Esmond Wisdom Quansah is a development professional with over 10 years experience in the development field. He served in several capacities and spearheaded many interventions for improved wellbeing for marginalized groups and young people. He implemented key programs in livelihoods, gender equality and climate action. Prior to joining Pure Earth, he served as Country Representative/Project Lead for Youth Challenge International, a Canadian INGO in Ghana to support young people in living sustainable livelihoods. Esmond comes with leadership skills in building partnerships, advancing Climate Action issues, engaging stakeholders across government, civil society, and private sectors. He also worked with Ghana Education Service, Right to Play International, and EQUIP HUBs program. He held several other positions which include Training Coordinator, Hub Coordinator/Manager, Project Coordinator, Operations and Finance Manager among others. He holds Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Assam Don Bosco University, Guwahati, India. Esmond is passionate about issues related to marginalized groups, youth empowerment leading to sustainable livelihoods, gender equality and climate action.

While Budi Susilorini and her local team have assessed hundreds of hotspots in Indonesia, she tells us that there are still many more. Among her projects, Budi is working with Pure Earth in Indonesia to test the “Benguet” method, which eliminates the use of toxic mercury in the gold mining process. Indonesia is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of gold. Over 300,000 artisanal miners (including many children) release more than 1000 tonnes of toxic mercury every year. She is also working to break the cycle of extreme lead poisoning in Pesarean, Indonesia. Read a full profile of Budi here.

Nickolaus has always been interested in environmental issues. He has a background in forest resource conservation and more than 4 years of experience as a forest firefighter. He joined Pure Earth in 2014, when Pure Earth was carrying out a clean-up project on lead-contaminated land in Cinangka Village, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. As Program Officer, Nickolaus assists the Pure Earth Country Director in Indonesia and conducts Initial Site Assessments of contaminated land based on information from partners such as the Indonesian government, non-governmental organizations, universities, and the communities themselves.

Larah Ortega Ibañez oversees a variety of projects for Pure Earth in the Philippines, including both research and cleanup. Larah is currently preparing for a large-scale project aimed at reducing heavy metal contamination in fishponds in the river systems surrounding Manila.

Dr. Lynn Panganiban has been our go-to expert through the years and is now officially on board as our National Consultant for GiveWell project implementation in the country particularly in the area of Public Health and Toxicology. She’s a professor at the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine; one of the pioneers and still is a Toxicology Consultant at the National Poison Management & Control Center, UP College of Medicine-Philippine General Hospital; Member of the Pesticide Expert Panel and Technical Service Consultant of the Center for Cosmetic Regulation and Research of the Food and Drug Administration among others.

Elezabeth “Beth” Ompad has rejoined us officially as Program Officer for Field Operations. She’s been working with PE Philippines in various roles as Junior Investigator, Research Assistant, Senior Investigator, and Project Officer/Coordinator for different periods of time since 2009. She is a Chemical Engineer with backgrounds in Biology, Chemical Engineering and Environmental Science and engagement in research relevant to our advocacy and work.

Sandeep develops and implements advocacy and communication projects and strategies to engage diverse influencers, decision-makers, governments, private sector companies, NGOs, research institutes, media and public in support of awareness-raising and policy development/change to bring attention to lead pollution and its solutions. Sandeep is an environmentalist, scientist, policy expert and a campaigner. Before joining Pure Earth, Sandeep worked at Purpose developing and implementing a wide range of campaigns on air pollution, clean transport and clean energy. He comes with great experience in Government policy/program implementation & coordination. In the past, he has worked on the Clean India Mission with Tata Trust and the Indian Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. He started his career as a researcher at TERI University and contributed to different air quality and climate change-related research projects funded by government, non-governmental and international organizations.

Emershia Sharmine is a Public Health Nutrition professional with 14+ years of experience in the development sector. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership in providing technical support for Child Health and Nutrition programs across India, including a UNICEF partnership project. With a master’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition and an M.Phil in Research and Development, Emershia is well-equipped to design and implement SBCC programs, foster partnerships, strengthen systems, manage programs, and deliver evidence-based reports.

With a postgraduate degree in hospital administration from Manipal University and six years of experience in the public and private sectors, she has become well-versed in her field. In her work within the public sector, she collaborated with state health departments to improve the skills of health workers. She played a key role in initiatives such as the National Cancer Grid by Tata Medical Center and the cancer screening program by the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR). Additionally, she has taken on several projects related to health policy and digital health, displaying her versatility and expertise in the field.

A Bhaskar Raj works as a program associate at Pure Earth, India. He has over 10 years of working experience in the field of sustainable social development, specifically Nutrition, Education, Rural Development, Migration and Human trafficking. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Work, a Master of Philosophy in Social Work and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. His research in the past mainly focused on Self Help Groups, Farmer, Urban slum dwellers, issues of Migration, Human trafficking and Agriculture. Before joining Pure Earth, he worked with Tata Institute of Social Sciences in the Research department and with TATA TRUSTS on Nutrition in Central Kitchen.

