The OCI Team

Makiko Arima is a Senior Finance Campaigner at Oil Change International, where she works with Japanese and international civil society organizations to end Japan’s public financing of fossil fuels.

Previously, she worked with the Ministry of the Environment of Japan where she oversaw bilateral environmental cooperation between Japan and partner countries across Asia. Makiko has also worked for the United Nations University’s Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability where she worked on issues ranging from biodiversity and climate change to urban development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Makiko lives in Tokyo.

Elizabeth Bast is the Executive Director of Oil Change International. She has over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of environmental and social justice issues, pressuring governments and financial institutions to protect the climate, the environment, and communities.

Laurie is the Global Public Finance Co-Manager at Oil Change International. Her work focuses on ensuring a just transition through moving governments and financial institutions away from continued financing and permitting the expansion of oil and gas.

Weng Cahiles is the Communications Campaigner for the Asia Program Team at Oil Change International.

Previously, Weng led communications work in several organizations that work on the intersection of climate, energy and biodiversity, including supporting frontline campaigns to stop LNG buildout in the Philippines. Prior to joining OCI, Weng was part of Global Strategic Communications Council’s Voices and Movements team that empower and amplify community voices that are underrepresented in traditional media and public discourse. Weng is also an award-winning children’s book author based in Manila.

Myriam is a Senior Campaigner in the Global Industry team at Oil Change International. Myriam is a climate and racial activist based in Brussels. She previously led the Friends of the Earth Europe network’s campaigning efforts to limit corporate lobbying, especially from the fossil fuel industry. Before that, she was involved in the Young Friends of the Earth Europe network as a volunteer. She’s been a board member and climate advisor for Equinox: Racial Justice Initiative since 2020. Myriam holds an LL.M in European Law from Maastricht university and a Masters in European Studies from the College of Europe.

Josh Dutro is the Senior Development Associate at OCI, where he manages the organization’s foundation fundraising efforts. Prior to joining, Josh worked at the International Council on Clean Transportation, the global leader in policy research on decarbonizing the transportation sector. Josh has worked in progressive spaces throughout his career, including for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and progressive legislative candidates across the United States. Josh holds a B.A. in Political Science from Christopher Newport University, and an M.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University, where his studies focused on the intersection of climate change, development, and global justice issues. He is based in Virginia, USA.

Aled is a Senior Research Campaigner as part of the North Sea team at Oil Change International, focusing on challenging the fossil fuel industry’s false solutions in Norway.

Before joining OCI, Aled worked as a climate justice campaigner and communicator at Friends of the Earth Norway, where he worked on building alliances for a just transition, and local, national, and international climate policy. He has a joint doctorate from the Universities of Oslo and Edinburgh on the relationship between rights and ecology in development and systemic change in response to socioecological crises in India. He has extensive research and campaign experience in environmental movements, trade unions, and political parties. He is originally from Cardiff, Wales, and lives in Oslo, Norway.

Charlie is the Technology and Data Manager at Oil Change International. He leads our work building and maintaining the digital tools OCI uses to campaign for a just transition to clean energy.

Prior to working at OCI, Charlie ran the digital team for a number of large climate mobilizations, including the People’s Climate March and the March for Real Climate Leadership among others.

Rosemary is the North Sea Senior Campaigner at Oil Change International.

Previously she was a Just Transition Campaigner for Platform, where she worked with North Sea offshore oil and gas workers and their unions to produce a set of 10 worker-led demands for a just energy transition. Prior to that she worked as a political campaigner at Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland across a number of environmental campaigns, corporate lobbying and the policing bill. Rosemary holds a BSc in Biology from Manchester University and an MA in Environment, Politics and Globalisation from King’s College London.

Romain Ioualalen is the Global Policy Campaign Manager at Oil Change International where he works to build the political conditions for a just and equitable phase out of the fossil fuel industry globally.

Previously, Romain worked on climate diplomacy and long-term strategies at the European Climate Foundation and was in charge of coordinating the work of the Carbon Neutrality Coalition. Prior to that, he worked on EU climate policy woth in the European Parliament and the European Climate Foundation. He holds a M.Sc. in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Master of Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris. He lives in Paris.

Al Johnson-Kurts is the Senior Global Industry Communications Campaigner at Oil Change International, where they execute traditional and digital media strategies to counter Big Oil disinformation and build towards a fossil-free world.

