Regional Director

Vic serves as the Regional Director of ICLEI Southeast Asia. He brings more than three decades of professional experience working with local governments in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand on various urban development issues. He manages a team of experts and consultants within the Southeast Asia region--dealing with urban development issues focusing on environmental sustainability.  Vic works directly with external support agencies and national governments to develop and deploy ICLEI's Pathways and advocacy in the region.  During his career as a civil servant and as Regional Director, he has been involved in more than 30 international projects. Prior to joining ICLEI, he has worked with the City Government of Baguio as Project Development Officer and Development Management Officer in the local planning department, particularly working on urban planning focusing on environmental and socio-economic sustainability.

Areas of Expertise: Sustainable Development, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Institutional and Policy Development, International Cooperation, Project Development, Urban Planning and Law

Education: M.A. Public Administration; Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Science in Forestry

Regional Program Manager

Jane's demonstrated expertise is gathered from working in the development sector for more than a decade with particular focus in the area of sustainability, climate change, environment, and natural resources. In ICLEI SEAS, she assists the Regional Director in developing, strategizing, and overseeing the implementation of programs and projects under the different portfolio across Southeast Asia. She provides technical advice and strategic guidance in the design and delivery of project activities. She manages program and project teams to ensure efficiency and initiate collaboration among the team and external partners.

Prior to joining ICLEI, she served as OIC-Supervising Economic Development Specialist of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). She had extensive training and involvement on the conduct of national and sectoral development planning, policy review, and investment programming to achieve the country’s development objectives particularly on climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable development, and the environment sector.

Areas of expertise: national and sectoral development planning, policy review, investment programming, climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable development

Education:

• Master of Science in Sustainability, United Nations University (UNU) and University of Tokyo (UTokyo)
• Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology, major in Human Settlements Planning, University of the Philippines Los Baños (cum laude)

Operations Manager

Zeny joined ICLEI in 2005 as the Administrative and Finance officer. Prior to working with ICLEI, she was an Administrative Assistant in a real estate company and a Reservation Officer in a travel agency for two and a half years. She has been trained in different areas including logistics preparation, financial reporting to funders for various projects, and administrative support in the organization’s operations.

Areas of Expertise: Administration and finance

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Holy Name University, Tagbilaran City, Philippines (formerly Divine Word College-Tagbilaran)

Areas of Expertise: project management, project monitoring, and evaluation (M&E), administration, community engagement, participatory capacity, and vulnerability assessment 

Education:

• Master of Public Management, University of the Philippines
• Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, University of the Philippines Diliman

Senior Project Officer – Mitigation

Pam handles the conceptualization and implementation of climate change mitigation projects. She also supports local governments in the region in utilizing the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting Platform,  a reporting tool for local climate actions being managed by ICLEI and the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). She handles the capacity building training for cities and municipalities, particularly those which are focused on climate change science and the Global Protocol for Community-Scale GHG Emissions Inventory (GPC). As such, she also provides technical assistance in conducting city-level GHG inventory for numerous Philippine cities. She is the cCR focal for Southeast Asia; responsible for the management, coordination, training, and technical support concerning the platform. 

Areas of Expertise: climate change mitigation, GHG inventory, project management, climate advocacy

Education:

• Masters in Environmental Planning (ongoing), Miriam College, Philippines
• BS Environmental Planning and Management major in Corporate Environmental Management, Miriam College, Philippines

Senior Project Officer – Membership, Governance, Partnerships, and Special Projects

Ric oversees ICLEI SEAS’ membership and governance operation, recruitment, and services to local governments in the region. He also handles partnerships with various organizations including the implementation of projects in climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and the sustainable development agenda. He also serves as the coordinator for local and international activities. Prior to his work in ICLEI, Ric is part of the Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD) of the Quezon City Government as an Industrial Inspector which ensures the business sector's compliance to environmental laws of the City. He also served as a Planning and Research Assistant- evaluating project proposals from different institutions to be implemented in the City. 

