Emma Espenan is a policy intern at the U.S. Climate Alliance, supporting the Just Transition & Equity portfolio. Emma is currently a graduate student in Georgetown University’s Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) program with a focus on international development and climate policy.

Emma’s professional experience spans from local to international governance. She served twice as an AmeriCorps member in her local mayor’s office and recently interned with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where she helped publish two documents on Community-Driven Relocation. She also served as a Public Partnerships Fellow and part-time consultant with UNICEF.

Prior to her graduate studies, Emma served as the Director of Communications at Volunteer Louisiana. There, she led external and internal communications strategies and supported the agency’s disaster services team in strengthening Louisiana’s disaster response and resilience.

Her personal commitment to climate work stems from growing up in Houma, LA, a coastal city less than 40 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Emma holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Louisiana State University.