Through our Global Goals Ambassador Network, members can leverage their passion for issues within an SDG and engage local and national communities around programming and other activities. During this yearlong program, the Ambassadors receive training from UNA-USA and United Nations Foundation staff to help support their engagement plans, blog posts, workshops, speaking with various audiences, and all other efforts around their SDG. We encourage you to learn more about, and engage with, our new cohort of Ambassadors.

MEET OUR GLOBAL GOALS AMBASSADORS:

Jarrett James Lash, UNA-USA Lead Global Goals Ambassador

James is the Founding Member and Strategic Growth Lead of Sheltainer Homes, a sustainable, modular housing startup. He also co-founded and serves as the Policy Director of the Center for Rural Homelessness, a nonprofit organization that advocates for and supports rural communities in addressing homelessness and housing insecurity. He collaborates with local policymakers as a member of the Montgomery County Pennsylvania Homeless Task Force Operations Team.

He is inspired by opportunities to build community coalitions for positive change, create physical value through smart development, and design fiscally responsible solutions for our nation’s top issues. Lash graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Global Liberal Studies with a Concentration in Politics, Rights, and Development. He has previous professional experience with the U.S. Department of State, the Manhattan Institute, the Department of Defense, and NASA.

Jonathan De Caro is an entrepreneurial international poverty researcher and high school student from CREC Schools in Hartford Connecticut named America’s Top 100 Students by Disney who is one of the youngest to pursue a masters of economics and development at MIT and now the youngest Global Goals Ambassador. His academic research has built theories and conclusions that influence and advance the lives of millions in poverty from Latin America to Africa. He has worked on projects that discover how technology can support refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa find job opportunities, how climate shocks impact economic hardship through increases in violence trends, and was named a Pioneer Research Scholar in global development. He founded the organization One Loan Fund, which developed financial inclusion opportunities by expanding microfinance accessibility to hundreds of rural isolated women in Latin America. He now works to further combat poverty in Latin America by utilizing SMS messaging networks to curb unfair trade exploitation on rural farmers. Jonathan hopes to continue his work on elevating the voice of youth at the UN as well, expanding upon his past experience of writing and passing policy in the state of Connecticut to give youth a voice in legislation and soon the White House.

Jackie Schiffer is thrilled to be UNA-USA Global Goals Ambassador. She is a second year masters candidate in diplomacy and development studies at  the University for Peace/United Nations Institute of Training and Research. As founder of NJ Hunger Heroes, she has travelled over 1,000 miles across the state of NJ to galvanize and learn from local food security organizations. Jackie has also served as the food security task force leader for the NJ Junior Leagues State and Public Affairs Committee.

Jackie is particularly interested in the connection between food security and climate change. Earlier this year, Jackie was a 10 Billion Strong US-Africa Green leader where she led the US delegation in an eco-entrepreneurship partnership with students in Kumasi, Ghana.

La Trese Annette Monden has over 15 years of direct service experience in academia and the nonprofit sector. La Trese Annette graduated from Loyola University Chicago with her Masters in Sociology, her thesis research focused on how food stamp policy impacts people and the organizations that serve them. Prior to joining the United Nations Association of the USA, she was a Project Manager of the COVID-19 Emergency Isolation Shelter in Independence, MO. In her downtime, when she isn’t virtual volunteering as a Data Integrity Analyst for the American Red Cross National Headquarters; you can find her cruising around Chi-town, listening to the latest trending tech podcast while eating Jeni’s Salty Caramel ice cream.

Sophia Long is a high school student in New York, an aspiring scientist, and an activist for STEM. She shares a strong passion to advocate public health and combat health complications throughout the world. She is the founder of Health Pride International, a youth-led nonprofit organization that promotes education to enhance the abilities of future healthcare providers to treat patients, having reached over 50 countries across 100+ languages. She has also organized STEM and health workshops for underprivileged children across 10+ countries. Alongside her humanitarian endeavor, she has conducted biomedical research at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work has been honored by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator John Liu, Senator Kevin Thomas, and many more. As a UNA-USA Global Goal Ambassador for Good Health and Well-Being, she is excited to continue her efforts in creating a more equitable healthcare system for everyone, and foster adequate resources to further promote this SDG.

