Sarah David, Program Manager, Climate Adaptation Fund

Sarah is the Program Manager for the Climate Adaptation Fund and the core point of contact for inquiries. She serves grant partners throughout and beyond the life of each project, leading monitoring and progress tracking efforts, and pursues ways by which the Fund can continue to grow the field of adaptation.

Sarah started working with the Climate Adaptation fund in February of 2020, prior to which she worked with several domestic and internationally-based wildlife conservation non-profits acting as a logistics coordinator, grant-writer, and social media curator, most recently acting as the volunteer coordinator for the Alliance for Conservation and Research in the Amazon in Puerto Maldonado, Peru. Earlier in her career, she supported various zoological institutions as an animal keeper, working at the Smithsonian National Zoo, Audubon Nature Institute, the National Aviary, and International Exotic Animal Sanctuary.

Sarah obtained a B.A. in Biology from The George Washington University, and an M.A. in Community Development and Planning from Clark University, where she completed her final master’s paper on the illegal wildlife trade in Myanmar, which examines frameworks and solutions for field practitioners to combat the illicit trade of wildlife.

Katie Jung, Climate Change Communications Officer

Katie is the Climate Change Communications Officer for WCS. She manages the communications strategy across WCS’s Forest and Climate Change team, which includes the Climate Adaptation Fund. Her work with the Fund involves applying targeted communications actions to engage key stakeholders and audiences for the national program to achieve its program level goals and leverage the on-the-ground impact of its projects.

Prior to her role at WCS, Katie worked for The Cadmus Group, where she monitored the progress of over 60 active green building projects, tracked the development of success stories, and analyzed key performance indicators for program performance and design.

Katie has served in a number of communications-related roles, namely stakeholder outreach for the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Public Engagement and digital marketing for Busboys and Poets and National Association of Home Builders' Green Building and Sustainability Department. In addition to written communications, she has performed graphic design work, creating promotional materials and informational reports such as NAHB’s “Green Infrastructure Requirements and Incentives: A Survey of 50 Municipalities across the U.S.” Katie has also developed marketing strategies, marketing metrics and executed target audience-driven communications tactics in her past roles.

Katie has a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Notre Dame and an M.S. in Environmental Science from State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). At ESF, Katie focused on biophysical and ecological economics and ecosystems-based approaches to management.