Our Team
Carbonfund.org comprises much more than our dedicated staff. Carbonfund.org is able to have the impact it has because of our many thousands of supporters, business and nonprofit partners- and the vast network of volunteers- who share a common goal of reducing the threat of climate change and reducing our impact on our environment.
Eric Carlson
President
Eric is a founder, with his wife Lesley, and President of Carbonfund.org. Eric has more than fifteen years experience promoting cost-effective solutions to climate change, with an extensive background in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Prior to Carbonfund.org, Eric managed voluntary partnerships at the US EPA’s Energy Star Homes and Buildings programs. There he advised companies such as Gillette, IBM and Johnson & Johnson. Eric also spent six years managing programs for the Alliance to Save Energy in Central and Eastern Europe. He advised ministers of energy and environment on energy policy and climate change, testified before parliaments, advised the World Bank and IFC on major energy efficiency investments and trained municipal leaders. Eric and Lesley founded Carbonfund.org to make it easy and affordable for any individual or business to reduce their climate impact while hastening our transition to a low-carbon future. Lesley and Eric have two beautiful young daughters and want to pass on to them a cleaner world.
Lesley Carlson
Director of Human Resources
Lesley is also a founder of Carbonfund.org with her husband, Eric. Lesley’s background includes several senior positions in nonprofit organizations, including serving as the director of operations and finance chief for the National Democratic Institute’s Serbia office, a $2 million a year operation with 25 staff. Lesley also managed regional democracy programs for Freedomhouse in Hungary, including the effort to overthrow Slobodan Milosevic. Lesley and Eric both witnessed firsthand the environmental and human destruction caused by war, dictators and failed economic policies. Lesley is also the co-founder of another nonprofit, the Refugee Assistance Program, in Debrecen, Hungary. Prior to this, Lesley spent nine years with the State Department managing cultural, environmental and political exchange programs. In her spare time, Lesley sometimes gets very close to bears. She can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Claire Douglass
Partnerships Director
Before joining Carbonfund.org Claire was the Maryland and DC Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. She was one of the leading advocates for the Healthy Air Act of 2006 and Clean Cars bill of 2007 in Maryland and most recently for the DC Clean Cars bill. She is a founding member of the Alliance for Global Warming Solutions based in Maryland and the Capital Climate Coalition in DC. Claire studied environmental science, public policy and philosophy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Claire loves to travel and has traveled extensively in Latin America, Europe and South East Asia. In her free time she participates in a billiards league. She can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Kris Tobey
Director of Finance & Administration
With a diverse industry background in accounting and business, Kris comes to Carbonfund.org with a fresh set of eyes focused on our mission. From her hiking and kayaking adventures with Harley the Wonder Dog, Kris is continuously reminded of the effects that all of us have on the environment. When not crunching numbers, she dreams of the day that Alex Trebek congratulates her on a 5-day winning streak on Jeopardy. Pet Peeve: Litterbugs! Kris can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Ivan Chan
Marketing & Communications Director
Ivan joined our team with experience in integrated marketing, public relations and advertising. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations in his work experience and consulting. He served as a director on the board of a nonprofit organization where he worked on strategic communications and co-developed for another a mentoring initiative that has expanded from coast-to-coast. Originally from Massachusetts, Ivan enjoys the outdoors (kayaking, biking, landscape photography) and the arts. Ivan was drawn to Carbonfund.org because of its motto, “Reduce What You Can, Offset What You Can’t,” and is one of its many individual supporters. He has a graduate degree from U. Penn and undergrad degree from U. Chicago. Contact him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Paul Burman
Special Projects Manager
A native of Arlington, Virginia, Paul joined the Carbonfund.org team to help organize and manage various projects as they arise. Before coming to Carbonfund.org, Paul was the Northern Virginia Coordinator with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, where he helped tarnish the image of Virginia’s deeply ingrained fossil fuel special interests and the politicians that blindly supported them. He also helped to grow the volunteer base and empower citizen activists to fight climate change where they live. Paul graduated with a specialist B.A. from the University of Toronto in Environment and Resource Management with a focus on sustainable urban development. Paul enjoys cycling, baseball, fine cheeses, hoppy ales, and camping in remote locations. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Susanna Murley
Senior Marketing & Communications Specialist
Susanna is the online and social media guru. She manages the website, blog and online outreach. Before joining the Carbonfund.org team Susanna worked to promote local action on climate change in DC, Maryland and Virginia and to advocate for better bicycling in the DC region. She has spent the last few years working to connect climate bloggers across the country to enhance the presence of the issue of climate change on the Internet and spur a clean energy transformation. Susanna has an MA from the University of Delaware in Rhetoric and Medieval Literature and a BA from St. Olaf College in English and Philosophy. She grew up in Thousand Oaks, CA. She can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Brian McFarland
Climate Change Specialist
