Carmen Iezzi Mezzera became the Executive Director of the Coalition for American Public Diplomacy and Leadership in May 2024. Previously, she served as Executive Director of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs; Director of Programs and Operations at the Bretton Woods Committee; Executive Director of the Fair Trade Federation; Assistant Director for Education and Outreach at the Atlantic Council of the United States; and Director of Alumni Relations for the School of International Service (SIS) at American University. Ms. Mezzera earned her bachelor’s degree in international relations and a master’s degree in international politics from SIS.

Among her volunteer work, Ms. Mezzera has served with the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship, the Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship, the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship, United Nations Association of the National Capital Area, St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington DC, the Canadian Coalition for Fair Trade, and the Abyssinian Fund. She has written and/or provided interviews for CNN, CBS, Forbes, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Wall Street Journal, Martha Stewart Living, Vogue, US News and World Report, and Cooperative Grocer Magazine – among other outlets. She speaks at numerous national and international conferences. She received the 2008 Rising Star Alumni Award from American University.

Nils Moe is a climate leader with a growth mindset and expertise in solution development, national and international network establishment across silos, organizational leadership, social entrepreneurship, and environmental policymaking.

In his current role at Global Optimism as Lead, Climate Pledge, he is helping to build a cross-sector global community of over 525 multi-national companies and organizations, working together to crack the climate crisis and solve the challenges of decarbonizing our economy.

Prior to this role, Nils served as the CEO of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN). In this role, Nils oversaw the day-to-day operations of a rapidly evolving North American network of over 250 cities and counties and 2,000 members representing more than 100 million people. USDN fosters collaboration on local innovations for sustainability and supports its members who are on the front lines of addressing the issues surrounding climate change.

Previously, Nils was the Mayor’s Senior Aide and Sustainability Advisor for the City of Berkeley. In this role, he helped to implement Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan and worked with the community to reduce their GHG emissions and become a more resilient city. Nils was one of the founding team members responsible for creating Berkeley’s innovative solar financing program, which has since become an international model of renewable energy financing (PACE).

Nils has over a decade of experience teaching Organizational Psychology and Sustainable Management at the graduate level. He has also co–founded two values-driven non–profits and has worked in the private sector as a management consultant, specializing in program evaluation of non-profits and 360–degree feedback for Fortune 100 companies.

Julia Robertson is a multi media artist and entrepreneur living in California where she operates (R)evolve Foods, a Modern- Primal Lifestyle Brand offering online health and wellness education and coaching services. Julia earned her MFA in Social Practice from California College of Art. Her ventures include Vena Cava Studios, a cooperative art space showcasing local and emerging artists in Portland Oregon, Pinch Me Films Inc. an educational media production company based in California and Revolve Foods LLC promoting health and wellness through online education and one on one coaching.

Julia currently serves as the Treasurer and Director of the Berkeley Film Foundation, Director of Wild Projects, and President of The Robertson Foundation for Government.

Olivia Robertson-Moe is a Program Officer for the Child Protection Unit at Partners of the Americas, where she supports the technical and operational implementation of the Unit’s projects to combat child labor and human trafficking and promote human and labor rights in Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Mexico.

Olivia received her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and a concentration in Global Public Health from George Washington University. She spent six months studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which furthered her interest in Spanish and her passion for international sustainable development in the region.