CRES Bolsters External Relations and Policy Teams with New Hires

CRES Welcomes Director of Grants Management Sharone Waldman, Partnership Coordinator Buse Atmaca, Policy Analysts Ana Vivas Thomas and Zoya Dhakam.

WASHINGTON Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) today announced the addition of four new team members to the organization’s external relations and policy teams. Sharone Waldman, who previously was director of grants and contracts for Union Settlement, has joined CRES in a newly created position as director of grants management, and Buse Atmaca, who previously was an account management associate at Cvent Inc., has joined as partnership coordinator. The policy team welcomes Ana Vivas Thomas, who previously interned for the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), and Zoya Dhakam, who previously interned at Albright Stonebridge Group on political risk consulting, as policy analysts.

“With the addition of these great team members, CRES is creating robust policy, external relations, and grants management departments staffed by experts in clean energy who will produce impactful research, ideas, and partnerships to advance an all-of-the-above energy approach,” said CRES President Heather Reams. “I extend a warm welcome to Sharone, Buse, Ana, and Zoya as they join the CRES team, and I am eager to witness their contributions to driving initiatives that deliver affordable, reliable, and cleaner energy for all Americans.”

“My new role will help CRES further its mission to advance conservative, clean energy solutions by diversifying, sustaining, and growing the resources that CRES can tap into,” said Sharone Waldman. “I am proud to be a part of that mission and look forward to bringing my expertise to the table.”

Before joining CRES, Waldman worked as director of grants and contracts for Union Settlement and, before that, was a strategic grants writer and researcher at Feiner Grant Strategies. She holds a Master of Education degree from Harvard, where she spent time helping students with special needs. She is also pursuing a third master’s degree from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs.

“I am thrilled to become a member of the CRES team and boost the organization’s external relations by researching and cultivating relationships with new donors,” said Buse Atmaca. “Using my skillset to develop CRES’ strategic partnerships will strengthen the organization’s position in the energy and climate space with stakeholders and policymakers.”

Preceding her role at CRES, Atmaca was an account management associate at Cvent Inc., where she maintained relationships with existing clients and customers. Some of her key roles were to understand client requirements, resolve issues, and identify new areas of opportunity in existing accounts. She graduated from The University of Alabama in July of 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a concentration in international relations.

“It is exciting to join CRES and have the opportunity to conduct research and recommend policy solutions that improve access to clean energy, grow the economy, and increase America’s competitiveness edge,” said Zoya Dhakam. “Sound policy research is the first step to advancing initiatives that leave the planet better than we found it.”

Prior to CRES, Dhakam worked for Albright Stonebridge Group on political risk consulting, particularly in South Asia. She also consulted with the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), devising climate resilience strategies as a response to extreme climate shocks, for low-income women workers in India. She holds a master’s in public administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, with a focus on international economic and political development, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science at the University of Connecticut.

“I look forward to focusing on energy policy that addresses sector emissions mitigation, grid reliability, and incentives for innovative technologies at CRES,” said Ana Vivas Thomas. “It will be both challenging and rewarding to work on complex policy that brings conservatives to the decision table on climate.”

Before her role at CRES, Thomas interned with the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) where she provided research support on various work streams of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), such as the global stocktake, climate finance, and loss and damage (L&D). She also researched ways to enhance private sector engagement on mitigation and climate finance through the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action. She holds a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University, with a focus on climate, environmental and energy policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in international development studies from UCLA.

The CRES team is still growing. The organization is actively recruiting several junior- to manager-level positions. To learn how you can join the CRES team HERE.  

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