Areas of Expertise: Climate change mitigation and adaptation, DRRM, GHG

Education:  

• BS Electronics and Communications Engineering, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines

Project Officer – Energy and the Built Environment

Project Officer – Adaptation

BJ has been working with local governments in the areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation and disaster risk reduction and management through various development assistance projects funded by international organizations. Most notable is his work in Guiuan, Eastern Samar where he assisted in the formulation of their recovery and rehabilitation plan and ecological profile after Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the municipality.

In ICLEI, BJ oversees the implementation and monitoring of various climate change adaptation and mitigation projects of the organization. He performs the technical aspects of providing capacity building activities to local governments units. He is also a licensed Environmental Planner. 

Areas of Expertise: Urban planning, climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation, disaster risk reduction and management, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), area profiling, Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Vulnerability & Risk Assessments

Education:

• Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Philippines Diliman
• Bachelor of Science in Economics, University of the Philippines Diliman

Project Officer

• Masters in Environmental Planning, Miriam College
• BS Environmental Planning and Management Major in Urban Planning and Green
  Architecture, Miriam College

Communications Specialist

Val is a development communication practitioner with a background in social forestry, community-based resource management, and community organizing. At ICLEI, she is responsible for developing and implementing the organization's communication plan aimed to expand ICLEI SEAS' clout and engagement in the region. She also develops and implements targeted communication campaigns released through both offline and online streams. 

With the goal of bringing ICLEI's advocacy closer to local governments in Southeast Asia, Val represents the organization during networking events, exhibits, and conventions. She also leads the communications work and event coverage during ICLEI annual events such as the Resilient Cities Asia Pacific Forum and Asia LEDS Forum. 

At present, Val handles the citizen engagement strategies implemented for Ambitious City Promises in key cities in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam--ensuring that the needs of citizens and stakeholders are at the core of policies and programs towards low emission development.

Prior to joining ICLEI, she has worked with various communities in the Philippines to help document their resiliency initiatives and stories--scaling these up to help influence local policies and development frameworks.

In her spare time, Val pursues stories of community-based solutions to address climate change and has published articles focusing on environmental policy, blue carbon solutions, and renewable energy in local and international media outlets. 

Areas of Expertise: strategic communication, community organizing, digital campaigning, journalism, brand activation

Education:

• Master of Community Development (ongoing), University of the Philippines Diliman
• BS Development Communication major in Development Journalism, University of the Philippines Los Baños

Communications Officer

Chris specializes in various facets of marketing and communications, including campaign planning, creative execution, strategic rollout, and everything in between.

He started his career as a technology and business journalist, writing about consumer and green technologies for a Philippine-based tech lifestyle magazine and various Southeast Asian business magazines. His work in the development sector includes being a training assistant for a leadership training program for students around the Philippines.

Most recently, he served in the marketing and communications office of one of the top engineering schools in the Philippines. In addition to his social media management role, he also wrote speeches for the school’s executives; created feature stories for the school’s applied research projects; led production and served as quality control for internal and external communication materials; and led the development of institutional marketing strategies.

At ICLEI, Chris is at the helm of communications and advocacy and also leads the Secretariat’s partnership and networking activities.

Areas of expertise: marketing, branding, social media management, communications, creatives, writing, publication, sound recording, photography, videography, directing, audiovisual post-production

Education:

• Master of Arts in Communication (ongoing), University of the Philippines - Diliman
• Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication, University of the Philippines - Diliman

Project Assistant

Project Assistant

• Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning (ongoing), University of the Philippines - Diliman
• Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology major in Human Settlements Planning, University of the Philippines Los Baños

Project Assistant

• Bachelor of Science in Geography, University of the Philippines Diliman

Accounting Assistant

Jeng underwent systematic capacity building and mentoring on financial and administrative management organized by her previous organizations, partner NGOs, and funding partners. At ICLEI, Jeng supports the Administrative and Finance Officer in all financial matters of the organization.

