Tamara Toles O’Laughlin

Tamara Toles O’Laughlin is an environmentalist whose work encompasses policy and grant writing and community action. Protecting and advocating for equity, access, and community, she is interested in developing capacity-building programs and creating multimedia campaigns to dismantle privilege and increase access to healthy air, clean energy, and toxic free economies for vulnerable populations.

Tamara is an internationally recognized environmental advocate and climate strategist based in New York City. Previously, Tamara worked at the Department of Environmental Protection in New York and served as the North America director of 350.org, which advocates for an international end to fossil fuel use. She currently is the CEO and President of the Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA), which represents over 200 foundations globally, holding approximately $200 billion in assets and giving more than $2 billion annually to environmental causes. She is also the founder of Climate Critical, which seeks to support the next generation of climate leaders.

With a Masters of Environmental Law and Policy and a J.D. from Vermont Law School, Tamara is a visionary organizer and public speaker. She has over two decades of cross sector environmental experience, from non-profit to city government to state departments. Her multimedia campaigns cover climate issues in compelling and interactive ways through podcasts, videos, and writings across multiple journals and outlets.

When she’s not speaking or working, Tamara’s hobbies include travel, yoga, slowly reading books about energy, politics, and neuroscience, and writing about civil society.