With over 20 years of experience in both profit and non-profit sectors, Annu Sharma holds a postgraduate degree in Commerce. She has worked with renowned organizations like IDEI-International Development Enterprises (India), The Union (International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease), and IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation). Annu’s expertise lies in managing accounting, cash flow forecasting, budgeting, donor reporting, ensuring compliance with statutory regulations, conducting audits, and supervising administrative departments on a daily basis.

Kumar Bhaskar is working as a Project officer in Bihar. Before joining Pure Earth, he worked on different research Projects as a research associate & junior research fellow. His area of interest is environmental monitoring, environmental pollution and public health. He comes with years of experience in research; government, CSO and industry partnerships and projects management. He completed his Masters’s in Environmental Science from the Central University of South Bihar and a Bachelor’s degree in Environment and water management from Anugrah Narayan College, Magadh University Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India.

Mahfuzar Rahman is a physician/epidemiologist by training; He has been with Pure Earth since 2020 after successfully completing tenure with UNICEF, BRAC, Columbia University and ICDDRB. His main research interests over the past 20 years have been occupational, environmental and molecular epidemiology, focused in studying various pollutants on health and pollution in producing acute and chronic diseases. Other interests include health systems performance particularly for the poor; universal health coverage; program evaluation; implementation research for successful delivery of evidence-based interventions to improve the quality of care services; and access to safe water and toxic elements in environment. He also serves as a cost analyst of different projects in Bangladesh. He used to work in International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France. While most of his work has related to low-income settings, Rahman has also been involved in research with the GBD in Seattle and Imperial College, London for many years.

Mitali Das leads the communication efforts of Pure Earth Bangladesh. She is a communications professional with more than 9 years of extensive experience in the development, media and communication sectors. She has played a lead role in successfully designing and implementing hundreds of national and local-level campaigns that have reached millions of people. She has expertise in developing communication and branding strategies, social media and website content, IEC and SBCC materials, creative campaign concepts and documentary and animation scripts. She also has experience in report writing, documenting lessons learned, achievements, and best practices of projects. She has worked closely with many international donor agencies, the government’s multi-sectoral departments, UN organizations, media agencies, and partner NGOs. She has a rights-based approach in her work that promotes inclusiveness, gender-sensitive communication, and non-discrimination. She also volunteers with various local and international charitable organizations to provide education to underprivileged children.

Khatuna holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management and Planning and a PhD in Biosciences. She has more than 15 years of professional experience in Agrochemicals management including hazardous waste management in Georgia and abroad. She has worked with FAO, UNEP, UNDP, WB, EBRD. She helped with the preparation and validation of the 2021-2031 Climate Action Plan (CAP) Waste (solid & water) sector chapter and has experience working on normative regulations on solid municipal waste, toxic waste and chemical substances management issues at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources. She possesses 5 years of Greenhouse management and 10 years of environmental consultancy work in Georgia. She is a trainer of trainers on pesticides and obsolete pesticide management issues and has been a part of different programs and projects aiming at strengthening the capacities and knowledge of farmers to help increase the production of crops in Georgia.

Valeriia Kovach, PhD is Pure Earth’s country coordinator in Ukraine. Since joining Pure Earth in 2014, Valeriia has worked to identify polluted sites contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, radio nuclides. Valeriia’s experience includes work with the Institute of Environmental Geochemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the Department of Environmental Problems, and on many national and international projects connected with rehabilitation and remediation of polluted areas. She has been awarded many national and international certificates, and received her PhD in Ecology in May 2015. Her areas of interest include environmental safety, nuclear safety and radiation protection.

Lizeth is an Environmental Engineer, with a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering from the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia. She has worked in the areas of consulting, environmental and project management, teaching and research, and has experience in the administrative and technical coordination of projects of a diverse nature and in the implementation of sustainability strategies.

Angie Tatiana Ortega Ramírez is the Project Coordinator Pure Earth – Colombia. She is a Chemical Engineer a Petroleum Engineer and a specialist in project management. She holds a Masters in Environmental Management for Competitiveness and is a doctoral student in Sustainability. She has been a member of the Pure Earth team since 2018. She is currently coordinator of the CSO project for Colombia, administrator of the TSIP database for Latin America and the Caribbean and assistant for Mercury (Hg) projects. She has 7 years of research and teaching experience, experience in the hydrocarbons sector in the field of reservoirs and HSEQ. She has experience in management of environmental remediation projects due to mining – energy impacts in Colombia has been a leader of social and environmental projects in non-profit organizations. She has published academic research on sustainability, especially in the oil industry. She is the director of her foundation “Sueño de Ángeles” in Colombia, where she works with children in a state of vulnerability.

