We scale up clean cooling solutions.

Mirka della Cava has returned to ClimateWorks Foundation, now serving as the Head of Policies, Standards and Programs for Clean Cooling Collaborative, managing a diverse grantee portfolio. Formerly, Mirka was a Senior Program Manager for the Colorado Energy Office, leading the state’s Energy Performance Contracting program. She also supported development of the state’s energy efficiency legislation, testifying on behalf of the New Appliance Energy and Water Efficiency Standards bill which was signed into law in May 2019. Mirka has been involved, both globally and domestically, in energy efficiency, climate change, and energy policy her entire career with senior positions at ClimateWorks Foundation, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the US EPA. Most recently, Mirka was honored to receive the Colorado Governor’s 2019 Public Service Recognition award. Mirka holds a Masters of International Affairs degree in Environmental Policy from Columbia University and a BA in Political Science from Duke University.

Noah Horowitz is Director of the ClimateWorks Cooling Program. Before joining ClimateWorks, Noah’s work as a Senior Scientist with Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Director of the Center for Energy Efficiency Standards aimed to make buildings and the equipment inside them more energy efficient.

Noah has worked on the state, federal and international levels and his areas of expertise include residential lighting and appliances, consumer electronics, and energy-saving “cool” roofs.  Noah co-authored model regulations issued by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) for use by developing countries for air conditioners and refrigeration equipment. He also served as the World-wide Manager of Environmental Programs for the Quaker Oats Company.

Noah holds a BS in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a MS in environmental engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

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.

Shilpa Patel comes to ClimateWorks Foundation with a development banking, project finance, and climate policy background. Prior to joining ClimateWorks, she was an independent consultant for a number of organizations on climate finance and was Principal Advisor to the Finance Center at the World Resources Institute. Shilpa started her career in the World Bank, where she worked on private sector development across a number of sectors, regions, and economies in transition, including agriculture in the Maghreb. She headed the International Finance Corporation’s work on climate strategy and metrics, including understanding the climate change impacts of its activities, as well as the impacts of climate change on private business and IFC’s operations. She has also managed IFC’s investments in petrochemicals, as well as health and education, and run an experimental incubator for environmental business. She helped launch IFC’s first green bond and worked with institutional investors and other stakeholders to define green bond criteria and standards. Shilpa holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and has taught courses on Project Finance at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.

Sneha Sachar joins the Clean Cooling Collaborative team as Associate Director, India Cooling Lead to accelerate climate-friendly cooling in India and support CCC’s mission to advance climate-friendly cooling for all. Sneha comes to ClimateWorks with over 20 years of experience covering the intersection of built environment, energy efficiency, and climate change. She brings deep knowledge of the cooling sector, with a focus on developing countries including on-the-ground experience in significant policy-centric work in India. Most recently Sneha served as a cooling expert and consultant at leading non-profit organizations based in the U.S. and India, and as a part-time advisor to the CCC team. Sneha has a bachelors degree in architecture from the Institute of Environmental Design in India, an MBA from University of South Carolina, and a professional certification in Sustainability and Energy Policy from UC Berkeley.

Axum Teferra is Associate Director of Clean Cooling Collaborative at the 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.

Tao Wang is a China Strategist at ClimateWorks Foundation, where he advises the organization and its partners on climate and energy philanthropy in China. Dr. Wang is also a guest lecturer at Tsinghua University.

Prior to joining ClimateWorks, Dr. Wang was assistant dean of the Yicai Research Institute; a scholar in the energy and climate program of Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy; senior program manager at World Wildlife Fund’s China program; and a researcher at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

Dr. Wang holds a PhD in Environmental Economics from the University of York and a BA in Environmental Science from Fudan University. He is author of articles in journals such as Climate Policy, Energy Policy, and Science of the Total Environment, and is a regular contributor to the New York Times, Financial Times, the Diplomat, People’s Daily, China Daily, and other publications.