FEARLESSLY FORWARD

Marking 15 years, the CLEO Institute honors its past and launches a fearless new chapter in the climate movement 

By Yulia Strokova & Douglas Markowitz

Yoca Arditi-Rocha | Photo by Greg Clark, RiseWorks

In 2018, Yoca Arditi-Rocha had just returned to Miami after years of climate advocacy across Latin America. She had founded No Planeta B, a consultancy that focuses on reducing the carbon footprint, led youth initiatives during COP20 in Lima, and stood with thousands supporting the Paris Climate Agreement.

Back in the United States, the future of that deal was uncertain after the Trump administration announced plans to withdraw from the Paris Accords, making her next step feel all the more urgent. 

“Do I start from scratch with my own organization here in Miami,” she recalls thinking, “or join an established institution and continue the work where it mattered most?” 

That dilemma led her to The CLEO Institute. What began as a consulting role quickly became a defining chapter of her life when Yoca joined the women-led organization rooted in science, education, community engagement, and resilience building — particularly in vulnerable communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. 

Since then, CLEO (Climate Leadership Engagement Opportunities) has expanded from a four-person operation into a statewide force of 35, with programs reaching tens of thousands. 

Their budget has grown sixfold, creative campaigns like Melting Florida and State of Emergency have earned global recognition, and their youth advocacy & leadership arm genCLEO is now 13 chapters strong with more than 9,000 members.

Yoca believes CLEO’s unique power lies in working both bottom-up and top-down. From grassroots workshops in climate-stressed neighborhoods to meetings with policymakers at the local, state, and federal level, CLEO attempts to bridge the divide between those experiencing climate impacts and those shaping climate policy. 

“At our core, we give people information, inspiration, solutions, and community,” she explains. “We make sure they’re not only educated, but engaged. For us, the antidote to despair is action.”

Caroline Lewis | Photo Courtesy of The CLEO Institute

CLEO’s story began in 2010, when Caroline Lewis, a science teacher and high school principal, answered a call from Miami scientists to raise climate literacy, promote action, and build leadership. The scientific evidence was urgent, but the public was disengaged. Leveraging her skills as an educator, she founded CLEO with the goal of closing that gap. From the start, the organization was built to engage everyone from concerned residents to elected officials.

By 2017, Caroline recognized that CLEO was ready for its next stage of growth. The mission needed fresh leadership to expand its reach and deepen its impact. When she decided to step back, Yoca stepped forward, becoming Executive Director the following year. 

“It was an easy yes,” Yoca continues. “CLEO’s mission aligned perfectly with my values and my urgency. Acting on climate is time-bound, we don’t have a lifetime to solve it.”

Under Yoca’s leadership, CLEO has not just raised much more than awareness. In 2023 alone, their advocacy helped secure $550 million in federal climate resilience and clean energy funding for Florida some of which in 2025 has been reverted back or terminated by the US administration.

Their advocacy has also had real-life political influence. In 2025, hundreds of CLEO's youth activists, called genCLEO, rallied and met with state lawmakers in Tallahassee to protect Florida’s state parks from commercial development. The effort helped propel HB 209, which the House passed unanimously and the Senate amended, toward final approval.

A BOLD INVESTMENT IN CLIMATE LEADERSHIP

Now, as it celebrates its 15th anniversary, CLEO is entering a new chapter under the theme “Fearless.” For Yoca, it is both a rallying cry and a promise.

“The path to climate progress isn’t straight, it’s peaks and valleys, ups and downs. But courage must live in every moment. We will not dilute our work or soften our message. The time to be laser-focused on our priorities is NOW. If not us, then who?”

This vision — rooted in courage — Yoca insists, cannot succeed without allies.

“Partnerships are crucial, and we’re very thankful for the strong partners that we have,” Yoca says. “This is the reason why we are celebrating our 15th anniversary by celebrating others, because we know that we don’t do this work alone, and we’re only as strong as our partners.”

Among those partners, VoLo Foundation has played a transformative role. In 2025, VoLo announced a landmark three-year, $6 million grant to the CLEO Institute to advance climate leadership and systems change. At a time when only 2% of the world’s philanthropic dollars go to climate-focused organizations, and even less to women-led organizations like CLEO, VoLo’s investment sets a powerful precedent. 

For Thais Lopez Vogel, co-Founder and Trustee of the VoLo Foundation, the partnership is about more than funding — it’s about amplifying impact across all sectors of society.

“When you invest in climate, you’re investing in everything: education, health, the economy. The climate crisis is the umbrella, and until we act together as communities, nothing will change. CLEO delivers impact year after year because they empower everyday people to lead with courage, data, and heart.”

WOMEN ON THE FRONTLINES OF A CHANGING CLIMATE 

Elyzabeth Estrada joined CLEO’s Empowering Resilient Women (ERW) fellowship program in 2022, seeking reconnection after the pandemic and a broader view of climate solutions beyond emergency preparedness. 

An Assistant Director of Disaster Management at the University of Miami’s Global Institute for Community Health and Development, Elizabeth says ERW deepened her knowledge and expanded her preparedness toolkit amid extreme heat, worsening storms, and housing pressures.