Beverly Isa, MPH, is a California native, Harvard-educated professional who obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, and a Master’s Degree in Public Health, with a concentration in Health Promotion and Advocacy. She is passionate about international development and creating equitable health systems for all, regardless of race, creed, or socio-economic status.

Ms. Isa has over a decade of experience in finance and accounting, where she works in Revenue Management for the County of Los Angeles. Ms. Isa is also the Creative Director for the African Legacy Awards (ALA). This annual event recognizes the achievements of those who make a lasting and sustainable impact on the continent. She also serves as a Global Health Coordinator for African Global Alliance (AGA), a non-profit organization that provides free health and education services for high-risk communities in sub-Saharan Africa. In this role, she has partnered with international governments, media agencies, and other non-profit organizations, with a focus on building positive dynamic collaborations, while delivering excellent quality of service.

Ms. Isa had the distinction of representing Nigeria as an official delegate at the 77th annual United Nations General Assembly (2022) at U.N Headquarters in New York. She is also an active Shot@Life Champion, a U.N Foundation organization focused on vaccine equity.

Virgil Parker is a U.S. Fulbright Alum, community advocate and Howard University graduate with a degree in Journalism and minor in Afro-American studies. Virgil served as a White House HBCU Competitiveness Scholar for the White House Initiative on HBCUs. Currently, Mr. Parker is a television producer for News10NBC (WHEC-TV). Mr. Parker has moderated and participated in national and regional conversations regarding a variety of topics such as The Future of HBCUs in the COVID-19 Era, Philanthropic Equity for Minority Serving Institutions, and Bringing Local Governments And HBCUs Together and more. Most recently, he executive produced two projects that commemorated the 45th Anniversary of Education and Sharing Day and the 60th Anniversary of The Equal Pay Act of 1963. His work has been included in media outlets such as Forbes, The Hill, iHeartRadio, Blavity, HBCU Buzz and Diverse Issues In Higher Education.

Rania Zuri is the Founder and CEO of The LiTEArary Society, the world’s largest youth-led nonprofit organization working to end book deserts for disadvantaged children. To date, her organization has donated more than $326,000 worth of brand new books to over 28,000 disadvantaged preschool children in all 50 states. For her work in early childhood literacy, she has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, The Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, NPR, Fox News, Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, and more. Rania was named by Forbes as one of “Six Teens Making the World a Better Place” in 2022 and in 2023, she was honored at the White House by First Lady Jill Biden as a “Girl Leading Change.” As a UNA-USA Global Goal Ambassador for SDG 4, Rania looks forward to continuing her work to increase access to a quality education for all.

Ilinca Drondoe is a gender equality advocate from New Hampshire. She is thrilled to be serving as a Global Goals Ambassador for SDG 5. For the past five years, Ilinca has served as the New England Coalition Leader for Girl Up, a UN Foundation organization focused on girls’ empowerment worldwide. She was an honoree at the UN Foundation’s 5th annual awards for International Day of the Girl, alongside Meena Harris. Ilinca is especially passionate about the connections between environmental and gender justice, and she believes young women are the most powerful force for climate action. As a researcher for the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network International, she is expanding the first global database on women’s contributions to protecting the planet. Ilinca is in her second year at Wellesley College, majoring in Political Science and Peace & Justice Studies. She is excited to drive intersectional action for gender equality and sustainable development as a Global Goals Ambassador!

Nicol Perez is the Executive Director and co-founder of Girlz for the World (GirlzFTW), a global mentorship program providing women with the skills and community to challenge harmful gender norms in their communities. She also currently leads Product Equity and Accessibility programs at Reality Labs (Meta’s future tech department) where she works to ensure technology is inclusive of historically marginalized communities. From 2016-2017 Nicol served as the US Youth Observer to the United Nation where she represented the voices of American youth at the United Nations alongside the US delegation. Nicol recently graduated from Harvard’s Extension School with a masters in Global Development and is passionate about helping women overcome self-imposed and societally imposed limiting beliefs to unlock their true human potential.

