Staff Bios
Vicki Arroyo
Vicki Arroyo is the Executive Director of the Georgetown Climate Center, which is based at the Georgetown University Law Center where she is also a Visiting Professor.
She previously served at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, most recently as the Pew Center’s Vice President for Domestic Policy and General Counsel. Since 1998, she directed the Center’s domestic policy program as well as managing the Center’s work on science, environmental impacts, and economics. She served as Managing Editor of the Center’s book, Climate Change: Science, Strategies, and Solutions. She has taught courses on environmental policy and climate change at Catholic University, George Mason University’s graduate public policy program, and Tulane Law School. more ↓
Previously, she practiced environmental law with Kilpatrick Stockton in Washington DC and other firms and served in two offices at U.S. EPA: the Office of Air and Radiation and the Office of Research and Development, where she reviewed development of standards under the Clean Air Act. From 1988 to 1991, she created and directed the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s policy office, and also served during some of that period as Governor Buddy Roemer's environmental advisor. Professor Arroyo has served on several federal panels, including those reviewing economic modeling of climate legislation (DOE’s Energy Information Administration,) and on climate change adaptation along Gulf Coast (Climate Change Science Program). She currently serves on the Advisory Council to the National Center for Atmospheric Research and on a National Academy of Sciences/Transportation Research Board panel on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. She holds a B.S. in biology,
magna cum laude, from Emory (double major in philosophy); a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard (top honors in program), and a J.D.,
magna cum laude, from Georgetown, where she was Editor-in-Chief of
The Georgetown International Environmental Law Review. hide ↑
Kathryn Zyla
Kathryn Zyla, the Center’s Director of Research and Policy Analysis, previously served as Senior Associate in the Climate and Energy Program at the World Resources Institute. Her work focused on greenhouse gas emissions markets, energy security, and state-federal roles in climate policy. She also staffed the Midwest Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord’s process to design a cap-and-trade program in the Midwest.more ↓
Kathryn previously held the position of Senior Research Fellow for Domestic Policy at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. She has advised the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council on opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through transportation planning, and conducted an energy efficiency study of municipal buildings for the City of New York. Ms. Zyla holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Yale University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Swarthmore College.
hide ↑Chris Coil
Chris Coil, the Center’s Communications Director, has worked with prominent nonprofit and progressive organizations for more than a decade to develop effective branding, marketing and strategic communication plans. more ↓
Prior to joining the Georgetown Climate Center, he served as the Director of South-Southwest Communications for the Service Employees International Union where he managed communication teams and media outreach for electoral, political and policy campaigns across the country. He possesses extensive new media experience and recently developed a social networking system that is used by political candidates to increase participation in their campaigns. Early in his career, Chris worked as a political journalist in Texas and Tennessee. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of North Texas.
hide ↑Tsinu Tesfaye
Tsinu Tesfaye, the Center's Administrative Assistant, worked in international human rights organizations prior to joining the Climate Center. Most recently, she worked as United Nations Liaison and Middle East/North Africa Liaison for Equality Now, an international human rights organization for women.