The program also opened doors to new dimensions of resilience, from urban gardening and composting to food security and advocacy. 

“It gave me a new passion for caring for plants and for nourishing myself organically. That small garden became a lasting reminder of how personal and transformative climate action can be.”

CLEO’s Empowering Resilient Women Fellows | Photo by Greg Clark, RiseWorks

The sessions were held in the evenings at the Miami Workers Center. Vegan meals from local caterers were provided, childcare and transportation stipends were available, and real-time interpretation in Spanish and Creole ensured inclusivity.

“Women are often, if not always, the heads of households,” Elyzabeth reflects. “We are decision-makers, caregivers, and connectors. When women gain knowledge, we don’t just change our own homes. We share those lessons within our communities. We influence what’s on the dinner table. We decide the conversations happening at home with our children. Supporting women creates a multiplier effect. And that’s what we do, and we do it well.”

For Elyzabeth, the impact extended far beyond the program’s six-month fellowship structure. It reshaped how she approaches her professional role in disaster management and strengthened her identity as a trusted source of knowledge in her community.

“CLEO truly walks the talk,” she adds. “Since participating, I’ve become someone people turn to for reliable guidance. And that comes with responsibility, to keep that lifeline strong and to empower others to carry the baton forward. That’s the beautiful thing about community, it’s not just about protecting ourselves, but about building capacity together.”

Photo Courtesy of Elyzabeth Estrada, CLEO’s Empowering Resilient Women Fellow

TAKE YOUR CLIMATE CLASS

CLEO’s youth program, genCLEO, extends the institute’s philosophy of empowerment to the next generation. The program equips students with climate science education, leadership training, and opportunities to advocate directly with decision-makers. 

For Gabriela McGrath Moreira, now a sophomore at Smith College studying environmental science and policy, genCLEO was the spark that launched her climate journey back in eighth grade.

“CLEO was the first organization that really got me into the climate movement,” she says. “Through genCLEO I became a certified climate speaker, testified at commission meetings, lobbied in Tallahassee, and even worked on the environmental curriculum for Miami-Dade schools. They taught me to be firm in my stance, but also to approach advocacy with empathy and respect.”

Her story underscores a deeper systemic gap, the lack of climate education in Florida’s public schools.

“I went to public school my whole life in Miami, and there was almost no climate education, maybe two pages in a textbook at most. CLEO provided me with the foundation I needed to understand the science and the urgency. Without them, I wouldn’t have had the knowledge or confidence to speak up at commission meetings or pursue environmental policy as my career path.”

Photo Courtesy of The CLEO Institute

Gabriela’s experience highlights what research confirms. Florida’s climate education standards are weak, earning a “D” for failing to adequately explain the causes, impacts, and solutions of climate change. Despite overwhelming public support — 67% of Floridians say schools should teach climate science — state officials have directed that climate change references be stripped from textbooks. As a result, most students graduate without the knowledge or tools to understand a crisis that will define their future.

Meanwhile, Florida is heating up faster than the global average. Since 1950, its annual temperature has risen by 3.5 °F, and urban heat islands now push classroom conditions in cities like Miami as much as 8 °F hotter than surrounding areas. More than half of Miami’s public school students attend schools in these high-risk zones, often without sufficient air conditioning. For students, this means not only health risks but also compromised learning conditions during prolonged heat waves.

FEARLESS TRUTH-TELLING & HOPEFUL SOLUTIONS

Alex Harris, an award-winning climate reporter for The Miami Herald, puts it bluntly: “Despite Miami being a major American city, we have a pretty small footprint of climate activists compared to other places like Chicago or D.C. or New York.”

Alex’s reporting, from exposing special-interest influence on Miami’s climate plans to documenting missed resilience funding, shows how small policy choices stack up “like Legos in a wall,” and why stories grounded in people and action can ignite the collective will to change.

That may be part of the reason why in 2024, the CLEO Institute honored Alex, alongside journalists Louis Aguirre and Mario Ariza, with a special Leadership Circle award, part of the Institute’s annual tradition of recognizing community members who exemplify climate advocacy and leadership in their communities. 

“The CLEO Institute fills an important void,” she says. “They’ve always been a leading voice on climate action, and they’ve really shaped the conversation — from youth activism to Tallahassee advocacy to their creative campaigns.” 

And on why the work matters, Alex adds:

“The best climate journalism reminds people of their own agency. Climate change is scary, but hope is not lost. There are solutions, and there are actions we can take.”

Photo Courtesy of The CLEO Institute

CLEO’s Vision 2030: Fearlessly Forward is a bold call to action. Over the next decade, the institute aims to mobilize millions through education, civic engagement, and community resilience; influence policies that accelerate a clean-energy transition; and scale solutions that center women, youth, and frontline communities.

“Fearless leadership isn’t about weathering the crisis ahead,” Yoca says. “It’s about meeting this moment with intention and clarity.”

She adds: “Courage is contagious. Our amazing team, partners, youth, and community leaders show me every day that progress doesn’t come from comfort — it comes from conviction. Fearless leadership isn’t the absence of fear; it’s action rooted in purpose.”