Savitri Grover is an artist, entrepreneur, data professional, proud first-generation immigrant, and mom. Growing up in India, she has experienced firsthand the importance of access to clean water and Sanitation and highlights how it often affects females disproportionately. She explores SDG 6 from the lens of human migration caused by geopolitical conflicts, climate crises,& lack of infrastructure. Savitri uses her work as an artist to often tell these stories. She understands the power of art to spark important conversations and inspire meaningful action. She also has data and GIS experience and a master’s degree in healthcare administration. As a former data fellow for the Mayor’s office in St. Louis, she has learned about the importance of local government and its crucial role in maintaining infrastructure, including clean water and Sanitation. During her time, she used her data and GIS skills to create updated maps to help the team’s efforts during the flood in 2021. She also served as the United Nations Regional Representative for the North Central Region 2022-23; she is also part of the UNA-USA’s DEAI task force. She volunteered her time in her local United Nations chapter in St. Louis, serving as the secretary, doing advocacy work, and organizing 2022 United Nations Day. With her strong belief that art, informed by data, is a great way to spark dialogue, and with that in mind, she organized the community art project “Welcoming Week.” Through “Welcoming Week,” Savitri collaborated with people from all walks of life, bringing them together to celebrate diversity in St. Louis.

Claudia Akel is a dedicated advocate for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), merges technology, education, and community engagement to promote SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 4 (Quality Education). She pioneered SDGtalks.ai, an AI platform revolutionizing sustainability education in universities. Claudia’s commitment to SDGs extends beyond her professional role. Since 2016, she has played a pivotal role in promoting the SDGs within Miami through Social Impact Movement, actively engaging and educating the community. Her aspiration is to bridge the gap between potential and tangible impact by championing sustainable industrialization, innovation, and infrastructure development, ensuring these vital components of the SDGs are integrated into our collective efforts towards the 2030 Agenda.

London Bell, is a 2020 African Descent Fellow for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a highly competitive fellowship program within the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024). She is also a Founding Member and the current President of the Global Black Collective Institute, an organization comprised of the 2020 OHCHR Fellows dedicated to the realization of equity and human rights for People of African Descent around the world.

She is the Founder and President of Bell Global Justice Institute, a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) focused on promoting gender equity and advancing and protecting the human rights of women and girls.

London is a member of UNA-USA and is the Immediate Past National Council Secretary and Co-Chair for UNA Women. London has served as a UNA-USA Delegate for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

London earned her B.A. Degree in English at the University of Michigan. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor and Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Law at DePaul University College of Law. She focused her Master of Law studies in International Human Rights Law & Policy and  Criminal Justice, as well as International Business Law.  London is a 2019 graduate of the FBI Detroit Field Office’s Citizens Academy and currently serves as a member of the FBI Detroit Field Office’s Community Engagement Council. London also currently serves as the Interim President of the Macomb County Michigan Branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).

Ilana Drake is a junior at Vanderbilt University majoring in Public Policy Studies and English. She is an activist and writer from New York City. She served as a Global Goals Ambassador for SDG 4, Education, during the 2022-2023 year. Ilana has advocated for numerous issues, including educational equity, inclusion, and gender rights. Ilana’s writing on policy-related issues has been published internationally, and she has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Teen Vogue. Ilana was a part of the Clinton Global Initiative University 2023 cohort where she worked on youth activism and education. At Vanderbilt, Ilana is one of the 25 Unity Lab trainers through the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and Democracy. Ilana is an alumna of Seeds of Peace and has participated in international and domestic dialogue. This year, Ilana is thrilled to be a YR Media National Youth Advisor.

Jennifer Borrero is a Colombian-Mexican social entrepreneur and human rights advocate. She is the Founder of Youth Housing Coalition, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization providing training in sustainable housing development to youth.

Her work has been featured in news outlets including Santa Monica Mirror, Argonaut News, and Salem Reporter. She has also written for news outlets such as Hispanic Executive.

Her work sits at the intersection of Sustainability and Social Justice. Jennifer’s ultimate goal is to highlight innovative housing solutions while building community across cultures.

