Team

IBI Team

Mehdeen has spent over a decade in the non-profit sector, helping mission-driven organizations achieve…their development and fundraising goals. She has worked with both international and US-based organizations, including Afrika Tikkun (an award-winning and Nelson Mandela endorsed organization), Roadrunner Foodbank of New Mexico, and GoPhilanthropic Foundation. Her work has enabled organizations to diversify their revenue streams and achieve a sustainable fundraising model. She has a proven track record of connecting and cultivating deeper relations with existing and prospective donors across multiple sectors.
Mehdeen has a Masters degree in educational leadership, politics, and advocacy from New York University and a Bachelor of Science degree in international relations from Szabist University, Pakistan.
She is a first-generation Pakistani immigrant who moved to the United States with her family in 2011. In her free time, Mehdeen loves to experiment in her kitchen and enjoys traveling and exploring new places with her family. She currently lives with her husband and son in Albuquerque, New Mexico.Read more

Valeria brings over a decade of diverse experience in NGO management, administrative coordination, and project management.…With a strong background encompassing organizations such as Amnesty International, Population Council, Conservation International, and The Next 150, Valeria has effectively managed administrative, operations and HR functions at country-level offices. Her expertise extends to project management, where she ensures project execution through meticulous monitoring. She is the Chair of the African Biochar Partnership.
With a background in international relations and continuous professional development, Valeria brings a wealth of expertise and a relentless drive for innovation. She has spearheaded strategic initiatives and ensured smooth office operations across various organizations, reflecting her passion for driving positive change and fostering collaborative work environments.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Valeria is an avid reader and music enthusiast, always eager to discover new literary works and musical compositions. Her love for animals, particularly felines, is evident as she shares her home with four beloved cats. Valeria also finds joy in hiking and immersing herself in nature. Read more

As communications lead, Lauren brings seven years of experience in communication and design… in the nonprofit landscape to the IBI team as a part-time consultant. As the founder of Heartseed Creative, Lauren offers creative communications, marketing, and design services to nonprofits creating impact on the climate crisis. Heartseed Creative excels at creating short- and long-term strategies for nonprofits to reach target audiences, increase engagement, and nurture creative branding and design — all to build trust and create change. Within the International Biochar Initiative, Lauren manages communications and marketing strategy, social media, email campaigns, and graphic design. Lauren was introduced to climate change communications through her interest in food access, public health, and stewarding plants – from reporting on food deserts, participating in WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), to advocating for the importance of diverse ecosystems and healthy soil. As a strategic collaborator with bachelors degrees in Strategic Communications and Creative Writing, Lauren approaches design and communications with a community lens, centering the importance of story and creativity. Read more

Hannah curates learning experiences designed to enlighten, educate, and activate diverse audiences toward thoughtful action for a healthier globalized world.…Through guided facilitation, culturally responsive learning design, and collaborative program management, Hannah connects global audiences with knowledge and tools for individual and collective empowerment. Within the International Biochar Initiative, Hannah leverages her decade-long practice of learning design to develop localized and scalable capacity-building initiatives in collaboration with local community representatives, subject matter experts, and industry leaders as part of a global, cross-sector effort to scale the biochar industry and adapt to the greatest environmental challenges of our time.Read more

Wendy Lu’s professional background and personal passion are centered in stakeholder management and…engagement, as well as cause-based marketing, public relations, and communications. She has focused for the decade on climate solutions, with an emphasis on regenerative, climate smart agriculture. Most recently, Wendy Lu led the North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture as it transitioned from a volunteer-led organization into a professional industry association with over 250 members based in 12 countries. Prior to that, Wendy Lu founded and ran an insects-as-food company with products distributed online and in 12 US states.
Wendy Lu also spent more than a decade in international development, working with UN agencies, including WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, and IOM, as well as international development organizations such as Habitat for Humanity International. Focusing on multiple sectors, including water and sanitation, anti-human trafficking, rural infrastructure, and climate-smart agriculture, she worked with distributed, multi-country teams in over a dozen countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Wendy Lu has a Masters degree in international and intercultural communications from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Outside of her extremely fulfilling career, Wendy Lu lives in Denver, Colorado, US, with her husband, Richard, two teenage children, Scout and Sage, and non-human family members, two large dogs and three-legged cat. Read more