Starting with Purpose 

At Rainier Climate, everything begins with purpose. In our early months, we’ve been busy articulating our big-picture goals, identifying priority strategies, and building a team. Now, we’re gaining momentum. 

Our mission is clear: to support efforts to reach net zero by 2050 or sooner, focusing on the sectors and regions that contribute most to the climate crisis. 

We’re announcing several outstanding leaders who will guide our programs across critical areas: 

• Maria Carney, our new vice president of operations, is already helping us put in place the systems and culture to ensure Rainier is effective for the long run.  
• Cassandra Serrano, executive assistant to our co-founder and president, has been instrumental in getting us organized during these early days.  
• Arun Asok comes to Rainier Climate as program director for climate finance, leading efforts to harness capital flows that accelerate climate solutions. 
• Simon Mui is serving as program director for transportation, driving solutions to transform global mobility systems.
• Daniel Noll steps in as program director for energy systems, spearheading efforts to accelerate the expansion of renewable solutions at the speed and scale the climate crisis demands.
• Vance Wagner is now leading our work as program director for industry, developing strategies to decarbonize some of the hardest-to-abate sectors.
• Beth Trask joins us in the role of program director for super pollutants, focused on reducing emissions of these powerful and fast-acting pollutants that contribute to nearly half of current global warming.
• Justin Guay joins us in the role of program director for strategic communications, leading our work to engage the public and build coalitions to mobilize action on climate.

With this team taking shape, we’re excited for the work ahead and we look forward to sharing what we learn. Our nimble team will collaborate across areas of focus, ensuring coverage of the full range of Rainier Climate’s strategies, while remaining small and efficient by design. 

This Insights blog will be one way we share updates as our work evolves. We’ll also post job opportunities on our LinkedIn page, and provide quarterly updates through our newsletter. If you’d like to stay connected, you can sign up here.

We are deeply grateful to those already leading this work, energized by the partnerships formed, and motivated by the opportunities ahead. Our purpose is to stand alongside you, amplifying and accelerating what’s working, and helping to push forward the solutions that can make the biggest difference. 

The climate crisis is immense. Philanthropy has a unique ability to invest in organizations driving solutions to this challenge—and to do so with urgency. That’s the spirit we’re carrying forward at Rainier Climate, with an incredible team leading the way. We’re just getting started.