Jo Opot

Jo is the Interim Executive Director of the Clara Lionel Foundation which focuses on climate resilience and climate justice in the Caribbean and United States.

Between 2014 and 2020, Jo was based in San Francisco at the impact investing fund Acumen where as Head of Business Development - West Coast she led the organization’s partner engagement and fundraising strategy. Jo returned home to Kenya in 2019 as Head of Leadership and Strategic Partnerships to directly support local entrepreneurs and further Acumen’s East Africa fundraising strategy.

Jo started her career working for the United Nations in Kenya, Russia and the USA. She then joined StartingBloc as their Director of Programs and subsequently became the Executive Director. Following this, Jo was the Global Vice President of Business Development at TerraCycle, where she grew the company’s business development partnerships from six countries to twenty-two markets. Prior to Acumen, Jo provided tech and business modeling support to US based early stage sustainability ventures as the Director of Business Development at Singlebrook Technology.

Jo is a recipient of the Sundance Eco-Warrior Award and a Social Venture Network fellow and has been featured in the New York Times and Fast Company. She holds a BA in Political Science and French from Middlebury College and a Masters in Sustainability from the University of Cambridge. Some of her favorite moments are trail running in Kenya with her husband, daughter and dog.