GENER ABDON (he/him/his)
Chair
Gener Abdon was born and still lives in San Diego, California. He is grateful that he has a lot of Filipino extended family members living throughout the city. Gener graduated from San Diego State University (SDSU) in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences in International Security and Conflict Resolution with a Specialization in Cooperation, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution with a Double Minor in Leadership Development and French. He advocated for and developed an environmentally just SDSU during all of his 4 years there through policy formation and execution with students, faculty, staff, and community members. Gener envisions an alternative better world for marginalized communities around the world. He has an abundant amount of excitement about the future of In Good Company. Gener loves running around parks and on designated trails, biking around mountains and on roads, doing meditation, and traveling the world.
ERLINDE CORNELIS (she/her/hers)
Director
Erlinde Cornelis was born and raised in Belgium, EU. After her PhD, she moved to the US for postdoc research. She teaches Research and Sustainability at the Fowler College of Business, serves as the Chair of the SDSU's Senate Sustainability Committee, and as co-PI for SCEIN (Southern California Energy Innovation Network), a Cleantech incubator funded by the CEC (California Energy Commission). Her research interests include social, economic, and environmental sustainability. In her free time, Erlinde spends as much time as possible outdoors (backpacking, riding her bike, etc) or in the kitchen (vegan dessert addict). She lives in a tiny and sustainable biophilic paradise together with her husband and her adventure cat.
ADRIENNE FUSEK (she/her/hers)
Executive Director & Founder
Prior to shifting focus to advance climate justice in her local community, Adrienne worked in the field of international education for 18 years. Her work includes serving as a founding board member of CANIE (the Climate Action Network for International Educators) where she co-founded the Climate Justice working group and served as the lead author of the COP26 Glasgow Paper and CANIE Accord. She co-chaired the Forum on Education Abroad working group that wrote the guidelines aligning education abroad with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Adrienne is currently a lecturer at San Diego State University (SDSU), where she teaches Sustainability and Environmental Science. She also advises colleges, universities, and nonprofits on global higher education with expertise in global strategy creation, sustainable development, and inclusive climate action.
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Adrienne studied in Querétaro, México while earning a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Education from Cal Poly Humboldt, served as Peace Corps Volunteer in Bangladesh while earning a master’s degree in International Education from SIT Graduate Institute, and she holds a Doctor of Education in Postsecondary Educational Leadership from SDSU. She lives in University Heights with her wife and two unruly dogs.
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HENAR HELLOW (she/her/hers)
Treasurer
Henar Hellow holds a Master’s degree from the University of California, San Diego in International Relations, where she focused on environmental policy and politics in Southeast Asia. She also holds a double Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian Studies (Chinese language) and in Studio Arts, specializing in oil painting and figure drawing. Her work experience has ranged from non-profit work in labor market, humanitarian aid, and energy to the private sector, where she uses her research and analytical capabilities to help communicate the story hidden in the data. Henar is committed to pursuing DE&I in the corporate space, and for the past few years has been the chapter lead for the Asia Pacific Network in San Diego, an employee resource group focused on the Asian experience and supporting its members and allies. She currently works as a senior research analyst in research consulting within CBRE, using a multi-disciplinary approach to analyze data and produce insights for clients.
A San Diego native, Henar spends her free time knitting, painting, and reading when she’s not working on personal analysis projects centered around climate change and ESG. She lives with her family in San Diego, along with their very funny and chatty cat. Henar is incredibly excited to working with In Good Company and make a positive impact in this space, as well as continue to deepen her experience working in the multi-disciplinary intersection of climate justice.
NAOMI KIDANE (she/her/hers)
Climate Justice Fellow
Naomi Kidane was born in the Bay Area and raised in Nevada. She is currently a junior at University of San Diego majoring in Computer Science. Outside of the classroom, Naomi enjoys working with initiatives that include mentorship of youth in San Diego, being in nature, working with Changemakers Hub, and participating with various school organizations such as National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Post graduation, Naomi plans on either working with a startup or big tech company as a software engineer. She holds great passion for environmental sustainability and aims to work with groups and nonprofits to combat climate change.
MALAK MITCHELL (he/him/his)
Youth Climate Leader
Malak Mitchell is a San Diego high school student who spends his time on science, surf, math, and videography. Nature is his inspiration to learn and experience the magic of life. Time in the ocean serves as his constant reminder that we all share this planet. Living abroad taught him that we cannot transform our future without creating social and environmental justice. He wants to build a better future by designing investment models that regenerate communities and the natural world.
DR. WILLIAM A. TWAYIGIZE (he/him/his)
Director
William A. TWAYIGIZE holds a PhD from the University of New England in Australia, a Master’s degree from Brandeis University, and a Business degree from Southern New Hampshire University. He completed his undergraduate studies at Daystar University in Kenya and served as a graduate fellow at Harvard University Law School.
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Dr. Twayigize was a research associate at Harvard University Department of Global Health and Social Medicines and served as the President-In-Residence Coordinator at the African President Research Center at Boston University. He also served in the Office of the President of Kenya/Government Spokesperson Office and taught International Security and Conflict Resolution at San Diego State University.
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Dr. Twayigize grew up in many refugee camps across Africa where his life was in constant danger until he ended up in the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya. The camp hosts more than 200,000 refugees from Somalia, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, and Congo and is one of the largest refugee camps in the world. Dr. Twayigize is grateful that God sent him Good Samaritans from Sierra Leone and North America who supported his education and transformed his life.
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For decades, Dr. Twayigize has been involved in humanitarian projects that provide scholarships to bright kids from refugee camps and less privileged communities in East Africa. He is the Director of the Africa New Hope Project for Empowerment (ANEHOPE-AFRICA), a not-for-profit organization that focuses on quality education, affordable healthcare, clean water for all, access to renewable energy for communities from semi-arid, and fighting female genital mutilation.
SARAH WILKINS (she/her/hers)
Secretary
Sarah Wilkins has worked in nonprofit development for more than a decade. She currently serves as the Donor Services Manager at Library Foundation SD and has worked for environmental, arts, and social service organizations in San Diego and Chicago. She earned her Master of Nonprofit Administration from North Park University in Chicago and her undergraduate degree from San Diego State University. Sarah is committed to collaborative, inclusive climate action and looks forward to contributing to In Good Company’s impact. Originally from the Bay Area, Sarah lives with her husband and two rescue dogs and can be found traveling, testing vegan recipes, foraging, attempting photography, and volunteering each week with rescued farm animals.