Al has campaigned for over a decade, from the neighborhood level to international spaces. Prior to joining OCI in 2023, Al led public communications for the youth climate advocacy group SustainUS, the economic justice organization Rights & Democracy, the gender equity initiative Change The Story, and multiple progressive electoral campaigns. They managed the campaign that supported the State of Vermont to successfully divest from coal. Al has also volunteered with Central Vermont Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) and the VT Freedom Bail Fund / El Fondo Para La Libertad VT. Al studied Economics and Environmental Science & Policy at Smith College. They live in Vermont, where they play the saxophone in the bands Brass Balagan and Freak Weather.

Mariam Kemple Hardy is Oil Change International’s Global Campaigns Director, specializing in developing and leading diverse coalitions.

Prior to joining Oil Change International, she built an award-winning Campaigns Team at the UK charity Refugee Action, worked as Head of Humanitarian Campaigning at Oxfam International and led a global team supporting grassroots organisations to advocate for peace in Sudan and South Sudan when at Crisis Action. She is Co-Chair of Climate Action Network (CAN) International, and has previously been a Trustee of Gingerbread, the UK charity for single parents, and a Trustee of the Woman’s Trust, an organisation providing free counselling to women affected by domestic violence in London. Mariam holds an MA in Human Rights Law from the School of Oriental & African Studies and a BA in English Literature from Cambridge University. She lives in the UK.

Shady Khalil is a Senior Global Policy Strategist at Oil Change International. He holds a Master’s degree in Environment, Development, and Policy from the University of Sussex.

Shady has co-founded and managed several initiatives and organizations working on climate advocacy and environmental education in Egypt. Then his focused expanded to regional and international levels, advancing climate justice and systemic transformation. Shady is deeply committed to grounding his work in feminist and decolonial principles, with a focus on enabling a financed just energy transition in global policy.

Aneesa Khan is the Senior Communications Officer at Oil Change International and she supports content creation as well as the development of innovative products and tools to support the dissemination of those materials.

With a passion for environmental law and creative storytelling, Aneesa joined the climate justice movement by organizing for climate reparations at the UN climate talks. She specializes in telling stories of environmental inequity and injustice through graphic design. Aneesa holds a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic and an MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulation from The London School of Economics and Political Science.

Steve has worked on environmental and social issues around the global fossil fuel industry since 1990. After eight years in Greenpeace where he was an early leader in climate campaigns, he became the environmental adviser to the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People in Nigeria. For the next ten years, before founding Oil Change International, he worked with communities, public and private financial institutions, corporations, and organizations around the world concerned with the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the fossil fuel industry. He has always connected support for these community-based efforts with systemic critiques of the industry for climate reasons. Mr. Kretzmann has testified before U.S. Congress, authored numerous articles and reports, and is a regular media commentator on issues of corporate accountability, climate change, the global fossil fuel industry, and environmental and human rights.

Silje Lundberg is the North Sea Campaign Manager at Oil Change International where she leads the work on a just and managed decline of North Sea oil and gas production.

Silje has worked on supply-side policy for the past 20 years, following the Norwegian debate and policies closely. Through various grassroots initiatives and organizations, she’s worked closely with local communities threaten by oil and gas exploration and built public resistance against the Norwegian oil and gas industry. She was president of Friends of the Earth Norway, Naturvernforbundet, from 2016 – 2021. Silje lives in Oslo.

Matt Maiorana is Oil Change International’s Managing Director of Organizational Strategy, where he guides overall strategy and oversees the work of the Communications, Development, and Research teams.

Matt first joined OCI in 2013 and previously served as the Communications Director and Digital Director at the organization. Prior to working with Oil Change, Matt worked for the Climate Action Network International, Avaaz.org, Greenpeace USA, and SustainUS on a wide range of climate and energy issues. Matt has worked in the climate and energy space for over 20 years and has deep experience in the US as well as internationally.

Thuli Brilliance Makama is Oil Change International’s Africa Program Director, providing strategic direction and campaign support for the organization’s work in Africa. Thuli works closely with civil society organizations and other stakeholders in the Africa region.

Adam is a Campaign Strategist in Oil Change International’s public finance team, creating and implementing strategies to end public finance for fossil fuels.

Before OCI, Adam led grassroots and electoral campaigns, electing climate-friendly politicians, derailing university tuition fee increases and halting billions in taxpayer’s money flowing to fossil fuel projects. His writing has been published in The Guardian, The Independent, The New Statesman and elsewhere.

Charity Migwi is the Africa Senior Communications and Research Campaigner at Oil Change International, where she works towards a just and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels in Africa.

Prior to this, Charity worked at 350.org, championing campaigns focused on just transition away from polluting fossil fuels and advocating for redirection of public and private finance from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources that benefit and are accessible to communities, thereby promoting sustainable development practices, and fostering resilience in the face of adverse climate change impacts. During her tenure, Charity has been at the forefront of various campaigns such as the StopEACOP campaign, DeCoalonize, Fossil-Free Virunga, Coal-Free Nigeria, and Renewable Energy for Communities campaign.

