The Volgenau Climate Initiative (VCI) is a ten-year initiative funded by The Volgenau Foundation. We focus on soils, forests, and working lands— we follow where the science of natural climate solutions leads, and where people feel the deepest connection to place.
The field needs a catalyst to advance bold climate solutions, and we meet that charge with a unique approach: we facilitate intentionally intimate, rigorously selected convenings of leaders and doers.
We believe in the power of collaboration as a force for breakthroughs.
It’s time to grow. We hope you’ll join us.
Team
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Huyen Nguyen
Logistics Lead
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Jacqueline Kozak Thiel
Senior Program Director
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Jill Parsh
Operations Director
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Mario Molina
Executive Director
Board of Directors
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Betsy Taylor
Chair
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Lorna Davis
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Mark Burget
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Yuta Masuda
Advisory Board
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Bethaney Wilkinson
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Bronson Griscom
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Ellie Cohen
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Jane Wei-Skillern
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Sacha Spector
Key Partners
Mission
To forge trust-based leadership networks that innovate and scale bold climate strategies, with a primary focus on nature-based solutions.
VCI advances strategic initiatives in multiple sectors, contributing to concrete solutions, measurable impact and improved resilience.
VCI convenes small groups of diverse leaders in natural settings. These gatherings are designed to galvanize new thinking and foster enduring networks, resulting in solutions for climate mitigation with co-benefits for resilience, biodiversity, and equity.
Vision
VCI seeks to positively impact our climate and related ecological systems and our relationship with the land through improved practices, policies, and investments.
Advancing nature-based climate solutions (NBcS) is essential - for mitigation, resilience, equity and biodiversity. Scientists agree that we must conserve and restore numerous natural systems this decade as part of a larger effort to address the climate and biodiversity crises. This is a no regrets strategy with multiple co-benefits.
Transformational change cannot be achieved by any single organization, corporation or agency acting alone. Collaboration is essential. Diverse, adaptive leadership networks, rooted in deep relationships and shared values can discover fresh perspectives from which high-impact strategic initiatives can be forged and launched to advance NBcS.
VCI seeks to maximize the potential to reduce emissions and sequester carbon in natural systems while also protecting and expanding habitat for countless endangered species, and safeguarding our water, food systems , and the livelihoods of land stewards and their communities.
Background
In 2021 Ernst Volgenau, Chair of the Volgenau Foundation, set out to establish a legacy initiative aimed at climate mitigation. In partnership with Betsy Taylor, a strategic and philanthropic consultant, VCI was incubated later that year. Betsy agreed to help launch the initiative and led the charge in 2022 with three initial retreats that tested their theory of change; that in today’s turbulent world, leaders need time and space to step back, broaden their networks, foster enduring relationships, and work collaboratively to unleash solutions. Very quickly it became evident that not only was this approach highly impactful, but it also filled an important gap amongst climate mitigation efforts. With these critical proof points, the Volgenau Foundation committed funds for a 10-year legacy initiative with the support of a top notch team dedicated to carrying this vision into the future.