Washington, D.C. — The Center for American Progress announced today that Frances Colón, Kelly Kryc, and Michael Williams will be joining the organization’s Energy and Environment team later this month.
Colón will be the team’s senior director for international climate. At CAP, she will help develop strategies to strengthen U.S. partnerships with the international community to address climate change.
Colón comes to CAP from Jasperi Consulting, a firm that provides science, environment, and technology policy advice to higher education institutions and state- and national-level policymakers. She previously served as the deputy science and technology adviser to the U.S. secretary of state, where she led the engagement of countries around the world in scientific collaboration and coordinated climate change policy for the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas announced by former President Barack Obama.
“Frances brings more than a decade of experience developing and implementing environmental policies at the federal and local levels,” said Christy Goldfuss, CAP’s senior vice president for Energy and Environment Policy. “Her wide-ranging international experience and track record of negotiating agreements and building coalitions will help her work to improve global partnerships to address climate change as the United States restores its credibility as a global leader.”
Colón earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Brandeis University and a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Puerto Rico.
Kryc will be a senior fellow working on ocean climate action and with the domestic climate team on reinvigorating federal climate science. She comes to CAP from the New England Aquarium, where she served as director of ocean policy. She previously held positions on the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the U.S. State Department, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the U.S. Department of the Interior. She is an adjunct faculty member of Georgetown University’s Program on Science in the Public Interest.
“Kelly’s wide-ranging experience and insights will help guide CAP’s work to restore the role of science in the federal government and to ensure that ocean solutions are integral to our fight against climate change,” said Miriam Goldstein, managing director for Energy and Environment Policy and director for Ocean Policy at CAP.
Kryc graduated from Boston University with a Ph.D. in earth science and from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography with a Master of Science in oceanography. She received her Bachelor of Art from Middlebury College, where she was a double major in geology and in marine science as an independent scholar.
Williams will be a senior fellow focusing on climate policy and the opportunity to build high-quality union jobs through the clean economy. He comes to CAP from the BlueGreen Alliance, where he was deputy director overseeing development of the organization’s policy and legislative agenda, as well as the revenue and fundraising efforts.
“Mike’s experience and leadership will play a big role in CAP’s push toward a 100 percent clean economy that creates high-paying union jobs for all who want them,” Goldfuss said.
He previously worked for Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), where he handled energy, environmental, and transportation issues. Williams also worked for the National Wildlife Federation, where he helped launch its environmental education advocacy campaign and assisted with policy and campaigns on energy policy and the Water Resources Development Act.
Williams graduated from The George Washington University with a Master of Arts in public policy, concentrating in environmental policy. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Boston University, where he studied philosophy and music.
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