Corporation, the World Bank, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.   

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.

Lindiwe Chola Dlamini is a certified expert in climate change and renewable energy finance with 18 years’ experience in sustainable energy policy, resource mobilization, partnership development, and program management. Her career includes leadership, resource mobilization, and implementation roles for sustainable energy in Eswatini. She has provided expert technical advisory support for public-private partnership negotiations in energy infrastructure and team leadership for Eswatini's Programme for Affordable Renewable Energy. She has worked with start-up social enterprises and with development programs funded by the U.S. and EU government, African Development Bank, United Nations organizations, World Bank, and African Legal Support Facility.

Austin Gooden is a software architect at TSPi, a Division of Abt Global, with 6 years of experience delivering innovative software solutions in the public sector. With expertise spanning the entire Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Gooden has worked across a broad range of technologies, from Low-Code/No-Code platforms to legacy frameworks and multiple programming languages.  He has successfully delivered a variety of solutions for the U.S. Federal Government that enable systems to adapt seamlessly to congressional mandates, agency policies, and program definition, all while achieving the mission objectives of the IT initiative.

Diane Fraser started out working in art departments for a marketing product manufacturer in high school and a consulting firm in college. After college, she began a career in non-profits, where she developed and managed communications, public relations, fundraising, and events.