Generation of Environmental Leaders Program 2025
Meet the 2025 GELP cohort!
"We are incredibly proud of the talented teams and young leaders from Canada, Mexico and the United States who have stepped forward with their impactful solutions to environmental challenges. Their dedication and creativity are truly inspiring, and they exemplify the potential of youth to drive meaningful change. We look forward to seeing the positive impact their ideas will have on North American communities," Jorge Daniel Taillant, CEC Executive Director.
Teams of the 2025 Generation of Environmental Leaders Program
To be announced soon
Meet the 2025 GELP Evaluation Committee
We would like to thank our multidisciplinary Evaluation Committee for volunteering their time and expertise to review the amazing solutions received this year!
Alexandre Beaudoin
Researcher, course lecturer - University of Montreal (Université de Montréal)
Alexandre Beaudoin
Researcher, course lecturer - University of Montreal (Université de Montréal)
Alexandre Beaudoin, PhD, is a researcher at the Université de Montréal (UdeM) and a recipient of the One Urban Health Chair and Mitacs Accelerate-Entrepreneur scholarships. His work focuses on urban ecological corridors, green infrastructure, and their impact on human health in the context of climate change. A social economy entrepreneur, he founded Miel Montréal, now Polliflora (urban beekeeping) in 2012 and Éco-pivot (an urban biodiversity consulting firm) in 2021 to reconnect cities to nature. In 2024, he was selected by the French Consulate General in Quebec to join the delegation for the Tournée des chercheurs québécois in France
Jason Chernow
Secretary of Environment, Climate Change, and Emergency Management - Metis Otipemisiwak Government
Jason Chernow
Secretary of Environment, Climate Change, and Emergency Management - Metis Otipemisiwak Government
Secretary Jason Chernow was born into a proud Métis family with strong roots in Alberta’s Métis homeland. His family names include Jobin, Dumas, Courteilles, Ferguson, among others, reflecting a rich Métis heritage. Guided by the matriarchs in his life, he learned his traditional Métis culture and skills from a young age, such as beading, jigging, and harvesting. These cultural experiences and traditional teachings shape his worldview and work, where he integrates Métis values into modern contexts. He actively champions Métis rights and culture, with a focus on empowering youth voices within his community and on the global stage.
Julie Jodoin
Director - Space for Life (Espace pour la vie)
Julie Jodoin
Director - Space for Life (Espace pour la vie)
Julie Jodoin was named director of Space for Life in 2022. Since then, the organization has added the Biosphere as the fifth Space for Life institution and opened the new Insectarium after the museum's major Metamorphosis transformation. Ms. Jodoin is a graduate of HEC Montréal and an expert in management and organizational development. After managing public funding at TOHU, she joined Space for Life in 2013. She held various strategic positions, enabling the organization to strengthen research, education and public programs at its five museums and to actively contribute to socioecological transition.
Juan Carlos Belausteguigoitia
Director - ITAM's Center for Energy and Natural Resources (Centro ITAM de Energía y Recursos Naturales)
Juan Carlos Belausteguigoitia
Director - ITAM's Center for Energy and Natural Resources (Centro ITAM de Energía y Recursos Naturales)
An economist from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) with a doctor of economics from University of Essex, Juan Carlos Belausteguigoitia is currently the Director of ITAM's Center for Energy and Natural Resources (Centro de Energía y Recursos Naturales). In addition to his academic work at ITAM, he has been a professor at Queen Mary College, Dartmouth College and the University of California, Berkeley. In the Mexican public sector, he has held high government positions in the Ministry of Social Development (Secretaría de Desarrollo Social—Sedesol) and the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca—Semarnap). Internationally, he was worked at the United Nations and World Bank. He was executive director of Centro Mario Molina and currently heads the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Mexico Consortium.
Yvonne Dávalos Dunnig
Outreach Processes and Projects for Youth - University of Mexico magazine (Revista de la Universidad de México)
Yvonne Dávalos Dunnig
Outreach Processes and Projects for Youth - University of Mexico magazine (Revista de la Universidad de México)
At the University of Mexico magazine (Revista de la Universidad de México), Yvonne Dávalos Dunnig is in charge of outreach processes and projects for youth, in addition to coordinating initiatives that connect with the new generations, such as Climatón UNAM—a space where young people address the climate emergency in Mexico—and the blog Jóvenes en la Revista (Youth in the Magazine). Her work focuses on the design of collaborative processes for learning, emphasizing inclusive and intercultural education. The intersection between technology and narration is found in projects such as 2049: Rally en tu ciudad (2049: Rally in your City), a literary experience which transforms the way to explore Mexico City. Her teaching practice integrates technology, play and elements of sustainable development to create project-based learning methods.
Daniela Ortiz Millán
Master’s Student - South Border College (Colegio de la Frontera Sur) and Université de Sherbrooke
Daniela Ortiz Millán
Master’s Student - South Border College (Colegio de la Frontera Sur) and Université de Sherbrooke
Daniela Ortiz Millán, a Master’s student in international ecology and systemic management of natural environments, in a dual degree program offered by the Colegio de la Frontera Sur (South Border College), Mexico, and the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, has a degree in biology from the School of Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Her outstanding career in the fields of environmental management, environmental education and human rights includes her work reviewing proposals for the 2020 World Conservation Congress (International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN) and collaborating with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) on issues of environmental justice and traditional ecological knowledge. In her work with youth, she has participated in youth entrepreneurship programs, coordinated volunteers for environmental outreach events, and lectured in workshops and talks.
Richard Kiy
President & CEO - Institute of the Americas
Richard Kiy
President & CEO - Institute of the Americas
Richard Kiy is the President & CEO of the Institute of the Americas, a nonprofit based at UC San Diego promoting economic development in the Americas with a focus on the private sector. Previously, he was a General Partner at Alumbra Advisors and served 14 years as President & CEO of the International Community Foundation, expanding grantmaking across Latin America. Kiy held leadership roles at PriceSmart, the US Department of Energy, and the EPA, among others. A Stanford and Harvard graduate, he co-authored the book Environmental Management along North America’s Borders and serves on the San Diego Natural History Museum’s Binational Advisory Board.
Christina Ramsey
J.D./MCEP Candidate - Vermont Law and Graduate School
Christina Ramsey
J.D./MCEP Candidate - Vermont Law and Graduate School
Christina is in her final semester of her joint Juris Doctor and Masters of Climate and Environmental Policy degree program at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS). She specializes in international climate law and policy and has conducted years of research in this area. She has gained invaluable experience through attending COP 28 as a student, partnered with the Federated States of Micronesia, and by attending COP 29 as a Teaching Assistant for the International Climate Change Law Course at VLGS. Furthermore, she has worked under the Transnational Environmental Law Clinic at VLGS, the CEC, and CIEL.
Aurélie Rodzynek
Project Coordinator - Columbia Water Center
Aurélie Rodzynek
Project Coordinator - Columbia Water Center
Aurélie Rodzynek is an environmental and gender advocate with expertise in project development, management, and public relations. As Program Coordinator at the Columbia Water Center, she promotes equity-driven, community-focused water initiatives and bridges science with actionable policy. She mentors the Columbia Aquanauts, fostering interdisciplinary water innovation. Aurélie holds an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia SIPA and a BA in International Relations from Webster University. With experience at the UN, WMO, and Earth Law Center, she champions youth advocacy and inclusive water governance, representing marginalized voices on global platforms like the UN Social Forum.
Contact
Julie Amina Jacquemin
Lead, Outreach, Partnerships and Youth Engagement