Husna Ali-Khan joins Environmental Defense Fund as Senior Director of EDF Climate Corps

Washington, DC (January 30, 2024) – Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced today Husna Ali-Khan has joined the organization as Senior Director of EDF’s Climate Corps. Ms. Ali-Khan will lead the fellowship program which trains talented and passionate graduate students and pairs them with companies and public institutions dedicated to meeting their climate and energy goals.

Ms. Ali-Khan is a proven partnership builder, strategist and team leader with over 15 years of experience that spans the globe, from implementing teacher-training initiatives across Iraq to leading health and sustainability programs in rural India and Indonesia. Prior to joining Environmental Defense Fund, Ms. Ali-Khan led talent and community partnerships for Microsoft in the D.C. Metro region. In just over a year, she established 22 new non-profit and university partnerships to advance Microsoft's culture of giving, and equipping future talent with the knowledge and resources for careers in tech.

Before Microsoft, Ms. Ali-Khan spent nearly five years with PYXERA Global, leading corporate responsibility strategy with partners such as Mastercard, Medtronic, and Levi’s. While designing skills-based volunteering programs for corporate employees, she built a strong network of global consultants who edified her understanding of local environmental and social issues. Together, they designed and delivered 50+ community engagement workshops and led project scoping with more than 80 non-profit organizations.

Ms. Ali-Khan has also worked with the U.S. State Department, managing a U.S./Iraq-based team to implement an $8.5 million program that provided English, pedagogical and vocational skills to educators and internally displaced women. Soon after, she assessed and operationalized a social business pilot turning 330+ rural Indian women into clean energy entrepreneurs, serving as a bridge between corporate philanthropy teams and grassroots cooperatives.

“Husna is the perfect person to lead EDF’s Climate Corps as it expands its global impact on embedding sustainability into the core of business values,” said Dr. Lea Borkenhagen, Senior Vice President of EDF+Business, the team dedicated to raising the bar on corporate sustainability. “We have the science and tools to tackle the climate crisis, but we urgently need a skilled workforce to integrate them into business practices. Husna’s background in global education and ability to align diverse actors across multiple sectors will help us propel climate solutions and train a powerful green workforce.”

The impact of Climate Corps fellows extends far beyond their fellowship. As alumni progress in their careers, there is a ripple effect, with their influence and power within companies growing year-on-year. This exponential increase in their ability to shape corporate strategies ensures a sustained, long-term impact on reducing carbon footprints and fostering a new era of sustainable business.

Ms. Ali-Khan holds an M.S. in Education from University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Communication from The George Washington University. She lives in Virginia with her husband and daughter and enjoys creating curated itineraries for their global travels.