Campus & Community

Director of Climate in Foreign Policy Project to participate in discussion

Stephanie Epner will take part in a panel discussion on climate change and foreign policy on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at noon.
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Stephanie Epner

Stephanie Epner: a conversation on climate change and foreign policy

Stephanie Epner, founder and director of the Climate in Foreign Policy Project at the United Nations Foundation and former Obama administration national security appointee, will take part in a panel discussion on climate change and foreign policy on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Epner will be joined by former ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and former U.S. state department official Francisco Palmieri, both senior fellows at the Jackson Institute for Foreign Affairs. The panel will take place at noon. in the General Motors Room of Horchow Hall, 55 Hillhouse Ave. Seating is limited; those planning to attend must register in advance.

The Climate in Foreign Policy Project seeks to integrate climate change with foreign policy concerns. Epner is also an adjunct professor at The George Washington University and a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project. Prior to her work at the United Nations Foundation, she was a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Fellow, where she served as the senior adviser to former Secretary of State John Kerry. Additionally, she worked as a speechwriter and adviser on Secretary Kerry’s policy planning staff for four years, during which she covered issues of foreign policy and climate change.

Epner previously worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she was a head speechwriter for former administrator Lisa P. Jackson and deputy administrator Bob Perciasepe. She also worked in the private sector as a communications strategist for Edelman Public Relations Worldwide.

The Poynter Fellowship in Journalism was established by Nelson Poynter, who received his master’s degree in 1927 from Yale. The fellowship brings to campus distinguished reporters, editors, and others who have made important contributions to the media. Among recent Poynter fellows are Nelly Luna Amancio, Aisyah Llewellyn, and Ranto Sibarani.