Vanessa Rivas Villanueva

Vanessa currently works for California Environmental Associates Consulting in San Francisco, CA. Prior to joining CEA, Vanessa worked on shark conservation and the protection of coastal environments and communities for the Natural Resources Defense Council as a RAY fellow. Vanessa also did some campaign work with Nextgen Climate that unfortunately was not enough to keep the cheeto out. She has also worked on the social and environmental impacts of Amazonian crude extraction and foreign exportation with Amazon Watch. As a Doris Duke Conservation Scholar, she focused on the interaction between traditional knowledge and Western science and how this shapes land management and community building. Vanessa has a background in education as a previous instructor and tutor for immigrant youth and incarcerated men. She received her degree in Environmental Economics and Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. Her passions for social, economic and environmental justice are shaped by her experiences as an immigrant in the Divided States of Amerikkka.