Agustín Gama is currently the Country Director of Pure Earth Mexico – his 30 years of professional experience began at American Express and Reader’s Digest; he has held top executive positions as Executive Director of The American Society of Mexico and General Manager for Diario EL PAÍS Mexico LATAM North. He has also worked  in the public sector, where he held several directive positions in the Ministry of Finance and Administration of the Government of the State of Hidalgo. His academic background includes Business Administration and Accounting at the Universidad Anáhuac and Public Administration and Political Science at the Universidad Iberoamericana. He is also an active member of the American Benevolent Society Mexico, American School Foundation Alumni Association, and has participated in international marathons.

Jesús is a Biochemical Engineer from ITESM and has an MBA from IPADE in Mexico. He has held several positions in the Finance and Microfinance Industries, and has had extensive experience in operations and project management, customer service, and strategic planning. Prior to joining Pure Earth, he worked as a consultant for the food industry, designing and implementing several operational re-engineering projects, as well as continuous improvement programs.

Carmina studied International Relations and has spent 7 years dedicating herself to the fundraising and strategic development of different social causes in Mexico. She is passionate about contributing to the social development of the communities and collaborates with Pure Earth in Mexico promoting the Barro Aprobado Program and seeking funds for the development of projects.

Netzy has a degree in Social Anthropology from the Autonomous University of Morelos, a master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the College of Michoacán, and a doctorate from the CUCSH of the University of Guadalajara in Social Sciences. She is a part-time professor at the University of Morelos and has been the Operations Coordinator with Barro Aprobado since 2014. She specializes in local project management and community organizing.

Rodrigo is a biologist with a Master’s Degree in Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Leadership.

Forestry engineer by training, with a master’s degree in environmental management, with more than 14 years of experience in the forestry sector of Peru, working on the problem of alluvial mining in Madre de Dios, Peru, since 2011, investigating issues related to environmental mining management, mercury-free technologies, as well as the restoration of areas degraded by mining in the Amazon.

Dr. Lilian Corra is Pure Earth’s government relations advisor for South America.

As a pediatrician/neonatologist, Lilian has done extensive work to raise awareness about children’s health in relation to the environment. She is the director of the Medical Specialist Program on Health and Environment at the School of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires.

She connects with global aid agencies and South American governments on behalf of Pure Earth, which acts as Secretariat for the new Global Alliance on Health and Pollution. She also works with Pure Earth on the Toxics Sites Identification Program in Argentina, which has, in some cases, led local authorities to halt development on contaminated sites. In 2016, she was part of a team of global experts who contributed to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s new series of children’s environmental health training modules.

Dr. Jack Caravanos is presently Professor at the School of Global Public Health at NYU. He received his Master’s Degree in Environmental Health Engineering and proceeded to earn his DrPH from Columbia University. He is board certified in industrial hygiene (CIH) and prides himself as being a practicing field-based environmental health scientist. Since 2005, Dr. Caravanos has assisted the international NGO, Pure Earth, with its Toxic Site Inventory Program and has traveled to over 20 countries assisting partners in both the private and governmental sector in sampling and assessing environmental health threats from hazardous waste sites and operations. Dr. Caravanos conducted dozens of environmental health assessments of e-waste sites, backyard smelters, gold mining sites and tanneries.

Hanrahan is an expert in water and wastewater planning, environmental engineering, pollution control and soil clean-up; technical director of Pure Earth; former lead environmental specialist, Environment Department, World Bank

An expert in development policy and strategy, Karti works closely with Pure Earth and international governments on Pure Earth’s effort to end toxic pollution in some of the world’s worst polluted places, focusing in particular on Pure Earth’s work on the World Bank’s Global Alliance for Legacy Pollution and Health initiative, a worldwide effort to clean up pollution left behind by past industrial activities.

Dr. Binkhorst comes to Pure Earth from the private environmental consulting world. As a Senior Hydrogeologist and Project Manager at ALTA Environmental Corporation in Connecticut since 1998, Gordon was primarily responsible for providing technical oversight and direction on projects involving complex hydrogeologic and contaminant investigations, water supply development, underground storage tank removals and closures, expert witness work, various types of remediation including mitigation of exposure pathways using engineered and institutional control measures appropriate to site usage. Gordon is currently an Adjunct Professor at UConn where he teaches an undergraduate class on completing environmental site assessments and pertinent regulations, and serves as a member of UConn’s Geoscience Advisory Board. At Pure Earth, Gordon serves as the Senior Technical Advisor and has been an active member of Pure Earth’s Technical Advisory Board for over 7 years.