Lauren Petrovic completed her degree in International Trade and Marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology while working for a private jeweler and diamond dealer in New York City. She was a quick study of jewelry manufacturing, and the market for precious stones. Ms. Petrovic then accepted a position at Sotheby’s auction house, coordinating presale activities in the Science and Pop-culture and 20th Century Design departments. In 2023, Ms. Petrovic founded Laurenti New York, a fine jewelry and fashion brand. She sought to develop a fine jewelry brand determined to revolutionize the jewelry industry through designing and delivering transparency for sustainable luxury products. Her vision for the brand grew from her prior experiences in jewelry manufacturing, supply chain and the high-end auction space. She simultaneously joined Nivoda, an international technology company focused on improving access to the diamond marketplace for businesses. She saw potential synergy between her newly founded company and Nivoda’s mission.

Paul Presendieu is the multilingual son of Colombian and Haitian immigrants, and the current Director of Community Engagement for Soulful Synergy, a sustainability consultancy dedicated to promoting green jobs training in the needed clean technology for the decarbonization of residential and commercial properties. His company is in its second year of having received funding from the United States Department of Energy to support the Justice 40 Agenda of President Biden by creating green-collar workers in environmental justice communities.

Paul is the current environmental advisory committee chairman for the City of New Rochelle, New York’s municipal government, and the board secretary for the New York State Association of Conservation Commissions. Paul participated in the United Nations inaugural Youth Climate Summit program of 2019, and was a 2020 delegate to the United Nations’ 75^th General Assembly Youth Plenary and ECOSOC Youth Forum.

Gabriel Nagel is an entrepreneurial social and climate justice advocate. His environmental policy passed across 200 schools, impacting 92,000 students. He founded the nonprofit Light CO2, which launched a carbon footprint tracking app and planted 10,000+ trees. Gabriel advanced the first Student Bill of Rights as director of the Superintendent Cabinet, provided financial literacy programs to 70,000 students as chair of the Young Americans Bank Board, and managed a $40 million budget as Denver’s sustainability advisory councilor. In addition to being featured on NPR twice, he spoke at NYC Climate Week, winning the International Climate Cadet Award, and met with VP Harris, earning the President’s Environmental Youth Award. At Stanford, Gabriel aims to expand his impact globally through international relations, economics, and Earth Systems. These experiences affirm Gabriel’s commitment to upholding SDG 13: Climate Action throughout the UNA-USA and beyond.

Eileen Dong is a trailblazer combating gender-based violence and human trafficking, is the Founder and Executive Director of Hope Pyx Global. Her mission encompasses ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking, violence, and torture for people of all backgrounds, aligning with SDG#16 and its intersections with other SDGs. With a diverse background as a Petroleum Engineer, NASA Scholar, and Supply Chain Executive, Dong’s approach extends to collaborating with DOJ, ICE, and FBI on trafficking and money laundering cases.

Dong’s expertise combines personal and professional experiences, fostering innovation and partnerships to combat trafficking comprehensively. A member of national human trafficking leadership councils, and formerly a diplomat at the British Consulate General, she influences inclusive, equitable, and data-driven policies. Her involvement with the Center for Countering Human Trafficking and training of law enforcement and victim service providers bridges gaps in culturally sensitive care.

A TEDx speaker, author of “Thank Your Predator: A Guide to Trauma Recovery from Abuse”, songwriter, and actor, Dong’s impact expands through her founding of the International Book Awards, elevating survivor voices, and her creation of the Ms Texas Show, amplifying voices of hope. As Chair of the International Conference on Abuse, she facilitates cross-sector discussions on emerging topics with case studies and best practices.

Eileen Dong’s leadership is exemplified by her speech at the 2023 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, embodying the theme of not leaving any victim behind. Honored with “Eileen Dong Day” by Houston’s Mayor, her achievements, including the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award and Addy Award, have reached a global audience of 37.2 million through media features on ABC, Fox, and TED Talk.

