TEAM
Our team is comprised of a remarkable group of professionals and volunteers, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise in consultancy, research, youth engagement, and climate activism. Our Director, along with dedicated freelancers, ensures the organization meets its partnership commitments and operates smoothly behind the scenes. Our volunteers are exceptional in delivering educational workshops, conducting content research, managing social media, and running our young ambassadors program. Additionally, our advisory board members provide invaluable insights, guiding us to envision our future and chart the path to achieve it. Together, this diverse team leverages their collective skills to drive our mission forward.
CORE TEAM
Laura Dempsey (She/Her)
Founder & Executive Director
Laura is deeply passionate about youth development. She has over twenty years leadership experience within the private and voluntary sector, including directing the volunteer function at the UK’s leading youth charity The Prince’s Trust. Laura saw an opportunity to use her experience and passion for climate activism, education, and partnership building and thus GenEarth was born. Laura spends her free time campaigning to raise awareness of climate change, animal rights and social justice.
Coco Tas (She/Her)
Programme Lead (UKYCC & BFF)
Coco is London-raised, and feels most alive in the outdoors, with her hands in the mud, cold rivers and the sea. Coco studied Earth, Energy, and Sustainability (BSc) and Environmental Engineering (MSc). Her passion is working on Climate Justice, and she geeks out about trees and fungi. Coco works as an Associate Director and is delivering the climate justice, wildlife and conservation education programmes in partnerships with the Born Free Foundation and UKYCC.
Maddy Owens (She/Her)
Programme Lead (YGBC)
Maddy is an environmental scientist, educator, and a graduate of the DICE University of Kent Conservation Biology MSc Programme. Their work with VFF and with young people reminds them of the amazing power that people have to create a sustainable world where humans coexist with the natural world for generations to come. Maddy works as an Associate Director helping to deliver the UK-wide Young Green Briton Challenge programme, and is acting GenEarth lead in Kent.
SPECIALIST SUPPORT
Chloe Agar (She/Her)
Young Ambassador Programme Coordinator
Chloe is an environmental communicator from Suffolk, with an interest in the intersection between ecology, education, and the arts. Chloe has supported GenEarth with the delivery of the Born Free and UKYCC workshops. Chloe currently coordinated GenEarth's Young Ambassador Programme.
Renee Tonkin (She/Her)
Social Media Coordinator (LinkedIn)
Renee trained as a Bioengineer and has a PhD in Materials Science. Renee enjoys focussing her energy on Climate and Sustainability projects, working across Product, Marketing, Project Management, and Strategy for a variety of organisations. Renee also recently launched her own Climate EdTech business - Science Owl.
YOUNG AMBASSADOR
Sia (She/Her)
Young Ambassador
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Zaara (She/Her)
Young Ambassador
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Dev (He/Him)
Young Ambassador
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Dylan (He/Him)
Young Ambassador
Dylan has been a young ambassador for GenEarth since 2021. He is passionate about the environment and ensuring that his generation are equipped to save it - which he believes can be achieved with the help of education. Aside from volunteering, Dylan enjoys playing sports, in particular tennis and football which he finds are great ways to get some fresh air and enjoy the outdoors.
FACILITATORS & MENTORS
Manuela Teodoro (She/Her)
Workshop Facilitator
Manuela is Italian, lives in London and works in tourism and travel. Manuela helps to deliver the Born Free conservation workshops and she is a mentor for young people who are part of the YGBC.
Samia Dumboya (She/They)
Workshop Facilitator
Samia Dumbuya is a climate justice activist and a Black Ecofeminist who focuses on decolonising climate education and building communities of care in the climate justice movement. Samia supports GenEarth with the Climate Justice workshops.
Frankie Rae (She/Her)
Workshop Facilitator
​Frankie has been a volunteer with GenEarth since 2023. She works as a small animal veterinarian in London, and has a passion for wildlife and conservation. She studied a Masters in Global Wildlife Health and Conservation and enjoys volunteering with GenEarth in her time off.
Seb Hancox (He/Him)
Workshop Facilitator
Seb is studying Anthropology at UCL, and got involved with GenEarth in 2023 and has enjoyed the opportunity to shape the way young people think about the future and climate change, delivering climate justice workshops to secondary school students.
Andrew Boyer (He/Him)
Workshop Facilitator
Andrew has been volunteering with GenEarth since 2022, delivering the Born Free workshops and mentoring students for YGBC. Andrew has worked as a corporate lawyer, and as an actor and theatre director. Andrew is currently studying climate change at King’s College London.
Verónica Ponz Grasa (She/Her)
Workshop Facilitator
Verónica has been a volunteer with GenEarth since 2023, delivering the Wildlife workshops in Primary Schools and Climate Justice workshops at Secondary Schools. Originally from Spain, she has grown up in Bulgaria, the UK and Belgium before coming back to London 4 years ago for university in Environmental Geoscience and Geophysical Hazards.
Imogen Ford (She/Her)
School mentor
Imo works with Ecotricity. with their communications. She has supported GenEarth with social media management, and currently supports the YGBC Programme.
Hannah Greenwood (She/Her)
Workshop Facilitator
Hannah works for Tutors United as their Online Programme Coordinator. Hannah is completing a Masters in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies. She is passionate about wildlife conservation and loves the work that GenEarth does and can't wait to continue supporting them to deliver workshops to young people.
Alison Mees (She/Her)
Workshop Facilitator
Alison has lived and worked in the African continent for 17 years, involved with tourism and spending her free time helping with conservation and community based projects. Alison is now based in the UK and helps to deliver the online workshops.
Maki Ramaditya (She/They)
Workshop Facilitator
Maki is a writer and passionate about nature, art, and people. They are helping to facilitate the climate justice workshops to secondary school students, and the conservation and wildlife workshops to primary school students.
Mary-Ann Bell (She/Her)
Workshop Facilitator
Mary-Ann studied Biodiversity, Conservation & Environmental Management, and has worked with marine turtles and animal sanctuaries and organisations, like the RSPCA. Mary-Ann now lives in Toronto, Canada and enjoys volunteering with GenEarth with the online workshops.
ADVISORY BOARD
Lisa Ahmed (She/Her)
Stakeholder Management
Lisa has worked for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, EDF Energy and a communications consultancy. She currently work for the UK's consumers' association, Which?, in External Affairs. Lisa leads the Sustainability Champions Network, and other sustainability related employee engagement activities.
Kristina Grant (She/Her)
Conservation
Kristina works for TRAFFIC International, a conservation charity focusing on the illegal trafficking of wild species. She has previously worked with cheetahs in Namibia and Somaliland. She holds an MSc in Conservation and International Wildlife Trade.