Natalie Montecino is an educator, international researcher, and rural community development champion working at the intersection of climate action, democracy, and inclusive leadership. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Climate Democracy Initiative, where she leads programs that amplify local voices in energy transition, strengthen environmental civics education, and shape just climate policy across rural and historically underrepresented communities.
In addition to her role with the Climate Democracy Initiative, she is the Instructor for the Stanford University e-Minamata Program, which examines environmental justice, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and U.S.–Japan relations. Natalie brings a global perspective to her work, grounded in cross-cultural experience. She was selected as a Davos50 Delegate—one of 50 young leaders from around the world recognized for their rising potential to shape the future—to attend the 2025 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, where she spoke on a panel about inclusive leadership and the strengths of neurodiverse governance. That same year, she was named an Aspen Ideas Festival Fellow, joining a cohort of emerging global changemakers recognized for advancing meaningful impact in their fields.
Previously, she completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Japan, conducting field research on rural revitalization and community resilience in partnership with Okayama University. She has served as an invited lecturer at both Tokyo University and Okayama University, and her rural revitalization research has been published in numerous Japanese academic journals.
Natalie has represented the United States in several high-level international forums, including the Young Trilateral Leaders Summit (Japan–Korea–U.S.) and a Department of State Media Literacy and Democracy Seminar in South Korea.
Natalie holds a B.A. in International Studies from Colorado State University, where she graduated summa cum laude. She currently serves on the City of Fort Collins Energy Board and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Longevity Economy Taskforce.