Administrative Assistant

Edu joined ICLEI in 2018 and he is primarily concerned with assisting the administration and finance team in managing the office's day-to-day operations. He assists the whole team with matters of logistics.

Country Manager

Ari serves as the Country Manager of ICLEI Indonesia. He is an Environmental and Climate Governance expert with 24 years of research and advocacy experience in the fields of environmental policy, climate change adaptation (CCA), and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Indonesia. He has extensive experience working with international development projects and coordinating with government partners at the local and national levels. In the last 15 years, Ari has focused on building awareness of the importance of CCA and mainstreaming CCA into the programming and budgeting of local governments from the provincial level down to the village level.Ari serves as the Country Manager of ICLEI Indonesia. He is an Environmental and Climate Governance expert with 24 years of research and advocacy experience in the fields of environmental policy, climate change adaptation (CCA), and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Indonesia. He has extensive experience working with international development projects and coordinating with government partners at the local and national levels. In the last 15 years, Ari has focused on building awareness of the importance of CCA and mainstreaming CCA into the programming and budgeting of local governments from the provincial level down to the village level.

Prior to joining ICLEI, he has worked as Advisor for Climate Adaptation Governance on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Project (USAID Adaptasi Perubahan Iklim dan Ketangguhan (APIK)). He focused on activities related to Climate Adaptation Governance on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Programs. Through all preparations of policy and technical instruments and the involvement of stakeholders on the National level and three other provincial-level including East Java, Southeast Sulawesi, and Maluku.

Area of Expertise: climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction, environmental policy, resilience programs, government relations, international relations, project developments.

Education:

• Doctor of Environmental Science, University of Indonesia

Senior Project Officer – Ambitious City Promises

Selamet has nearly 15 years of experience in advocating environmental conservation and climate change in urban areas, focusing on air quality issues, waste management, green open spaces, and sustainable transportation. He served as the Director of the Indonesian Forum for Environment, Jakarta Region from 2000-2009. He was heavily involved in passing the legislation for waste management in Indonesia. Due to his efforts, he was appointed as the members of the Board of Directors and Considerations of National Waste Management. The board's task is to give advise and input to the Minister of Environment and Forestry for waste management programs implemented in Indonesia.

He joined ICLEI in 2015, handling climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. He was the lead for the ACCCRN (Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network) in 10 cities and OPCC (One Planet City Challenge; was Earth Hour City Challenge) project since 2016. At the moment, he is supporting the implementation of the Ambitious City Promises program, working with DKI Jakarta (national capital), Bekasi, and Tangerang City.

Areas of Expertise: climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency, waste management, local government, community engagement, climate advocacy

Education:

• BSc in Syariah Law (UIN Syarif in Hidayatullah, Indonesia)
• Social Capacity Development and Environment Management and Policy Evaluation Training (Hiroshima University, Japan)

Project Officer – Urban-LEDS II

National Coordinator – Urban Shift Project

Suryani serves as National Coordinator to UrbanShift Indonesia, leading the project and serving as the focal point between cities and the global resources team. Suryani was previously a City Advisor to Jakarta with C40, assisting the city tackling climate change through robust climate and resilient planning. Prior to ICLEI, Suryani worked with Mercy Corps to build more resilient communities in vulnerable districts in Jakarta; with USAID to enhance Indonesia's government and community resilience to climate change and weather-related natural disasters; and with the World Bank Jakarta Office to shape disaster risk reduction and broader adaptation measures.

Suryani holds an M.Si in Sociology from the University of Indonesia with a research focus on Environmental Sociology. She is a senior research fellow at the Resilience Development Initiative.