Paul Snyder, Lt Col (Ret.) is currently a Director for Johnson & Johnson driving business results across the
business including recent roles in Digital Education and Innovation with Ethicon and Marketing and Access for Janssen Biotech. Prior to Johnson & Johnson, Paul was a United Nations (UN) Military Staff Officer holding the following posts at the UN Secretariat and in the field in Mali; Senior Military Planner for Eastern Africa, Security Advisor for Somalia and Chief, Civil Military Coordination. Paul’s key UN accomplishments include drafting security plans for the coordinated withdrawal of the AU-UN forces from the United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), developing and leading the Operational Readiness Assessment (ORA) process of Somali security forces, and creating a civil-military prioritization system for UN quick-impact projects (QIPs) in remote areas of Mali. Along with his UN accomplishments, Paul has 20 years of progressively responsible experience from the field to the strategic level with US Army Special Operations; including civil military coordination roles in Iraq, Afghanistan and Western Africa and disaster relief roles in Central, South America and the Caribbean. Paul loves to volunteer locally, serve on non-profit boards, and supports various veteran, global social justice, and global health equity efforts. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey with his wife Erica and children William (10), Mollie (7) and Erin (5).

Chandra Pauline Daniel PhD., Dr.P.H., is a Public Health professional, a Research Scientist with a cutting-edge international experience in the field of public health, stemming from India, Africa, Switzerland and the United States of America. She has over a decade of experience in the field of Public Health and is thrilled to serve as a representative of the United Nations Association-USA and the UN’s SDG#17 (2023-2024 cohort). She has served in this capacity actively implementing the goals of the United Nations, advocating and enhancing partnerships via the UNA-USA platform. Her primary mission is to leverage partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals through her innovative public-health solutions which engage task forces that bridge professionals in the field of Public Health, Technology, Law Enforcement and National Security. She is a recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

She obtained her Doctorate in Public Health (Dr.P.H.) from the School of Health Sciences and Practice (SHSP) of the New York Medical College, with a concentration in Health Policy and Management. Her global study highlights the post-pandemic SDG analytics on the socioeconomic determinants of gender-based violence, with a special focus on Technology Facilitated Violence (SDG 5.2) and Adolescent Birth Rates (SDG 3.7.2). Her contribution to a global document was acknowledged by the United Nations Population Fund titled “Making All Spaces Safe” : Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence [2021]. She is the Founder and President of the United Nations Association (UNA) club of the New York Medical College (2021-2023). She has worked with HIDTA-Drug Enforcement Administration (an initiative funded by The White House, Office of the National Drug Control Policy), the World Health Organization, the Black Health Inc. (New York), the United Nations Population Fund. She is a research team member of the Public-Private Analytic Exchange Program (AEP), a research team at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), funded by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

She was bestowed with the honor of becoming a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, a community of distinguished public health professionals, top practitioners, academics and policy makers in their fields, which span medicine, nursing, social work, public health, administration, health policy, pharmacy, dentistry, law and government.

Most importantly she enjoys building partnerships to accelerate the goals of the United Nations via empowerment programs. Her inspiration is based on the mission of her late grand-dad  (Mr. K.R.R Pandian), who served alongside Dr. James Grant as a UNICEF visionary. Today, Dr. Daniel passionately carries the baton to ignite innovative and meaningful partnerships.

Rachel Svetanoff is an award-winning youth activist and social entrepreneur with a history of supporting the SDGs by mobilizing resources for over 100 projects with 116 organizations across 37 countries. In her entrepreneurial pursuits, Rachel founded the SDG advocacy youth organization Global Futurist Initiative™, the community development consortium Project Energy for Life Cameroon, and her consulting practice where SDG 17 is intrinsic to her operations. Through consulting, Rachel worked for institutions such as UNICEF USA, Johnson & Johnson, Fashion Community Foundation, and Friends U.S. of the Global Fund to foster strategic partnerships for advancing their SDG objectives. Rachel has held appointments that have also enabled her to promote the Goals including the IMF, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Foreign Policy for America, AFS Youth Assembly, and UN SDSN. Rachel currently holds a Visiting Associateship of Policy & Practice at the University of Notre Dame Pulte Institute for Global Development where she is conducting U.S. policy research on the SDGs. Born and raised in Indiana, Rachel received her BS in Chemistry and MBA from Purdue University and her MS in Global Health from Notre Dame.