Meet our team
Clarita R. Carlos, PH.D
Executive Director
Dr. Carlos heads the Asia Pacific Institute of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Foundation, INc. (APICCMAFI) and the StratSearch Foundation, Inc.
She is a distinguished professor of Political Science at the University of the Philippines, Diliman and an expert in foreign policy, defense and security, geopolitics, and climate change. For more than five decades, she has been a consultant at the Philippine Congress and various other government and non-government agencies.
She has also undertaken consultancy work with the private sector. Dr. Carlos was a Fulbright Visiting Fellow at Cornell University and a Senior Fulbright at UCLA.
Dennis M. Lalata
Program and Project Manager
Dennis Montemayor Lalata is Program and Project Manager of the Asia Pacific Institute of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Foundation Inc. (APICCMAFI) and of the StratSearch Foundation Inc. (SSFI).
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Major in Journalism) Cum Laude from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. He has worked for and undertaken policy-related, development-oriented and strategic planning projects with various government agencies in the three branches of government—executive, legislature and judiciary, as well as non-government organizations and the private sector.
Mr. Lalata has been involved in various projects related to the environment and climate change. He recently participated in the Resilience Frontiers Conference as Content Integrator on April 8 to 12, 2019 held in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea organized by the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat.
Kristel R.Villanueva-Libunao
Corporate Secretary & Policy Action Officer
Kristel R. Villanueva-Libunao is the Corporate Secretary of the APICCMAFI and of the StratSearch Foundation Inc. (SSFI). She is also the Executive Director of SmartCitiesPH, Inc. (SmartCT).
She has a degree in Linguistics from the University of the Philippines, a Graduate Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning and currently finishing her Advanced Project Management course in UC Berkeley.
A member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), she specializes in environmental management, sustainability, and smart cities.
She has worked as a consultant with different government agencies, NGOs and international organizations and has soaked herself in community-based initiatives, including residency at an organic housing project in Thailand and sustainable development planning in Costa Rica. She is a fellow of Sustainability Labs of New York & Universidad La Earth of Costa Rica.
Maria Iraliz Nool
Policy Research Officer & Data Privacy Officer
Ms. Nool was the Data Policy Officer (DPO) and Policy Research Officer of APICCMAFI and of the StratSearch Foundation Inc. (SSFI). She was a student of the Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) Program in UP Diliman.
She held a degree in International Studies Magna cum Laude and has completed her Master's Degree (International Studies) at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.She held supervisory positions and performed administrative and operations work for various multinational corporations.
Mariel P. Castaneda
Policy Research Officer
She is a Policy Research Officer at APICCMAFI and of the StratSearch Foundation Inc. (SSFI). Ms. Castañeda is a graduate student of the Masters in International Studies Program at the University of the Philippines Diliman. She earend her degree in Language and Literature from UP Baguio. She has worked and volunteered with various organizations focused on international development and youth exchange study programs. She is a Policy Research Officer at StratSearch Foundation Inc.
