Dozens of public leaders from all over Brazil will receive training in climate and green economy promoted by Comunitas and Columbia University

Comunitas, in partnership with Columbia Global Centers Rio de Janeiro and Climate Hub | Rio, will launch a short course on the theme of climate and green economy. Fifty leaders were selected, including secretaries and other public leaders, from 20 environmental secretariats from all regions of Brazil.

Leaders and technicians involved in projects with an impact on the environment were nominated for the highly exclusive selection. Criteria such as regional impact and multi-party system and national scope were also considered.

The initiative seeks to unite Columbia's academic excellence with the practical experience of Comunitas, bringing quality knowledge to public leaders. The course, which will start on July 3rd, will last five weeks and cover key topics, such as the challenges of the climate crisis, energy decarbonization, and the importance of sanitation in waste management and water management.

Classes will be held completely online, with asynchronous meetings and live exchanges, taught by Columbia University professors. In addition, the course offers a certificate of completion signed on behalf of Climate Hub | Rio. 

Meet the professors:

• Walter B. Baethgen – Scientist and Senior Research Fellow, Director of the Regional and Sectoral Research Program at Columbia Climate School, Columbia University;
• Marcelo Medeiros – Visiting professor at Columbia University;
• Marília Melo – State Secretary for the Environment and Sustainable Development in the State of Minas Gerais;
• Martin Dietrich Brauch – Principal Investigator at the Center for Sustainable Investment at Columbia University;
• Bruna Santos – Director of the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Center.

“To Comunitas, it is extremely important to provide training opportunities for public leaders, aiming at transforming the government and generating improvements in the quality of services provided to the population. Through actions like this, we seek to train and transform people who work in the public sector, thus strengthening management and promoting significant advances in favor of society”, explained the director-president of Comunitas, Regina Esteves.

The importance of the theme

The climate urgency has had far-reaching impacts on all sectors of society and the economy, representing significant challenges on a global scale. As most of the Amazon is located within national territory, Brazil plays a key role in the global climate debate.

For this reason, mitigation and adaptation policies must embrace the diversity of impacts resulting from the climate crisis and face the challenging panorama that is presented. Brazil, faced with the urgency of accelerating the climate transition, occupies a unique position, with specific opportunities to be explored.

The short course will be hosted on the Plataforma Rede Juntos, a space created and maintained by Comunitas since 2017 aimed at providing free and quality learning for managers and public servants. In addition to short courses, the platform also features publications, good practices, and various other materials intending to democratize knowledge and generate a positive impact on people through education.

Meet the selected leaders:

1 – José Mauro de Lima O de Almeida – Secretary of the Environment (PA)
2 – Eveline Farias Uchôa – Technical Advisor (PA)
3 – Christiane Ferreira da Silva – Environment Secretary – Belém (PA)
4 – Eduardo Maximiano Furtado dos Anjos – Technical Advisor – Belém (PA)
5 – Vitor Reis Salum Tavares – Undersecretary for Regularization – Belo Horizonte (MG)
6 – Diogo Soares de Melo Franco – Superintendent of Environmental Management – ​​Belo Horizonte (MG)
7 – Jeconias Rosendo da Silva Júnior – Coordinator of Political Articulation (National Front of Mayors – Brasília (DF)
8 – Rogério Menezes de Mello – Secretary of the Environment – ​​Campinas (SP)
9 – Angela Cruz Guirao – Director – Campinas (SP)
10 – Francisco de Assis Batista da Silva – Chief Executive Officer of the Urbanization and Environment Authority of Caruaru – Caruaru (PE)
11 – José Arruda Biserra Neto – Environmental Licensing Manager at the Urbanization and Environment Authority of Caruaru – Caruaru (PE)
12 – Andréa Vulcanis – Secretary of the Environment – ​​Goiânia (GO)
13 – José Bento da Rocha – Undersecretary for the Environment – ​​Goiânia (GO)
14 – Fernanda Antunes Andreozi – Chief of Staff – Goiânia (GO)
15 – Tatiana dos Santos Pereira – Planning, Architect and Urbanist – Guaíba (RS)
16 – Vanessa de Souza Kologeski – Legal Advisor – Guaíba (RS)
17 – Rodrigo Portella Dias Valdanha – Director – Iracemápolis (SP)
18 – Fábio João Jovita – Secretary of the Environment – ​​Joinville (SC)
19 – Ana Luisa Rizzatti da Costa – Executive Director – Joinville (SC)
20 – Ionara Amélia Fernandes – Secretary of the Environment – ​​Mogi das Cruzes (SP)
21 – Marcella Carmona Wahl Rontani Migliacci – Project Manager – Mogi das Cruzes (SP)
22 – Vinícius Soares de Oliveira – Secretary of the Environment – ​​Paraty (RJ)
23 – Daniela Teixeira Oliveira – Environmental Manager – Paraty (RJ)
24 – Eduardo Daudt Schaefer – Secretary of the Environment – ​​Pelotas (RS)
25 – Alexandro Brayer Martins – Environmental Manager – Pelotas (RS)
26 – Marjorie Kauffmann – Environment Secretary – Porto Alegre (RS)
27 – Daniela Mueller de Lara – Climate Advisory Coordinator – Porto Alegre (RS)
28 – Ana Luiza Ferreira – Secretary of the Environment – ​​Recife (PE)
29 – Jefferson Rodrigues Maciel – Executive Secretary for Environmental Management and Control – Recife (PE)
30 – Danilo Nogueira – Chief of Staff – Recife (PE)
31 – Laurindo Antônio da Silva – Secretary of the Environment – ​​Ribeirão Preto (SP)
32 – Enio Galan Déo – Director of Environmental Planning – Ribeirão Preto (SP)
33 – Liliane Bonadio Terra – Director of Environmental Management – ​​Ribeirão Preto (SP)
34 – Matheus Felipe Conceição Alves Lima – Biologist – Ribeirão Preto (SP)
35 – Camila dos Santos – International Relations and Cooperation Advisor – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
36 – Luis Fernando Valverde Salandía – Macroplanning Manager – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
37 – Tatiana Castelo Branco Dornellas – Climate Change Coordinator – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)}
38 – Manoel Tabet Soriano – Economic Advisor – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
39 – Henrique Silveira de Souza – Undersecretary for Metropolitan Integration – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
40 – Wanderson José dos Santos – President of the Águas do Rio Foundation – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
41 – Carolina Tendler – Executive Coordinator – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
42 – Pedro Friedrich Fruet – Secretary of the Environment – ​​Rio Grande (RS)
43 – Patrícia Borges Rackow – Civil Engineer – Rio Grande (RS)
44 – Marcos Oliveira Libório – Secretary of the Environment – ​​Santos (SP)
45 – Eduardo Kimoto Hosokawa – Head of the Climate Change Section – Santos (SP)
46 – Juliana Santiago Ortega – Deputy Coordinator of the Refloresta Program – São Paulo (SP)
47 – Anderson Marcio de Oliveira – Executive Secretary – São Paulo (SP)
48 – Mariana Gabriela de Oliveira – Mariana Gabriela de Oliveira – Belo Horizonte (MG)
49 – Ivan Gonçalves Pinto Junior – InvestMinas – Belo Horizonte (MG)
50 – Andrei Gomes Santana Pereira – Coordinator of the Socio-environmental Nucleus of the Pro-Brumadinho Management Committee – Belo Horizonte (MG)