ORDINARY PEOPLE. EXTRAORDINARY IMPACT.
Melissa is a thought leader on issues such as climate change, impact investing, and using capital markets to drive environmental and social change, with 30 years of experience in the philanthropic, nonprofit, and government sectors. She has led and worked at organizations ranging from the Wallace Global Fund to the US-Asia Environmental Partnership to the…
A member of the Jury since 2022, Gidon Bromberg is the founder and Israeli co-director of EcoPeace Middle East, a unique regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the Middle East. Bromberg has spearheaded the organization’s advocacy campaigns in the Middle East and…
Julien Vincent is the executive director of Market Forces, an Australian nonprofit organization that seeks to curtail the financing of coal and other fossil fuels. He is the 2022 recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize for Islands & Island Nations.
Jacqueline Kehoe is a freelance writer and photographer whose work focuses on citizen conservation and public lands. She has been published in National Geographic, Sierra, Lonely Planet, and more.
Laura is a Latina immigrant from Colombia, passionate about grassroots work to support communities and the environment. She manages Prize winner outreach through grantmaking and networking, and coordinates security for Prize winners. Laura has worked internationally and brings extensive climate and environmental nonprofit experience in philanthropy and civil society advocacy spaces. Prior to joining the…
Paige Smith is a content marketing writer who covers everything from culture and health to business and finance.
A member of the Jury since 2009, Yolanda Kakabadse’s distinguished career in conservation and international development spans civil society, government, and the private sector. Her career in the environment began as the executive director of Fundación Natura in Ecuador (1979 – 1990), where she led the organization to become one of Latin America’s most important…
A member of the Jury since 2019, Wanjira Mathai has over 20 years of experience advocating for social and environmental change on both local and international platforms. She is currently the vice president and regional director for Africa at the World Resources Institute (WRI), and previously served as co-chair of WRI’s Global Restoration Council and…
A member of the Jury since 1991, Alvaro Umaña’s international career spans academia, government, philanthropy, and NGOs. As Costa Rica’s first Minister of Environment (1986-1990), under President Oscar Arias, he was internationally recognized for his pathbreaking contribution to conservation, including the implementation of innovative financial instruments like debt-for-nature swaps. Dr. Umaña created the National Biodiversity…
Susie Gelman is a vice president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. She is president and managing director of The Morningstar Foundation, a private family foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland. She also chairs the board of the Israel Policy Forum, an organization that has existed since 1993 to advance and promote the two-state solution to the…