Dr. Rebecca Adler Miserendino is a public health and environmental scientist with over fifteen years of professional experience in academic research, the federal government, and government relations. She has worked across scientific disciplines and in the international arena to understand budget and policy trends, enhance institutional effectiveness, and to identify emerging opportunities relevant to the research and higher education communities. Dr. Adler Miserendino leads Lewis-Burkes environmental and international focused issue groups and drives advocacy and consulting strategies to enable clients to compete for federal funds, shape new programs, build international engagement, develop coalitions, and raise their profile with key policy stakeholders.
Issue Expertise: Environmental and life sciences, environmental health sciences, climate change, natural resource management, risk assessment, foreign affairs, multilateral negotiations, and international development.
Additional Experience: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Dr. Adler Miserendino was a Senior Adviser, Foreign Affairs Officer, and Physical Scientist at the U.S. Department of State (DOS) in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, serving in both the Office of Global Change (OES/EGC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues (OES/EQT). In this capacity, she negotiated on behalf of the United States and advised senior U.S. officials on a variety of crosscutting matters to advance U.S. global environment, climate, and health priorities; and to safeguard the role of science in policy decision-making. While at DOS, Dr. Adler Miserendino covered topics relating to international climate and environment finance, serving as the lead adviser on the Green Climate Fund, the Global Environment Facility, and on specific aspects under the Multilateral Development Banks. In these roles, she was invited to participate in and/or provide advice to several U.S. delegations including: the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; UN Forum on Forests; Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions; UN Convention on Biological Diversity; and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Additionally, Dr. Adler Miserendino managed a portfolio of U.S. multilateral and bilateral investments and policy initiatives in clean energy, emerging markets, and climate resilience worth over $1.04 billion –to include helping to secure related budget requests.
Dr. Adler Miserendino was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto, in the Department of Earth Sciences, and a Graduate Research Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she explored the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Suriname, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador. While at Johns Hopkins, Rebecca also earned a Certificate in Risk Sciences and Public Policy.
Vital Statistics: Rebecca was born in St. Louis, Missouri and holds a dual Bachelor of Science in Biology and the History and Philosophy of Science, from the California Institute of Technology. As a 2006-2007 T.J. Watson Fellow, Rebecca examined the respective roles of government, industry, academia, and civil society in addressing region-specific mine water issues in South Africa, Zambia, Australia, and India. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, volunteering, swimming, and spending time with her husband and two sons.