Claire O’Manique is a senior research analyst at Oil Change International, where she works to shift public finance away from fossil fuels and to a just clean energy transition.

Previously, Claire worked as a policy analyst on climate adaptation and infrastructure for the Canadian federal government, and on youth climate education. She holds an M.A in environmental studies from the University of Victoria, where her research focused on degrowth, Green New Deals and social movement theory in Canada. During her time as a student, she organized for fossil fuel divestment, and has remained involved in grassroots climate justice organizing. She currently lives in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal, Canada.

As Oil Change International’s Development Director, Lopa Pal leads the organization’s fundraising efforts across the organization.

Lopa has been bringing her relationship-building skills to progressive organizations for two decades. Prior to joining OCI, she was the Development Manager at Breast Cancer Action, a health justice non-profit. No stranger to climate issues, she also spent ten years raising funds for the San Francisco Bay Area organization, Greenbelt Alliance. Lopa believes in the power of grassroots, mission based fundraising that is based on building strong relationships and is pleased to bring those values and skills to OCI.

Collin Rees is the United States Campaigns Manager at Oil Change working to support grassroots resistance against dirty infrastructure, end public support for oil, gas, and coal, and wind down fossil fuel production with a just transition.

Collin has campaigned on climate and racial justice, labor issues, and new economic models for over 15 years, spanning local to international levels. Prior to joining Oil Change, he worked to build the power of the student fossil fuel divestment movement at 350.org and trained youth to run campaigns with the Energy Action Coalition and Power Shift Network. Collin campaigned at the international climate negotiations with youth advocacy group SustainUS, where he now chairs the Board of Directors, and previously worked at the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Barack Obama. He studied Mechanical and Materials Science Engineering and lives in Portland, Maine, in the United States.

Tiana Robles is the Operations Associate at Oil Change International and provides administrative and logistical support for the Operations team.

Prior to joining Oil Change International, she worked as both an Office Coordinator and Executive and Finance Coordinator at the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, where she handled organizational, financial, and fundraising responsibilities. She holds a B.A. in Global Affairs with a concentration in Middle East and North Africa from George Mason University.

Nicole Rodel is a Senior Communications Campaigner at Oil Change International working on the Global Policy team to build the political conditions for a just and equitable phase out of fossil fuels. Nicole has a background in environmental and community journalism, with a passion for creative storytelling. She has worked in the climate justice space for 8 years with previous experience at the Africa branch of The Climate Reality Project, and is based in South Africa.

Camilo is an analyst researcher supporting the different investigations made by Oil Change International.

He is an economist at the National University of Colombia with an MA in development studies from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands. In his MA thesis, he analyzed the challenges of phasing out fossil fuels in the global south from a financial perspective. Besides, Camilo has five years of research experience in Colombia, studying different socioeconomic and environmental issues. He has worked as an economic policy advisor for a Colombian congressman and labor union proposing different policies to build a more equitable world.

Allie (she/they) is the U.S. Program Co-Manager at Oil Change International, where she focuses on supporting grassroots organizing and strategic campaigns aimed at phasing out fossil fuels. Prior to joining Oil Change International, Allie spent seven years at Rogue Climate. There, she worked to stop the Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and pipeline, developed local and statewide energy justice campaigns, trained youth organizers, and coordinated mutual aid in response to the devastating Almeda Fire in Southern Oregon. Allie earned a BA in Environmental Science & Policy and Government from the College of William & Mary, where she also organized anti-fracking campaigns. She serves on the Breach Collective Board, co-founded the Rogue Action Center, and was a SustainUS Youth Delegate to COP24. In 2019, Allie received the Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship for her work stopping fossil fuel projects. She lives on occupied Takelma, Shasta, and Latgawa lands, also known as Talent, Oregon, where she enjoys gardening, backpacking, and spending time on the rivers.

When not blogging for Oil Change, Andy is a freelance writer and journalist specializing in environmental issues. He has written about the oil industry and climate change for twenty years and his books include: ‘The Next Gulf’ and ‘Green Backlash’.

Hikmat Soeriatanuwijaya is the Senior Partnership and Outreach Officer for the Asia Program at Oil Change International.

Valentina Stackl is the Communications Director at Oil Change International, where she works to tell impactful stories to help move the dial on the climate crisis.

