Meet The Team

Alaitz is an environmental scientist who loves to explore remote places while learning from people and nature. Alaitz holds a BA in Music, Culture, and Cognition from Pitzer College in California, a MSc in Political Ecology, Degrowth, and Environmental Justice from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, a MSc in International Environmental Studies from the Norwegian University of Life Science, and is currently a PhD candidate at Modul University in Vienna. Alaitz’s work with CalDEC centers around researching indicators for the doughnut snapshot, communicating with external reviewers and the doughnut development team, visualizing the data collected, and contributing to report writing. Check him out on his website https://sites.google.com/view/alaitzaritza

Adrián Roberto Román (he/el), is a cooperative organizer and believes that prioritizing the culture of the team and relationship to the community leads to resilient organizations that can adapt and care for those involved. He founded Roman Ventures, is a co-owner of Colmenar Cooperative Consulting and Boston Leaders and Artists Cooperative and is employed as Volunteer Lead at California Doughnut Economics Coalition. He is from Miami, FL, of Cuban and Chilean descent and his culture and family history informs his approach.

Leads the Public Policy Team at SanDiego350 and is working toward a Masters in Degrowth: Ecology, Economy and Policy at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Brian Dowling is a retired economic development professional who worked with a variety of local municipalities. He now sees the potential for creating new community paradigms via Doughnut Economics throughout California with the help of systems thinking & complexity sciences. He is currently also volunteering as facilitator for Doughnut Development (Research) Circle.

Della is a Renegade Economist who hosts the Upstream Podcast inviting folks to unlearn everything you thought you knew about economics. She is also a Right Livelihood coach, a Senior Fellow of Social and Economic Equity at the International Inequalities Institute in the London School of Economics, the Course Development Manager of Fritjof Capra’s Capra Course on the Systems View of Life, a Senior Lecturer at the California Institute of Integral Studies and Gaia Ed.,  and an Alternative Economics Consultant.

Franziska is an independent sustainability consultant and lecturer. Passionate about halting/reversing the climate and ecosystems crisis, she helps organizations worldwide reduce their footprint and develop strategies with a positive impact on people, planet, and prosperity. As a volunteer, Franziska led several public schools’ Green Teams, participated in an alumni group for global climate action, got certified as a Climate Reality Leader, and has been involved in CalDEC since its early days.

Indy Rishi Singh is a community educator and an intercultural advocate for people and planet regeneration. He is the Chief Pollinator with Cosmic Labyrinth, a collective of edutaining professionals producing biocultural ecorestorations and collective care festivals. Indy recently joined the California Doughnut Economic Coalition, channeling his half-decade research into government, policy change, and civic imagination. He is also a board member with Cultivating Self, a nonprofit focused on health equity and justice by providing caregivers with education, resilience, and empowerment. Indy regularly shares Neuroplasticity meditation playshops, sound healing engagements, and resilience techniques with corporations and organizations around the world.

As CalDEC’s Policy Lead Julian Kraus-Polk leads policy research and partnerships, and supports the doughnut assessment for the state of California. Julian is a bridge-builder interested in forging alliances between environmental justice groups, decarbonization experts, and renegade economists. Previous to CalDEC, Julian worked at Project Drawdown engaging businesses and investors to leverage their power to accelerate climate solutions. Julian also has a background in life-cycle analysis, climate-smart agriculture and institutional food procurement policy; and spent four years developing Friends of the Earth’s Healthy, Climate-Friendly Food program. Julian has consulted multiple businesses and NGOs including Impact Alpha, World Resources Institute, Center for Good Food Purchasing and the Real Food Challenge. Julian holds a Masters in Ecological Economics and Political Ecology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Outside of work, Julian is an active organizer with the Sunrise Movement, where he supports grassroots

Stephanie Luz Cordel is a collaborative consultant specializing in research, learning, and evaluation. With a commitment to participatory and community-oriented methodologies, Stephanie supports a diverse range of organizations, including governments, nonprofits, and philanthropic entities. Her work focuses on centering those most impacted by research, ensuring their voices are integral to the process. Stephanie is also passionate about documenting change to facilitate learning and growth within organizations and sharing those learnings with others. She excels at conducting thorough research and creating digestible reports that not only inform, but also inspire action. By co-creating with communities, Stephanie ensures that her research findings and reports are practical tools for social change, empowering stakeholders to drive meaningful impact.