2023-2024

Sarah Phalen is a second year master’s student at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy with a concentration in international policy. Her studies focus on international climate policy, development, and human rights. She currently serves as the Co-Director of Climate Blue and on the board of the International Economic Development Program. Prior to her graduate studies, Sarah earned a BA in Art History and Museum Studies from U-M and worked at several arts and non-profit organizations, most recently in youth justice advocacy. At COP 28, Sarah looks forward to gaining a better understanding of the climate negotiations process as well as learning more about climate migration, security, and ensuring a just transition.

Jaron Rothkop is a 2nd-year SEAS student with a concentration in Behavior, Education, and Communication. Jaron is a co-founder of 501CTHREE, an impact non-profit focused on universal access to water and food, where he runs The Water Box program, and the President of The Last Kilometer, a non-profit that works on innovative climate adaptation technologies. Jaron’s prior work includes co-founding a solar microgrid company and working in automotive R&D. At COP27, Jaron is interested in how those most at risk from climate change will gain access to technology and financing.

Ally is a second year Master of Public Policy student at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Her studies focus on international and climate security, the national and international risks caused by climate change. Currently, Ally serves as the delegate liaison for Climate Blue, a student organization whose mission empowers the local community to become more engaged in climate action. Prior to her graduate studies, Ally worked with the U.S. Army’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center which cemented an interest in international security. At COP28, Ally is excited to gain a deeper understanding of innovative solutions and global collaborations to mitigate and resolve conflict and security dilemmas caused by climate change.

Carmen Wagner is a third-year dual degree student at the University of Michigan pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Ford School of Public Policy and a Master of Science at the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), specializing in Environmental Justice and Environmental Policy and Planning. Her master’s project in SEAS focused on overcoming barriers to disseminating and accessing climate information services in Samoa and Vanuatu, providing policy recommendations for local governments, NGOs, and regional/international development organizations. This project was part of the effort to reduce knowledge gaps under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative. She is also interested in ensuring a just energy transition, energy efficiency efforts, and renewable energy investments internationally. At COP 28, Carmen is looking forward to learning more about efforts to support climate change adaptation in small island developing states and ways to ensure a just transition worldwide. 

Haley is a third-year dual degree student at the University of Michigan pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Ford School of Public Policy and a Master of Science at the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). Haley currently serves as the Director of Communications for Climate Blue and Co-Director of the Environmental Policy Association. Prior to her graduate studies she earned her BA in Geography and Global Studies from the University of Richmond and worked with various non-profit organizations and served as a Rural Education Development Volunteer for the Peace Corps in Zambia. 

As a MPP/MS student, Haley has focused her professional work on the implementation of policy emphasizing community engagement with a focus on equitable policy and finance solutions. She is currently working for the State of Michigan’s Office of Climate and Energy focusing on implementing federal climate funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. At COP28, Haley hopes to learn how governments are developing public-private partnerships and community partnerships to advance the goals of a just energy transition.

2022-2023

2021-2022

Director: Katelyn Boisvert
Treasurer: Sarah Collins
Media/Outreach Coordinator: Anna Ciacciarella
Communication Coordinator: Chelsea Johnson
Event Coordinator: Yifan Guan

2020-2021

Alexa White is a 4th year Ph.D. student in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Co-Director of Climate Blue. With a focus on agroecology, her research looks into the origin of indicators under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. She focuses on Goal #2: End Hunger and analyzes the expected impacts Goal #2 will have on practices of small-scale farmers. In 2015 and 2018 Alexa attended COP21 in Paris, COP24 in Poland and COP25 in Spain as a delegate. 

Annalisa is a third-year dual degree Master’s Student in SEAS and the Ford School of Public Policy. In 2019, she was one of the University of Michigan’s delegates to COP25 Madrid. Annalisa is the former Recruitment Chair for Sustainability Without Borders, an active member of the SWB Uganda project team, and a 2020 Dow Fellow. In May, she completed her master’s project where she conducted climate adaptation research in Seychelles for the UNFCCC. This summer, Annalisa is a 2020 EDF Climate Corps Fellow doing energy efficiency and GHG mitigation work with local governments in New Jersey. Annalisa is very excited to work with Climate Blue as Co-Director to prepare future delegates for COP26, strengthen connections to other educational institutions around the world, and advocate for carbon neutrality on University of Michigan campuses.  

Alicia is a second year Master’s student at the School for Environment and Sustainability pursuing a track in Sustainable Systems and Environmental Policy. She is interested in waste reduction and is currently working with Starbucks for her master’s project to find alternatives to their spent coffee grounds. Alicia is also interested in climate policy and hopes to get more involved through Climate Blue!

Lauren is a second-year Master’s student doing a dual degree between the School of Public Health (Environmental Health Promotion & Policy) and SEAS (Behavior, Education, and Communication). She is most interested in the impacts of climate change on health and how to use communication/policy to help adapt to and mitigate these issues. She was a delegate to COP23 and COP24 during her undergrad and is excited to get involved with climate action at U-M.

Abdullah is pursuing PhD in Mechanical Engineering and is looking for renewable energy sources for automobiles. He is motivated for better policies for energy and sustainability. He joined Climate Blue to learn and then serve better in the field of sustainability and climate change around the world

Mia is a second-year master’s student at the School for Environment and Sustainability. She is pursuing a dual track with Environmental Policy and Planning and Behavior, Education, and Communication. Her research interests include risk communication and the discourse surrounding climate change, and public perceptions of different climate change mitigation strategies. At Climate Blue, she’ll be working the team as the Events Coordinator. Her participation and interest in Climate Blue stems from the organizations roots in international climate policy discussions and its goal to disseminate climate information with U-M and Ann Arbor.