As a multi-lingual and multi-cultural communications specialist and storyteller with over 15 years of experience, her focus is on shifting the imbalance of the global economy and challenging human rights and environmental justice violations with frontline communities. Before joining Oil Change International, Valentina led Communications at EarthRights International and Greenpeace’s Democracy campaign. She also served on the leadership team for the Protect the Protest task force and the board of the Rules. She lives in Washington DC.

Lorne Stockman is the Research Co-Director at Oil Change International, where he researches and analyzes developments in the North American oil industry.

Rebecca Stoner is the Communications Campaigner for Oil Change International’s US team. Before joining Oil Change, she worked for the Sierra Club and was a volunteer leader in the Sunrise Movement. She also wrote about environmental justice and social justice issues as a freelance journalist. Rebecca has an MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers University-Newark, and she lives in New York City.

Shucheeta Tamrakar is a Senior Account Associate at Oil Change International, providing support to clients and internal teams, ensuring seamless operations and meaningful results with every interaction.

She brings over 13 years of diverse professional experience spanning administration, bookkeeping, counseling and marketing. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Master’s Degree in Sociology. This powerful combination gives her both the analytical sharpness to manage numbers and financial records and the people centered insight to navigate organizational dynamics and communication.

Beyond her professional achievements, she is a proud wife and devoted mother of two beautiful children. Her family is her greatest motivation, grounding her with purpose and joy in everything she does.

When she’s not working, you will likely find her in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes or curled up with a good book.

David is the Global Industry Campaign Manager at Oil Change International. He leads our team working to build space for government intervention to build a future beyond big oil and gas companies. At OCI, he coordinated the successful ‘#FixTheWEO’ campaign, which secured the International Energy Agency’s landmark 2021 finding that there is no room for new oil and gas beyond existing fields for 1.5ºC.

Outside his OCI role, David serves as the Deputy Chair of Greenpeace International.

Until early 2020, David worked at WWF-New Zealand, where he was a key part of the campaign for the country’s Zero Carbon Act. He has also worked as a contractor for the Climate Action Network International (CAN), and in 2015 established the New Zealand CAN node. He is a former commercial litigator and community lawyer, and has an LLM (1st Hons) from the University of Auckland) specialising in human rights and climate law.

David comes from Aotearoa (New Zealand) and now lives in Naarm (Melbourne, Australia).

Kelly Trout is the Research Co-Director at Oil Change International, helping to steer research on pathways towards a fast, fair, and fully funded phase-out of oil and gas production.

She leads the organization’s analysis of energy scenarios and the implications of fossil fuel reserves and production for global climate goals. Her work spans policy steps for governments to phase out oil and gas production, countering oil and gas industry misinformation on the energy transition, and the fossil fuel implications of energy scenarios aligned with the 1.5°C warming limit. Prior to joining the Oil Change team, Kelly worked with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network for four years, supporting regional campaigns to ban fracking in Maryland, challenge new fossil gas pipelines in Virginia, and pass state-level clean energy and climate policies across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. She also previously worked at Friends of the Earth U.S., where she played a key role in the group’s media and investigative work to block the Keystone XL pipeline. Kelly lives in Washington, D.C.

Bronwen Tucker is the Global Public Finance Co-Manager at Oil Change International, working to secure public funding in support of a just transition, end handouts to fossil fuels, and rewrite unfair finance rules.

Previously, Bronwen worked with community groups to stop the expansion of the tar sands in Alberta as an organizer with the Council of Canadians, Climate Justice Edmonton, and Greenpeace Canada. She is the co-author of the 2023 Canadian national bestselling book “The End of This World: Climate Justice in So-Called Canada,” which sets out a vision and pathway to a Green New Deal rooted in workers’ rights and Indigenous sovereignty. She got her start in advocacy as a student organizer for free tuition and migrant justice in Quebec. Bronwen lives in Toronto, Canada and holds a MSc from the University of Oxford and a BA&Sc from McGill University.

María is a Senior Legal Officer with the Global Public Finance Team. She works closely with movement partners, leading efforts to develop and guide legal strategies to hold governments and public finance institutions accountable for their climate commitments.

Her work focuses on fossil fuel regulation and public finance accountability, advancing systemic change through strategic legal interventions. She is an attorney at law with experience in intergovernmental relations and stakeholder engagement, working with governments, multilateral institutions, and private investment firms on development projects, transparency, and public procurement. She has expertise in sustainable finance and strategic litigation, and holds degrees in International Law and International Business Law. She is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese.

Susanne Wong is the Asia Program Manager at Oil Change International. She works with partners and coalitions, including Fossil Free Japan, to stop the buildout of new gas, coal and oil projects in Asia.