We are strategists, advocates, and industry leaders with deep expertise in policy and innovation.

Giana Amador is the Executive Director of the Carbon Removal Alliance, which works to protect and grow the carbon removal industry. She works at the nexus of project development and federal policy to address the industry’s most pressing question: How do we scale? As the Alliance’s founding executive director, Giana is creating the playbook for carbon removal advocacy — one that elevates the perspectives of technologists and takes a pragmatic approach to building allies in Congress. 

Giana’s perspective on climate change was born in the Central Valley of California: a politically blended district that produces a quarter of the nation’s food and much of the state’s fossil energy. But with acute heat and mounting land pressure, the Valley — like much of the world — needs more climate solutions. One of those solutions is carbon removal. In 2015, Giana co-founded Carbon180 with Noah Deich to bring carbon removal into the climate movement. Part incubator, part policy nonprofit, Carbon180 was the first dedicated carbon removal organization. There, Giana brought the field’s first philanthropic backers to the table, incubated pioneering companies, and built the advocacy engine that delivered the world’s first government purchasing program, a multi-billion dollar investment in DAC, and robust RD&D programs across the National Labs.

Over her career, Giana has founded and led two of the field’s most influential organizations and shaped climate policy, making the US the undisputed leader in carbon removal after plucking it from relative obscurity in 2015. Today there are hundreds of carbon removal companies and billions of federal dollars with her fingerprints on it.

Giana has been recognized by Forbes 30 under 30opens in a new tab and Entrepreneur's 100 Most Influential Women in Climateopens in a new tab. She holds a degree in Environmental Economics & Policy from UC Berkeley.

Chris serves as the Director of Government Affairs, focused on advancing and enacting policies to enable a gigaton-scale carbon removal industry. He comes to the Carbon Removal Alliance after a decade of working on energy and climate policy in Congress. Most recently, he served as a Senior Professional Staff Member at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee where he led Chairman Joe Manchin’s work on carbon management, renewable energy, energy tax, and climate policy. In this role he developed key provisions of the Energy Permitting Reform Act and oversaw implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Energy Act of 2020. He previously led the energy and environment portfolio for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to Rep. Conor Lamb, and got his start in Congress working for Rep. Mike Doyle. 

Chris holds a B.A. in Political Science from Dickinson College and is pursuing an MBA from the University of Michigan. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his dog named Moose. Connect with him on Linkedinopens in a new tab.

Eli serves as the Senior Policy Manager at the Carbon Removal Alliance. He is focused on policy development, with a special interest in demand-side policy. He is passionate about creating a robust market for durable carbon removal and hopes to see a net-negative world in his lifetime. He comes to Carbon Removal Alliance from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he led a $115 million carbon removal funding portfolio. His portfolio included the $35 million Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Pilot Prize and the $52.5 million Direct Air Capture Pilot Prize. Through the Purchase Pilot Prize, Eli helped design and implement the first government program ever to purchase carbon removal credits directly from the private sector. He has advised states and international governments on their carbon removal purchasing initiatives and sits on various industry advisory groups. 

Eli holds a B.A. in Political Science from Haverford College, and is based in Denver, Colorado. Outside of work, he enjoys rock climbing, napping, and cuddling with his dog. Find him on Linkedinopens in a new tab.

As the senior communications manager, Dan leads the Alliance’s digital, media relations, and communications strategy work. Previously, Dan was an Associate Vice President at Precision Strategies, a communications and public affairs firm working with top companies, causes and candidates to build programs that drive engagement as well as lasting change. There, Dan helped his clients launch award-winning campaigns, top the New York Times Best Seller list, and pass critical legislation. Before Precision, he worked as the Digital Strategy and Communications Manager for Community Catalyst, a national health care advocacy organization working in more than 45 U.S. states to build power for the health justice movement. Dan holds a B.S. from the University of Vermont, where he studied political science and public communication.

He happily resides in America’s next state, Washington D.C., with his anxious but infinitely lovable dog. Find him on LinkedInopens in a new tab.

Dana Jacobs serves as chief of staff. Dana leads the partnership and membership program and ensures strategic and operational well-being of the organization. Dana has been working in the carbon removal space since 2020 and previously led public affairs at Carbon180, where she helped build out their policy communications team across media, events, and partnerships. During her time at Carbon180, Dana helped bring carbon removal into the national political consciousness, steering pressrooms across the country to examine and cover carbon removal more thoroughly.

She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Creative Writing from Colgate University. She's based in Brooklyn, NY. Find her LinkedInopens in a new tab and Twitteropens in a new tab.