Bio
Carlos E. Claussell Velez
Carlos Claussell Velez (he/his/el) is a 2022 Climate Justice Design Fellow from Harvard University. For the last 10 years Carlos has focused on implementing equity-driven, community-centered processes and supporting community-based organizations, non-profits, government and philanthropic entities to advance climate equity strategies at the local, regional and national level. He currently serves as the Climate, DEI and Environmental Justice Manager for WWF focusing on advancing equitable strategies for the America is All In and Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC) Initiatives. For RTC, Carlos is responsible for establishing a Just Transition framework within the decarbonization of heavy industry. Carlos also serves as Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia’s inaugural Environmental Justice Advisory Commission (EJAC), tasked with advising the Mayor, City Council and Office of Sustainability on environmental justice issues and advocating for environmental justice communities in the City. Carlos is a 2022 Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) fellow and a 2020 Environmental Leadership Program Senior Fellow. Carlos has worked as a Senior Program Officer at the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), serving as the National Program Office Lead for The Kresge Foundation Climate Change, Health & Equity Initiative (CCHE), as the Urban Conservation Project Manager for the City of Philadelphia at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and as the Urbanism & Infrastructure Project Manager for the Caño Martin Peña ENLACE Project Corporation, an internationally renowned community-led initiative and winner of the 2016 United Nations World Habitat Award. Carlos holds a master’s degree in architecture and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Puerto Rico.
2022
Climate Equity lead for WWF Climate Team facilitating a Just Transition & Equitable Decarbonization practice for the Renewable Thermal Collaborative, global coalition for companies, institutions, and governments committed to scaling up industrial decarbonization, and America’s All In, a national coalition of 5,000 whole-of-society members committed to meeting the Paris Agreement.
2022
Member of the City of Philadelphia’s Inaugural Environmental Justice Advisory Commission, tasked with advising the Mayor, City Council and Office of Sustainability on environmental justice issues and advocating for environmental justice communities in the City.
2022
Pilot program of Harvard+Google's Data+Climate project, using data development tools to insert a racial equity lens into ‘Blue-lining’ or drawing lines of risk around certain neighborhoods susceptible to natural climate hazards.
2020
National Program Office Lead for The Kresge Foundation’s Climate Change, Health & Equity (CCHE) Initiative in support of 24 leading community-based organizations and national health systems institutions working to implement equity-driven and health-centered climate change policy strategies at the local, state and federal level.
2018
Responsible for implementing TNC’s Urban Conservation Program in Philadelphia and managing a team of community stakeholders and technical consultants in implementing a community-centered Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) aggregation-model portfolio of projects in service of the Philadelphia Water Department’s Green City Clean Waters (GCCW).
2016
Responsible for supporting the advancement of a $2B+ Caño Martín Peña’s Comprehensive Community Development Plan (CDP) by managing infrastructure planning, design and implementation using a community-led participatory model within a former informal settlement turned Community Land Trust (World’s first). Co-led 400+ volunteers supporting on-the-ground response and relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.