Originally from Los Angeles, California, Claire grew up in love with the ocean but concerned about urban pollution. This inspired her to pursue a degree in environmental economics and policy at UC Berkeley. While in school, she led various campus environmental initiatives and conducted research on distributed renewable energy, for which she received a fellowship to implement this research in the Middle East. Afterward, she moved to Arizona, where she led environmental programs for a nonprofit focused on the border region. In her free time, she began leading community classes on sustainability, which inspired her to explore politics as a means of systems change. She served both as a policy adviser for the downtown councilperson and as planning, transportation and sustainability adviser for the former mayor of Tucson, Arizona. After the mayor left office, she transitioned back to the nonprofit world, where she led environmental workshops for local businesses and nonprofits. Claire completed her internship this summer with the U.S. Department of Energy. Her policy passions are centered on the circular economy, urbanism, renewable energy, community resource management, environmental justice, and equitable climate change mitigation and adaptation. Aside from that, she’s an avid hiker, writer, reader, yogi, and outdoor adventurer.