Professional Experience:
Dr. Felix Aponte-Gonzalez is a distinguished climate resilience expert with nearly two decades of experience managing multimillion-dollar portfolios across diverse geographies. His career spans leadership roles as a USAID Foreign Service Officer, Chief Resilience Officer, and environmental planning manager, where he has consistently delivered transformative results in climate adaptation, post-disaster recovery, and sustainable development.
With a proven track record of protecting over 51 million hectares of critical ecosystems and preventing 33 million metric tons of GHG emissions, Felix brings a comprehensive approach to climate resilience that transcends regional boundaries. His experience designing evidence-based frameworks has influenced over $20 billion in disaster risk reduction efforts, making his expertise valuable across vulnerable regions worldwide.
Felix excels in building cross-cultural partnerships, having collaborated with the European Commission on climate adaptation policy and contributed to global climate assessments as Lead Author for both regional and national climate reports. His multilingual capabilities (English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French) enable effective engagement with stakeholders across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
His approach integrates scientific rigor with practical implementation, bridging environmental management with economic development through innovative financing mechanisms that have secured $10-15 million in matched funding for conservation and community resilience initiatives. This methodology has proven particularly valuable for underserved populations facing complex climate challenges globally.
Felix's international perspective is further strengthened by his doctoral research at the University of Manchester, where he developed frameworks for urban planning and environmental management applicable to diverse urban contexts worldwide. His work consistently emphasizes inclusive stakeholder engagement, having trained over 1,500 organizations in resilience strategies and coordinated with multiple government agencies, private sector partners, and community stakeholders across different cultural contexts.
For development teams seeking leadership in climate resilience, Felix offers a unique combination of technical expertise, strategic vision, and practical implementation experience that can be adapted to address climate challenges across all continents.