INTRODUCING TESS MCLOUD MPOYI AS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GO CONSCIOUS EARTH

Dear GCE partners and friends,

We are happy to announce Tess McLoud Mpoyi as the new Executive Director of Go Conscious Earth!

Tess McLoud Mpoyi has over thirteen years of experience in global development and the environment, particularly focusing on policy and programs for gender equity and climate change adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa. Tess holds a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and French from Dartmouth, and a Master’s in international development from Middlebury, with a focus on supporting developing countries to adapt to climate change. 

Tess started her career in development as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand, where she collaborated on community development initiatives and youth-led environmental programs in a rural village. She has worked with UNESCO to launch an indigenous climate adaptation initiative in the Pacific Islands, founded a program on women-led climate justice at the international nonprofit Ipas, and led large-scale global development programs advancing evidence-based policy for gender equity, conservation, and climate at the research and policy institute PRB.

Currently, she teaches Master’s courses at the School of Population and Development at the University of Kinshasa, DRC and consults with nonprofits around the world on gender, development, and climate. She has served on GCE’s board since 2024, where she contributed to developing an updated Strategic Plan and an informational brief on GCE’s model, programs, and impact. 

Tess is particularly thrilled to contribute to securing land rights and strengthening livelihoods for local communities in the Congo Basin with GCE, while contributing to safeguarding some of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world. From 2023 to 2024, Tess lived and worked in Kinshasa, DRC. There, she experienced first-hand the unique challenges and tantalizing potential of building a better future for the country, and the DRC’s vital role in global climate action. Tess and her husband now spend their time between North Carolina and Africa. Tess speaks French and Lingala. You can reach her at tessmpoyi@gcearth.org.

We express our deep gratitude to Barbara Holloway, who served as Executive Director for three years following years of championing GCE as a member of the Board of Directors. Barbara worked closely with Inès Ayari, Program Director, and the GCE DRC team to oversee GCE’s successful partnership with Cool Earth and enhanced GCE’s leadership in responding to the devastating flooding in the Lake Tumba region in early 2024. She will continue supporting GCE’s mission in returning to serve on the Board of Directors as Secretary. We thank you Barbara for your ongoing commitment to the communities of the Congo Basin!

Stay tuned in the coming months for more updates! 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT



MATONDO MINGI