Lisette Braman
Program Manager, Financial Instruments Sector Team
Background
Prior to joining the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) in 2014, Lisette served as Climate Risk Advisor to the American Red Cross, International Services Department. There she provided technical support to increase awareness of climate variability and change in international disaster risk reduction programs. Lisette's work with the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement began in 2008 at the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, where she provided technical support to multi-country programs including the Preparedness for Climate Change Program and Partners for Resilience. While working for the Climate Centre, Lisette was also based at the IRI, where she helped facilitate the Partnership to Save Lives with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). This work involved, liaising with climate scientists to provide tools and services that supported forecast based decision-making, working as part of the Help Desk Team to provide disaster managers with rapid responses to climate-related questions, and coordinating an internship program, bringing graduate students with climate expertise to Red Cross/Red Crescent offices around the world. Lisette also documented the use of climate information by the Red Cross in West Africa for improved disaster preparedness and response. She gained interdisciplinary knowledge of climate variability and change through the Masters program in Climate and Society at Columbia University. Before entering the field of Climate Risk Management, Lisette worked with non-profit organizations, including the Environmental Leadership Program and the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group. Lisette earned her undergraduate degree in Environment, Economics and Politics at Scripps College.Research Interests
Enhancing climate services to become more demand-driven, user-friendly and actionable for the disaster management community.Role at the IRI
Serves as Program Manager on IRI’s Financial Instruments Sector Team, a group managing insurance research, implementation, and education projects with a wide range of partners, supported by dozens of individual grants for projects that serve several hundred thousand farmers.Publications
Braman, L., van Aalst, M., Mason, S., Suarez, P., Ait-Chellouche, Y., and Tall, A., ‘Climate Forecasts in Disaster Management: Red Cross Flood Operations in West Africa, 2008,’ Disasters, Volume 37, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages: 144–164. Online: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-7717.2012.01297.x/pdf
Maenzanise, S., Braman, L., ‘Innovative Approaches to Engaging Communities in Participatory Dialogues that Enhance Community Disaster Preparedness,’ Case Study of the Climate Services Partnership, September 2012. Online: http://www.climate-services.org/case-studies/building-resilient-african-communities-braces/
Braman, L., Suarez P., van Aalst, M., ‘Climate Change Adaptation: Integrating Climate Science into Humanitarian Work,’ International Review of the Red Cross, Vol 92 No. 879, September 2010. Online: http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/review/2010/irrc-879-braman-suarez-maarten-aalst.pdf
Braman, L., ‘The Access and Use of Climate and Weather Information in the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: Initial Observations from the Field, 2009,’ a joint publication by the IFRC, IRI and RC/RC Climate Centre, prepared for the World Climate Conference 3: http://www.climatecentre.org/downloads/File/reports/ifrc_pathforward_aug.pdf
Braman, L., ‘Early Warning, Early Action: An Evaluation of IFRC West and Central Africa Zone Flood Preparedness and Response, 2008,’ IFRC, 2009. Online: http://www.climatecentre.org/downloads/File/ewea_an_evaluation_of_ifrc_west_and_central_africa.pdf
Braman, L., ‘Climate Forecasting and Weather Monitoring Tools for the Red Cross in the Region of Mexico, Central America and Panama,’ Humanitarian Scholars Program, August 2008: http://www.climatecentre.org/downloads/File/reports/internship%20reports/Lisette%20Internship%20Report-Americas.pdf