Melanie Allen channels her motivation to realize a more equitable world through supporting efforts that rebuild institutions and create new means for marginalized communities to have access to finance, power, and decision-making.  Melanie has worked at the intersection of climate change, agriculture, human rights, and international policy for nearly a decade through her work with Conservation International, Amnesty International, and Les Jardins Chez Marlene. She sits on the Advisory Board for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at UC Santa Cruz and is a member of the IUCN Specialist Group on Local Economies, Communities and Nature. She was a Fulbright Scholar, a 2015 Robert & Patricia Switzer Fellow, and a 2018 Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace.