Our Team

Pooja Tilvawala – Founder and Director

Pooja was born in Gujarat, India but raised in a suburb of Philadelphia. In 2018, she graduated from American University in Washington, DC with degrees in Economics and International Studies, specializing in justice, ethics, and human rights, and South Asia. After graduating, Pooja worked as a Project Associate for the Meridian Institute, committed to collaborative problem-solving on environmental issues.  

In November 2020, she founded Youth Climate Collaborative and currently she leads efforts after work and during the weekends. Her primary role is as the Youth Engagement Manager of The Climate Initiative. 

Outside of work, she participates in different organizations and programs such as YOUNGO (the official UN youth constituency), High Seas Alliance, Coalition WILD, and Unleash the sHERO in you! For fun, Pooja enjoys bhangra dance, paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking, game nights, and food parties with friends and family. Her purpose in life is to nurture her curiosity and creativity, challenge the status quo, and bring people together to improve the quality of life for all.

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Becki Cohn-Vargas, Ed.D. – Strategic Advisor

Dr. Cohn-Vargas began her 35-year career in early childhood education in Sonoma County, California. She lived abroad for five years where she did earthquake relief at a hospital in the Guatemalan Highlands and produced educational films for the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education. She returned to California and worked as a teacher and principal in Oakland, Curriculum Director in Palo Alto, and as Superintendent in a San Jose district. She also served as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego, Mills College, and Cal State University, East Bay. In each setting, she focused on educational equity and effective strategies for diverse populations. She is the co-author of Identity Safe Classrooms Grades K-5: Places to Belong and Learn published by Corwin Press. In 2020, she co-authored Identity Safe Classrooms Grades 6-12: Pathways to Belonging and Learning released in 2020 and Belonging and Inclusion in Identity Safe Schools: A Guide for Leaders which will be released in August, 2021. She designs curriculum, publishes articles, coaches schools, and produces films for Teaching Tolerance, Edutopia, Not In Our Town, and other organizations. 

Dr. Cohn-Vargas and her husband, Rito (pictured left), own Makengue, a private rain forest reserve in Nicaragua near the southern border with Costa Rica. They have brought many student groups from American universities for biological research and engagement with local youth, teachers and community members. Becki and Rito live in the SF Bay Area a few blocks from Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. For the last thirty years, together with neighbors and local residents they have managed to stop development of the adjoining hillsides, home to coyotes, deer, foxes and wild birds. They have three adult children and one grandchild.

Liz Adhikari, MSW – Climate Courage Consultant

Liz was born and raised in Seattle. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work from the University of Washington in 2018 and 2019. She is passionate about health and wellness, especially psychological wellbeing. Since receiving her MSW in 2019, Liz has been working in healthcare and resilience research. She works for the Palliative Care and Resilience Research Program at Seattle Children’s Hospital, where she is an emotional resilience coach and group facilitator. At Youth Climate Collaborative, Liz is involved in the creation and facilitation of the Climate Courage workshops.

Liz’s hobbies include learning languages, cooking, biking, and spending time with family and friends. Liz is also a community organizer in solidarity with the Duwamish Tribe, on whose land she resides.

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Evelyn Vivar – YCC Action Map Intern

Evelyn was born and raised in Jackson Heights, New York. In 2020, she graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies and Latin American Studies. She is passionate about food sovereignty, sustainable agriculture, and environmental (in)justice. In 2019, Evelyn completed an internship at the Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust, where she collected dinoflagellate samples to monitor the bioluminescent bay’s brightness. After graduating college, Evelyn interned on Governors Island, where she researched disease control methods to maintain a healthy landscape. 

At Youth Climate Collaborative, Evelyn is part of the Action Map team, using her research, interpersonal, and communication skills to create an interactive map that connects youth with environmental organizations, events, and mentors. By doing so, she hopes to reduce youth barriers in accessing decision-making spaces and help her generation address the world’s most pressing environmental issues.

During her free time, Evelyn enjoys hiking, practicing yoga, and re-watching Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is very excited to travel when it is safe to do so again!

Ben Roscoe – Youth Allies Initiative Intern

Ben was born in Puyallup, WA and spent a majority of his childhood in Burlington, MA before returning to Washington at the age of 8. He is currently a 2nd year student at the University of Washington working to graduate with a BS in Economics, a BA in Political Science, and a Minor in Mathematics. At UW, Ben is the yell leader for the student section, member of the marching band, and founder of the Lettuce Eating Club. 

In YCC Ben works as a Youth Allies Initiative Intern to help develop a research paper on how best to get youth voices incorporated into decision making spaces. In addition, Ben is helping create an eco-comedy club to introduce youth to new tools to engage in and communicate about usually difficult topics.

Outside of UW and YCC, Ben enjoys snowboarding and spikeball. Ben also plays water polo and enjoys playing his saxophone.