Core Team
James Sternlicht
Founder & Chief Strategy Officer
Growing up with entrepreneurial parents and a passion for the environment, James found himself at the intersection of investing, marketing, and philanthropy from a young age. At Dartmouth College, he honed his systems thinking approach to global challenges through his focus on environmental studies and geography.
Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach to address climate change and security, he founded The Peace Department, a platform that creates new avenues for cross-sector collaboration towards building a better human and planetary future.
James also serves on the boards of Oceanic Global, which reduces human impact on nature through waste reduction and alternative solutions; Eisenhower Fellowships, which connects innovative leaders committed to creating a more peaceful, prosperous, and just world; and The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD), which mobilizes faith-based communities to act on environmental issues.
Ann Strimov Durbin, Esq.
Executive Director
Ann is an international human rights attorney, policy advocate, and philanthropic strategist. She has extensive experience working with communities impacted by atrocity crimes and genocide, sexual and gender-based violence, displacement, and systemic inequality.
As a philanthropic advisor, Ann has designed and managed multiple nonprofit projects, grantmaking portfolios, and coalitions. She has previously worked as a human rights and civil rights litigator, directed global advocacy and on-the-ground programs for Jewish World Watch, and managed the international human rights and justice portfolio at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund.
At The Peace Department, Ann helps to shape strategic and programmatic priorities while building partnerships with our cross-sector stakeholders and community leaders.
Natalia Alvarez De Jesús
Program Officer
Natalia has built a dynamic career in the nonprofit sector, working with observer organizations at the United Nations and grassroots initiatives in New York and Puerto Rico. She holds a Master’s in International Relations and was a 2020 Fulbright grantee in Brazil.
Passionate about international relations, human rights, and community activism, Natalia supports The Peace Department by leading mission-driven events and projects and cultivating partnerships with community organizations.
Jaclyn Lee
Operations & Communications Officer
Jaclyn developed her career in Marketing, Communications, and Operations in New York, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. She worked in a variety of industries spanning pharmaceutical, non-profit, consumer packaged goods, online education, tech, retail, and sustainability.
Leveraging her diverse experience and passion for scaling organizations, Jaclyn thrives as an “Optimization Architect.” She brings order and clarity to complex situations, empowering mission-driven teams to achieve impactful results.
Advisory Council
Mark Grobmyer
Global Solutions INstitute
Mark Grobmyer, graduated from Washington and Lee University and the University of Arkansas School of Law where he was awarded his Jurist Doctor Degree and was Managing Editor of the Law Review. He also studied international law and business at the University of Exeter in England.
In private law practice, Mr. Grobmyer served as Chairman of an American Bar Association Committee on Financial Services. He also served for many years as Senior Partner of a commercial law firm where his legal practice focused on International and Financial Services Law.
He has served as a Senior Advisor to the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, the American Society of Association Executives, The World Trade Association, the International Center for Sustainable Development, the Congressional Awards Foundation and Chief Executive Magazine, the “Club Journal” of Fortune 500 CEOs.
Mr. Grobmyer helped to organize and coordinate a joint meeting of the Club de Madrid (more than 115 former Presidents and Prime Ministers of more than 80 nations) and the P80 Group Foundation (works with large pension, and sovereign wealth funds). This conference led to the signing of the Little Rock Accord, an agreement to help accelerate the deployment of technologies which can help address growing shortages of global resources related to energy, water, environment, food and medical services.
Mr. Grobmyer currently serves as a Chairman of the Joint Task Force and Planning Committee working to implement the Accord, including the formation of the Global Solutions Institute and it’s Fulbright Initiative to accelerate the deployment of problem solving technologies in more that 180 countries.
Satya Tripathi
Global alliance for a sustainable planet
Mr. Tripathi, a development economist, lawyer, and changemaker with over 40 years of diverse experience, is the Secretary-General of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet, New York, and Chancellor of the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, the world’s largest academic institution dedicated to indigenous cultures. He serves on the Global Steering Group of the Global Ethical Finance Initiative, the Jury of the Paris Peace Forum, and as a Trustee of Water Unite.
With over two decades at the UN, Mr. Tripathi has held critical roles, including UN Assistant Secretary-General, Head of the UN Environment Office in New York, and Secretary of the UN Environment Management Group. His notable contributions include leading post-tsunami recovery efforts in Indonesia, mediating Cyprus unification talks, and heading human rights investigations in post-war Bosnia.
Mr. Tripathi co-founded the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility in 2016 and the Sustainable India Finance Facility in 2017 to channel private finance for transformative social and environmental impact. He has also served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Forests.
A visionary leader, he continues to champion innovative solutions for sustainable development and global environmental challenges.
Carlos Duarte
King Abdullah University of science and technology
Ibn Sina Distinguished Professor of Marine Science Carlos M. Duarte is the Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), in Saudi Arabia, Executive Director of the Global Coral R&D Accelerator Platform, and Chief Scientist of Oceans2050, The Wave, Ocean us, E1Series and Blue Green Futures. Before this was Director of the Oceans Institute at The University of Western Australia and held positions in Spain, Norway and Denmark. Duarte’s research focuses on the effects of global change in marine ecosystems and developing nature-based solutions to global challenges, including climate change, and evidence-based strategies to rebuild the abundance of marine life by 2050. Building on his research showing mangroves, seagrasses and salt-marshes to be globally-relevant carbon sinks, he developed, working with different UN agencies, the concept of Blue Carbon, as a nature-based solution to climate change. He has conducted research across all continents and oceans, organisms and ecosystem types. Professor Duarte has published more than 1.000 scientific papers and has been ranked as the top marine biologist and the 12th most influential climate scientist in the world (Reuters). More information.
Josef Abramowitz
Gigawatt Global
Nominated by 12 African countries for the Nobel Peace Prize for his climate justice work on the continent, Yosef I. Abramowitz was named by CNN as one of the planet's leading Green Pioneers and has received from Israel its highest environmental, energy and international development prizes. He serves on Israeli President Isaac Herzog's Climate Forum, and co-chair of Shamsuna, a Peace Department partner for bringing climate justice to Bedouin communities. CEO of impact investment platform Gigawatt Global, Yosef is also a co-founder of Gigawatt Impact, a US 501c3 promoting climate justice projects philanthropically in Africa and at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the US. He is an active partner of the Peace Department in advancing faith leaders as climate advocates, especially at the UN COP conferences. Yosef can be followed @Kaptainsunshine.