Areas of Expertise: Environmental Sociology

Education:

• M.Si in Sociology, University of Indonesia

Membership and Communications Officer

Project Assistant – Ambitious City Promises

Project Assistant – Urban-LEDS II

Adhia is a Project Assistant for Urban Low Emission Development Strategies Phase II (Urban-LEDS II) project with a background in Environmental Science. Joining ICLEI Indonesia in 2020, he is responsible for assisting in the implementation of Urban-LEDS II project activities in Indonesia including coordination with the cities, national ministries and other relevant stakeholders. Additionally, he assists in data analysis and review, report writing as well.

Prior to joining ICLEI, he has worked with WWF-Indonesia as a Marine and Fisheries intern, specifically focused on the freshwater environment.

Areas of expertise: low emission development, spatial data processing, remote sensing, geography

Education:

• Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours), University of Exeter

Project Assistant – 100% RE

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, The University of Arizona

Finance and Operation Officer

Hikmatul P Pasaribu is a Finance and Operation Assistant, with a background in finance and administrative management. Prior to joining ICLEI, she has worked with various international Non-Governmental Organizations to support finance and administration in the organization. Joining ICLEI Indonesia in 2017, Hikmatul is responsible for accounting and finance records, assisting in the preparation and monitoring of ICLEI Indonesia Office budget, and drafting financial statements and reports. She also provides support to the Project Management Team.

Areas of Expertise: administration, finance, book-keeping,

Education:

• Bachelor of Agribusiness (University of North Sumatera, Indonesia)

Administrative Assistant

Marwan fell in love with the environment when he became part of an organization focusing on peat restoration.

Education:

• Bachelor of Computer Science, Telematics Cakrawala School of Technology, Indonesia

Country Liaison Officer for Vietnam- Ambitious City Promises

Giang is the Country Liasion Officer in Vietnam for the Ambitious City Promises. As CLO, she leads the on-ground implementation of the project as well as coordination with local governments, development partners, and other stakeholders. 

Giang holds a Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning major from the Hanoi Architectural University and a bachelor's degree in Urban and Rural Planning major from the same university. 

Areas of Expertise: climate change mitigation, urban planning, local government, and community engagement, project management.

Education:

• BA in Urban and Rural Planning (the Hanoi Architectural University, Vietnam)
• MA in Urban and Regional Planning (the Hanoi Architectural University, Vietnam)

Project Officer – Urban-LEDS II

Mickey serves as the Project Officer of Urban-LEDS II in Lao PDR. She has over 4 years of project management experience, which includes project planning, budgeting, implementation and overall coordination. Mickey previously worked as the as the Assistant Project Manager for the Third National Communications (TNC) and Biennial Update Report (BUR) project of the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) of the Lao PDR which encompassed a national greenhouse gas inventory, vulnerability and adaptation analysis, and integration of mitigation and adaptation considerations into national program. She also worked as a Project Officer at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Laos) for its Sustainable Rattan and Bamboo Harvesting and Production project, which focused on supporting the communities to secure credible forest certification, establish a more sustainable rattan production supply chain, and develop sustainable financing for small and medium-sized enterprises to invest in it.

For Urban-LEDS II, Mickey is responsible for the implementation the project work plan in Laos PDR, in consultation with ICLEI SEAS. She also works closely with the project cities, as well as the provincial and national government relevant to the project.

Education:

• 2014-2016 – Master of Laws, majoring in International Law, Transnational Law and Business University, South Korea
• 2009-2014 – Bachelor of Arts, with honors, majoring in International Relations, National University of Laos

Project Assistant- Urban-LEDS II

Neng is the Project Assistant of Urban-LEDS II in Laos PDR. He has over six years of experience in administrative systems including budgeting, coordination, and management. He used to work with the Indian Embassy in Laos PDR, mainly working on day-to-day coordination and as an interpreter.

For Urban LEDS-II, Neng assists in implementing project activities through setting up meetings and workshops, preparing technical reports, and generating content for the website and other communication channels.

Education:

• 2011- 2015: National University of Laos, Faculty of Education, Department of Foreign Languages.