Brian began at Carbonfund.org as an intern and quickly became so indispensable we had to hire him as a full time Climate Change Associate. Brian is currently finishing a dual graduate degree in Business Administration and Global Environmental Policy from American University. While finishing his Psychology and International Development degree from Clark University, Brian conducted environmental fieldwork in Mexico, Costa Rica, Kenya and Brazil. In his spare time, he enjoys nature photography, traveling, and exploring Washington, DC. Brian can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Chris Sewell
Senior Climate Change Specialist
Chris works closely with medium and large business partners. Before joining the Carbonfund.org team Chris worked in Maryland helping to advocate for better land use and planning that protects the environment and fights global warming. Chris grew up on a tree farm in the beautiful rolling bluegrass hills of central Kentucky, and has had the opportunity to live in several countries since “leaving the farm.” Manmade destruction he has seen abroad and especially at home drives his passion for building a better environmental future. Work today can improve tomorrow! Chris can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Emily Pugliese
Senior Climate Change Specialist
CarbonFree Product Certification
Emily runs the CarbonFree® Product Certification Program for Carbonfund.org, working with businesses to make their products carbon neutral. Before coming to Carbonfund.org, Emily worked for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in the Division of Land Uses Regulation where she helped to protect the State’s wetlands and threatened and endangered species. She has dual B.S. degrees in Biology and Environmental Studies from Ursinus College and an M.S. in Environmental Policy from Drexel University. She is also a 2006 Environmental Leadership Program Fellow. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Emily loves all things Philly including the Eagles, the Phillies, and, of course, cheesesteaks! In her spare time she enjoys running, hiking, and spending quality time with her wonderful husband, Steve and their dog Ludwig. She can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Chris Driver
Senior Climate Change Specialist
Chris Driver joined Carbonfund.org in February 2009. His interest in helping to fight climate change came after experiencing the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita firsthand while living on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Chris has an extensive background working with the nonprofit community and most recently worked on a number of public affairs initiatives for a communications firm in Washington, DC. Chris grew up outside of Memphis, TN, but two long stints living in the Detroit, MI area have left him a little too overzealous in rooting for the Detroit Tigers and Pistons. A graduate of Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, MI, Chris spends most of his free time trying to keep up with his two dogs, Ginger and Sammy, at his Virginia home with his fiancée, Monica. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Jason Fitzgerald
Climate Change Specialist
Small Business Program
Jason Fitzgerald manages the ever-growing small business program where he assists companies in offsetting their carbon footprint. Prior to joining Carbonfund.org, Jason worked for a leading e-commerce firm and was responsible for financial analysis models and managing supplier accounts. He earned his B.A. from Connecticut College where he majored in Government and Urban Studies. A native of Lexington, Massachusetts, Jason moved to Washington for his girlfriend Meaghan who began teaching first grade at a public charter school. He enjoys running in Rock Creek Park, cycling, and strong coffee. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Erkin Ozberk
Climate Change Specialist
Erkin proudly hails from America’s cooler neighbo(u)r to the north and came to Carbonfund.org to help with project development. Graduating with a B.A. from Montréal’s McGill University in 2006, Erkin majored in Anthropology with a minor in Earth Sciences. Living and traveling abroad after college fortified his desire to work for a more sustainable future so he moved to Washington D.C. in the Spring of 2008 with this in mind. Prior to starting at Carbonfund.org, Erkin was interning for a DC-based sustainability consultancy and a volunteer with the Coalition for Smarter Growth. When he isn’t at Carbonfund.org, Erkin can be found working with Zipcar on weekends or camping with his girlfriend in the Appalachians. Erkin can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Sumayal Shrestha
Marketing & Communications Intern
Sumayal has a background in international economics and communications with knowledge of climate change and resource management issues. After completing her undergraduate degree in Economics and Fine Arts at Wilson College, she moved to Washington, DC to test the water in environmental studies. Sumayal’s interest in Carbonfund.org stems from its dynamic initiatives in advocacy on ending global warming and supporting sustainable development through its international emissions reduction projects. Besides preparing for graduate school, Sumayal spends time painting and partaking in DC’s art museums and events. She can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Greg Taylor
Partnerships Intern
A longtime resident of Maryland and newcomer to Washington, DC, Greg is Carbonfund.org’s Partnerships Intern. A long-time environmental enthusiast, Greg had trouble reconciling his fear of climate change with his love of traveling. He discovered carbon offsets while he studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain. He quickly purchased enough offsets to travel carbon neutrally throughout Europe and on subsequent trips to Israel and South America. In addition, Greg worked as a canvasser for US PIRG, building the grassroots organization needed to lobby for political action on climate change. Now he’s moved onto encouraging private as well as nonprofit sector change with Carbonfund.org and its partners. Greg is currently working on his Masters in Public Policy, focusing on environmental policy. He got his dual undergraduate degrees at the University of Maryland in Economics and Government & Politics. He enjoys politics, chocolate, exercising, traveling, and exploring DC. Greg can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
